Youth Vs. Experience Is Put to the Test

The Times’ rating scale for this week’s NFL games:

**** Don’t miss a down.

*** Could be good.

** Who let the dogs out?

Stupor Bowl.

*

The year Ben Roethlisberger was born, Vinny Testaverde was already throwing touchdown passes at Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, N.Y.

Sunday, they will be on the same field. At 23, rookie Roethlisberger is the league’s hot young gunslinger, unbeaten in his three starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and undaunted by anything opposing defenses throw at him.

At 40, the Dallas Cowboys’ Testaverde is a survivor. In 18 years in the NFL with five teams, he has seen many a hot rookie cooled down by the harsh realities of the NFL. Yet Testaverde is still there, still able to compete with a quarterback young enough to be his son.

“Vinny is one of the best physical specimens to play quarterback in the history of the NFL,” said television analyst Phil Simms, himself a former quarterback.

Whatever course Roethlisberger’s career takes, he already can say he has surpassed Terry Bradshaw, the standard by which Steeler quarterbacks judge themselves. At least in terms of an opening act. Bradshaw, who went on to help Pittsburgh win four Super Bowls, lost his first three starts.

Roethlisberger’s focus on Sunday, however, will be on another old man, the one still able to crank up his arm on Sundays.

*** San Diego at Atlanta, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- San Diego drafted quarterback Ryan Leaf in 1998 and passed on Michael Vick in 2001, trading its top pick to the Falcons. As if they needed a reminder, the Chargers will get a firsthand look at Vick on Sunday. San Diego will also get a closer-than-desired look at Atlanta’s rushing defense, best in the NFL.

* Miami at Buffalo, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- How bad have things gotten for the Dolphins? Starting quarterback Jay Fiedler has a cracked rib. His backup, A. J. Feeley, is recovering from a concussion. Ricky Williams wants to come back to this? Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe has thrown for 4,908 yards against Miami, most by an opposing quarterback in Dolphin history.

* Washington at Chicago, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- When Coach Joe Gibbs looked at his schedule, he probably figured this game might be a breather for his Redskins. Sure enough, the Bears are 1-3. What Gibbs probably couldn’t have imagined was that his team would be 1-4.

* Cincinnati at Cleveland, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- After being subjected to Terrell Owens’ sharp tongue in San Francisco, Jeff Garcia figured he might get some respect in Cleveland. Instead, his coach, Butch Davis, has called him “skittish.” Nothing helps skittishness like playing a 1-3 team against whom Garcia has had two of his three best games.

** Green Bay at Detroit, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- When the subject of critical games comes up for the Packers, it’s usually playoff time. But with Green Bay 1-4 and Detroit looking to equal its best start in more than a decade, the Packers find themselves in critical condition before Halloween.

* Kansas City at Jacksonville, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- The Chiefs are 1-3, but they are coming off a season-salvaging victory, followed by a welcome Sunday off. Kansas City has gone 10-5 following its week off. Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich has thrown 57 passes at home this season without an interception.

**** Seattle at New England, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- Another week, another link in the streak. Having set an NFL record by winning 19 straight, counting regular-season and postseason games, the Patriots will try to tie the 1933-34 Bears’ record of 17 consecutive regular-season victories. The Seahawks want to end a one-game losing streak after blowing a 17-point lead last week against the St. Louis Rams.

** San Francisco at New York Jets, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- The 49ers have won eight of nine games against the Jets, including the last five. But those were the old 49ers, not the club that had to rally from 16 points down to beat the Arizona Cardinals last week. And these are the new Jets, aiming for the first 5-0 start in franchise history.

** Carolina at Philadelphia, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- After a Super Bowl season in which the big news was made on the field, the Panthers continue to suffer through one in which the big news comes out of the trainer’s room. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins joins an injury list that includes Stephen Davis, Steve Smith, De- Shaun Foster and Rod Smart. The unbeaten Eagles have outscored their opponents, 107-55.

**** Houston at Tennessee, Sunday, 10 a.m. -- This one could leave the fans and the opposing defenses breathless. Texan quarterback David Carr leads the AFC with 1,375 yards passing. Led by running back Chris Brown, the Titans beat the Packers last week, 48-27, scoring the most points by a visiting team in Lambeau Field.

*** Pittsburgh at Dallas, Sunday, 1:15 p.m. -- This game isn’t just about Roethlisberger and Testaverde. What happens on the ground could be crucial. The Steelers’ Duce Staley has rushed for triple figures in three consecutive games. Dallas, led by Eddie George and Richie Anderson, rushed for 166 yards last week.

*** Denver at Oakland, Sunday, 1:15 p.m. -- Raider receiver Jerry Rice has looked at the pending trade deadline and said he wants to be dealt. What he ought to be looking at is his birth certificate. He is 42 and hardly a hot commodity with five catches in five games. Denver has been a hot commodity against Oakland, having won 14 of their last 18 meetings.

** Minnesota at New Orleans, Sunday, 5:30 p.m. -- Having failed to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- down to their third quarterback, Brian Griese -- what hope do the Saints have this week against one of the league’s top quarterbacks? Daunte Culpepper threw five touchdown passes a week ago to lead an offense that has generated more than 300 yards in offense in a record 33 consecutive games.

*** Tampa Bay at St. Louis, Monday, 6 p.m. -- Was Griese a one-day wonder or has he regained the form that once elicited comparisons to his father, Bob? For the Rams, can receiver Torry Holt, who has averaged 147.7 yards against Tampa Bay, keep that up against a Buccaneer pass defense that ranks third in the league? The answers await on the other side of the Hank Williams Jr. show.