Nfl Matchups

Carolina at St. Louis

Line: Panthers by 3.

Last meeting: Panthers won 45-13 at Carolina on Oct. 13.

Key stats: St. Louis scored 59 points last week, and is still 28th in total offense.

Worth watching: Panthers looking for a big game out of RB Anthony Johnson, who earlier ran for 100 yards three straight games.

Outlook: Rams showed lots of life in blasting Atlanta last week. RB Lawrence Phillips finally played like a first-round pick, rushing for 106 yards. The Panthers may hang on and make the playoffs, but they’ve lost four straight on the road.

Chicago at Kansas City

Line: Chiefs by 8-1/2.

Last meeting: Bears won 19-17 at Kansas City on Nov. 21, 1993.

Key stats: A matchup a defensive coach could like: Chiefs are 23rd in offense, Bears are 25th.

Worth watching: Bears RB Raymont Harris still doesn’t start, but he has two straight 100-yard rushing games. Kansas City RB Marcus Allen needs only one rushing TD to break Walter Payton’s career record of 110.

Outlook: Bears’ offense continues to struggle, scoring only 40 points in three games. Defense will have to continue to keep things interesting. Bears must find a way to block Kansas City LB Derrick Thomas.

Cincinnati at Buffalo

Line: Bills by 7.

Last meeting: Bills won 35-16 at Buffalo on Oct. 21, 1991.

Key stats: The Bills have won six games by a touchdown or less.

Worth watching: Buffalo QB Jim Kelly has only two interceptions in the last four games (three victories).

Outlook: Bruce Coslet has guided the Bengals to three straight victories (Jacksonville, Baltimore, Pittsburgh). Can he keep it up? The Bills have been playing better and better, showing they may be in the mood to make yet another Super Bowl run.

Denver at New England

Line: Patriots by 2-1/2.

Last meeting: Broncos won 37-3 at New England on Oct. 8, 1995.

Key stats: Broncos have beaten the Patriots seven straight.

Worth watching: New England’s Drew Bledsoe has averaged 363 passing yards the last three weeks.

Outlook: Patriots have won seven of eight. If Elway, who is nursing a sore hamstring, is healthy enough to get out of the pocket to find Anthony Miller and Shannon Sharpe, Broncos could put up some big numbers. But Patriots have the momentum.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh

Time: noon

Line: Steelers by 11.

Last meeting: Jaguars won 24-9 at Jacksonville on Sept. 1.

Key stats: It’s Jacksonville’s No. 2 offense versus Pittsburgh’s No. 3 defense.

Worth watching: Pittsburgh RB Jerome Bettis leads the NFL with 1,064 yards rushing, and is averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry.

Outlook: Jaguars have already matched their rookie year victory total (four), but still look like an expansion team at times - especially on the road, where they are 0-5. Steelers will need to make a statement after being upset by the Bengals.

New Orleans at Atlanta

Line: Falcons by 4.

Last meeting: Falcons won 19-14 at Atlanta on Dec. 10, 1995.

Key stats: Falcons have won last two from the Saints.

Worth watching: Falcons depending more and more on RB Jamal Anderson (4.7 yards per carry).

Outlook: Can the Falcons recover from giving up big numbers last week to that famous offensive machine known as the St. Louis Rams? Saints interim coach Rick Venturi will get that first victory sometime, and the Saints have won eight of their last 10 in Atlanta.

N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis

Line: Colts by 6.

Last meeting: Colts won 21-7 at New York on Sept. 8, 1996.

Key stats: Colts have beaten the Jets four straight.

Worth watching: Jets RB Adrian Murrell goes for his third straight 100-yard game after rushing for 128 yards and 2 TDs versus New England.

Outlook: Colts have lost four straight, and need a victory to avoid falling out of serious playoff contention. Jets have been playing better and getting healthier.

Washington at Philadelphia

Line: Eagles by 6.

Last meeting: Eagles won 17-14 at Washington on Sept. 1.

Key stats: Redskins defense is last in the NFL.

Worth watching: Redskins’ Terry Allen leads NFL with 976 yards and has 17 TDs.

Outlook: The Redskins were one of the NFL’s surprise teams early this year, but their defense is exposing them. Washington has allowed 1,091 yards the last two weeks, so it doesn’t figure to slow Ricky Watters, Ty Detmer et al.

Baltimore at San Francisco

Line: 49ers by 12.

Last meeting: Ravens (as Browns) won 23-13 on Sept. 13, 1993 in Cleveland.

Key stats: It’s strength versus strength as Baltimore’s No. 3 offense faces San Francisco’s No. 5 defense.

Worth watching: Ravens QB Vinny Testaverde continues his career year (23 TD passes).

Outlook: With Steve Young still feeling the effects of a concussion, 49ers go with Elvis Grbac. Grbac was ripped this week by San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who called him “an embarrassment to humankind” after his interceptions helped lead to last week’s loss to Dallas. Grbac, whose 9-month-old son has spina bifida, didn’t need that. Brown apologized, but Grbac has a lot on his mind.

Miami at Houston

Line: Oilers by 3-1/2.

Last meeting: Dolphins won 19-16 at Miami on Nov. 22, 1992.

Key stats: Dolphins’ plus-12 turnover differential is second in the NFL.

Worth watching: A look at two of the top rookie running backs. Houston’s Eddie George is averaging 4.2 yards per carry. Miami’s Karim Abdul-Jabbar has pulled out of his slump with four touchdowns in last two games. Outlook: Oilers especially tough at home. Although they’ve lost there twice, both were one-point games against playoff teams (Kansas City, San Francisco). Oilers need to control the ball with George to keep it away from Dan Marino.

New York Giants at Arizona

Line: Cardinals by 1-1/2.

Last meeting: Giants won 16-8 at New York on Nov. 3, 1996.

Key stats: Giants have beaten Arizona three straight.

Worth watching: Can Arizona QB Boomer Esiason do it again? His 522 yards passing in the OT victory over Washington last week ranked as third-highest game total in NFL history.

Outlook: Giants beat the Cardinals just two weeks ago. When two roughly equal teams play that close together, a split is usually the result.

Tampa Bay at San Diego

Line: Chargers by 7.

Last meeting: Chargers won 32-17 at Tampa Bay on Jan. 2, 1994.

Key stats: Chargers have won all six versus Bucs.

Worth watching: Tampa Bay QB Trent Dilfer showing gradual improvement, with seven TD passes in the last five games. He’ll run into LB Junior Seau, who leads Chargers with five sacks.

Outlook: Chargers have pulled out of midseason slump with victories over Indianapolis. Bucs defense continues to carry the load (holding last five opponents to fewer than 18 points). But the offense still isn’t there. Something’s wrong when a team’s leading receiver is the fullback (Mike Alstott).

Minnesota at Oakland

Line: Raiders by 6-1/2.

Last meeting: Raiders won 24-7 at Los Angeles on Sept. 5, 1993.

Key stats: Minnesota has fallen to 28th in the NFL in rushing.

Worth watching: Whether the three new starters in the Vikings’ offense can make a difference (QB Brad Johnson, G David Dixon, RB Leroy Hoard).

Outlook: Johnson replaces banged-up Moon in what may be a move for the future. But Vikings running game has disappeared since knee surgery ended Robert Smith’s season three weeks ago. Raiders have been competitive every week.

Green Bay at Dallas (Monday)

Line: Cowboys by 4.

Last meeting: Cowboys won 38-17 on Jan. 14 in NFC title game in Dallas.

Key stats: Cowboys have beaten the Packers seven straight, the last six in Dallas.

Worth watching: Whether Green Bay QB Brett Favre, WRs Terry Mickens and Don Beebe make big plays against a Cowboys defense that is No. 1 overall and No. 1 against the pass.

Outlook: The vagaries of the NFL schedule system sent the Packers back to Dallas for the seventh straight time. This was once seen as a game when the Packers would stamp themselves as Super Bowl favorites. But injuries have robbed them of their key passing threats (they’ve averaged 21 points in the last four games after averaging 34 in the first six).