[ N F L C A P S U L E S ]

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 29, 2000 by Capital-Journal

N F L C A P S U L E S

Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) at Seattle Seahawks (2-6), 3:15 p.m.

Chiefs backup quarterback Warren Moon, who turns 44 next month, is older than all four of the NFL teams for which he has played --- Houston/Tennessee (40), Kansas City (40), Minnesota (39) and Seattle (24). Moon came off the bench last week to throw three passes and complete them all for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. Two years removed from Seattle, he'd still be a better option than Seahawk Coach Mike Holmgren has this week: "OK, (John) Kitna, you're less concussed than (Brock) Huard, you're starting."

The Pick: Kansas City. Chiefs slowed the Ram offensive attack: Jon Kitna is not a problem.

Minnesota Vkings (7-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers ((3-4), noon

If you ask Randy Moss, no other team in the NFL can match Minnesota's 7-0 record because no other team in the NFL has Randy Moss. "I've always been a prime time player," he revealed the other day. "That's what my nickname's for, buddy. I mean, they call me 'Super Freak.' Ain't nobody out there that can really do it like myself." By sending long balls to Moss for two months, Daunte Culpepper has become the third quarterback to win his first seven NFL starts, but is handling his surprising success with more humility. For good reason. The other two quarterbacks to start 7-0? Mike Tomczak and Dieter Brock.

The Pick: Minnesota. Vikings' steady confidence beats Buccaneer inconsistency.

Detroit Lions (5-2) at Indianapolis Colts (5-2), noon

Team from Motor City comes to home of the Indy 500, gets hit head- on by creaking jalopy. "I'm an old '65 Buick that has a little rust and is missing some trim and leaks when it rains," Colts linebacker Cornelius Bennett says. "I'm just happy they let me play." The ghost of Wayne Fontes escorts the Lions to the RCA Dome: The Lions are 5- 2, and no one has any idea how or why they got there. Is Bobby Ross really that good a coach? Or will Detroit, after back-to-back games against Indianapolis and Miami, be just another 5-4 team?

The Pick: Indianapolis. Lion defense is underrated, but not good enough to stop the Colts' Big Three.

Green Bay Packers (3-4) at Miami Dolphins 5-2), noon

While the Dolphins were blowing a 23-point lead and losing to the Jets in overtime Monday night, Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman was not flying back to Green Bay in time for the team's first workout after a bye week. Earlier this year, Freeman missed the first day of a mandatory April mini-camp because his flight was canceled and the first day of a June mini-camp for what the club described as "illness." No truth to . the rumor Freeman uses the same travel agent as Isaiah Rider.

The Pick: Miami. Dolphins will make sure they play a good fourth quarter this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at Baltimore Ravens (5-3), noon

Trent Dilfer, Tony Banks, Kent Graham, Kordell Stewart. Doctor, is there a quarterback in the house? Steeler Coach Bill Cowher, after a top-secret coin-tossing session, opts to start Stewart, but can't offer a better rationale than, "Right now, Kordell gives us our best opportunity to win." Raven Coach Brian Billick, meanwhile, has replaced Banks with Dilfer, mainly because the Ravens haven't scored a touchdown in 16 quarters and 49 possessions. Not that anyone in Baltimore is counting.

The Pick: Baltimore. Ravens shut out Steelers, 16-0, in first game --- and even scored a touchdown.

New York Jets (6-1) at Buffalo Bills (3-4), noon

Doug Flutie, the little big man who is starting again for the Bills now that Rob Johnson is hurt, was hopping mad during a conference call with New York writers this week. "Vinny (Testaverde) and I, neither one of us ever had anything handed to us on a silver platter," Flutie said. "We both went to the Pro Bowl in '98, yet the following year Vinny has to go through a torn Achilles and re-earn people's respect and I'm not good enough to start for the team in the playoffs." With that, Flutie went out to look for a broken bat he could throw at Mike Piazza.

The Pick: Jets. Vinny and the Jets won't wait til last minute again.

Carolina Panthers (3-4) at Atlanta Falcons (2-6), noon

Atlanta's 10-game winning streak against New Orleans ended last week, but don't let it be said there was no joy in Falconville. To the contrary, ex-Falcon offensive lineman Mike Kenn was jubilant when he heard that New England punter Lee Johnson had surpassed Kenn as the losingest player in NFL history. Johnson, a 16-year veteran who spent 11 years with the Bengals, has participated in 147 defeats, one more than Kenn, who played 17 seasons with Atlanta. "I think (congratulations) are appropriate," said Kenn. "All records are made to be broken, and this was surely one of them."

The Pick: Carolina. Falcons only won first meeting because of big breaks, and team has gotten worse since.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-6) at Cleveland Browns (2-6), noon

A Bengal rushing for a league-record 278 yards? In only 22 carries? Averaging 12.7 yards per attempt? Against Denver's No. 2- ranked defense against the run? "I'm still in shock," said Corey Dillon shortly after eclipsing Walter Payton's 23-year-old single- game record of 275 yards. "I still can't believe it." How do you suppose the Broncos feel? "You might as well take a dagger and rip your heart out and throw it on the ground and stomp on it," Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski said. All right, so we know how the Broncos feel.