The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 20

C6IPR0 FOOTBALL The Sun MONDAY, September 19, 1988 NFL STANDINGS Vikes tamMe Bears inn Chicago, 31-7 AMERICAN CONFERENCE West WIT Pet Pf PA Home Away AFC NFC 2 1 0 667 58 41 1-0-0 1-1-0 2-1-0 0-0-0 Seattle ByJOEMOOSHIL Associated Press i Denver 1 2 0 .333 61 44 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-2-0 0-0-0 1 2 0 .333 33 60 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-2-0 0-04 KrJansa3 City CHICAGO The Minnesota Vikings did a job on the Chicago Bears, but they weren't gloating 1 2 0 .333 76 73 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-1-0 V-fl AIDERS 1 2 0 .333 33 64 1-0-0 0-2-0 1-2-0 00-0 an Diego Central 3 0 0 1 000 66 SO 1-0-0 2-00 1-O-0 2-04 Cincinnati 2 1 0 667 58 94 1-04 1-1-0 2-1-0 0-04 ry suffered a broken arm on the next to last play of the game. Kramer, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 258 yards, threw touchdown passes of 40 and 16 yards to Carter and also hit Hassan Jones with a 19-yarder. The Bears, who had not lost the ball on a fumble in two previous victories, were guilty of two fumbles and had three passes intercepted. One of the fumbles was by Dennis McKinnon on a punt that Chris Martin recovered in the end zone early in the third quarter to give the Vikings a 24-7 lead. McMahon passed for a touchdown but fumbled once and was intercepted once before leaving, completing 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards.

He hit Ron Morris with an 11-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to lift the Bears into a 7-7 tie before the Vikings took complete charge of the game. The victory gave the Vikings a 2-1 record and lifted them into a first-place tie with the Bears in the NFC Central Division. "It feels great to beat a team like the Chicago Bears. I got great protection and there were a lot of great catches out there." Carter caught touchdown passes of 60 and 16 yards from Kramer. Bears coach Mike Ditka was unusually abrupt in his postgame meeting with reporters and refused to take any questions after making a statement on the game.

"You have a right to criticize," Ditka told the media. "We played poorly on offense, defense and the special teams. We didn't reach any of the goals we had set. A good team outplayed us." Ditka said he took quarterback Jim McMahon out of the game late in the first half and didn't put him back in the game because "there was no protection and I didn't want him to get hurt." McMahon suffered a bruised left knee and Ditka said defensive end William "The Refrigerator" Per- 1 1 0 .500 9 26 0-14 144 1-14 044 "Cleveland 1 2 0 .333 65 68 1-14 0-14 0-1-0 1-14 fc, Pittsburgh East about it. "We didn't beat their butts off," Vikings coach Jerry Burns said following Sunday's 31-7 triumph over the team that has controlled the Central Division of the National Football Conference for the past four years.

"Some things went favorably for us," Burns said. "It is only one of 16 games we have to play. Tommy (Kramer) played well, the defense played well, a lot of things went in our favor. The Bears are much stronger than they showed today." Kramer, who threw three touchdown passes including two to wide receiver Anthony Carter, said, 3 0 0 1 000 38 30 244 1-04 244 14-0 BuHalo 2 1 0 .667 71 34 1-0-0 1-14 2-1-0 0-04 1 2 0 .333 37 60 1-0-0 O-2-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 fr Jets "Miami 1 2 0 333 48 55 1-14 0-14 1-14 0-14 t'New England 0 2 0 .000 27 34 0-2-0 0-04 0-14 0-14 fc Indianapolis NATIONAL CONFERENCE West Pet PF PA Home Away AFC NFC AMS 3 0 0 1 000 73 34 144 24-0 144 244 New Orleans 2 1 0 .667 84 0-14 2-04 044 2-1-0 2 1 0 .667 71 84 0-1-0 244 044 2-1-0 1 2 0 333 72 77 0-14 1-1-0 044 1-24 Jy San Francisco -Atlanta Chiefs stop Elway, get by Broncos By BILL ALTHAUS Gannett News Service Central jCnicago 2 1 0 .667 58 51 1-14 1-04 24-0 0-1-0 Minnesota 2 1 0 667 77 26 14-0 1-14 1-14 1-0-0 Detroit 1 2 0 .333 55 56 1-14 0-14 04-0 1-24 TWWIPKMWJWI'J'IWJW--. A' rt I 1 2 0 .333 51 81 0-2-0 1-0-0 04-0 1-24 Tampa Bay 0 3 0 .000 34 71 0-2-0 0-14 0-14 0-2-0 Green Bay East NY Giants 2 1 0 667 56 50 1-14 144 0-0-0 2-14 2 1 0 .667 67 66 244 0-1-0 14-0 1-0-0 Washington -Dallas 1 2 0 .333 48 50 0-14 1-14 0-14 1-14 1 2 0 .333 75 59 0-14 1-14 0-14 1-1-0 Philadelphia Phoenix 1 2 0 .333 58 62 0-14 1-14 0-1-0 1-1-0 Sunday's Results RAMS 22, RAIDERS 15 Buffalo 16, New England 14 Cincinnati 17, Pittsburgh 12 Kansas City 20, Denver 13 Miami 24, Green Bay 17 New York Jets 45, Houston 3 Minnesota 31, Chicago 7 New Orleans 22, Detroit 14 Washington 17, Philadelphia 10 Phoenix 30, Tampa Bay 24 San Diego 17, Seattle 6 New York Giants 12, Dallas 10 Atlanta 34, San Francisco 17 -Today's Game Indianapolis at Cleveland, 5 p.m.

-Sunday, Sept 25 RAMS at New York Giants, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Dallas, 10 a.m. Chicago at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Cleveland at Cincinnati, 10 a.m. Miami at Indianapolis, 10 a.m.

New England at Houston, 10 a.m. New York Jets at Detroit, 10 a.m. Philadelphia at Minnesota, 10 a.m. Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 10 a.m.

San Diego at Kansas City, 1 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 1 p.m. Washington at Phoenix, 1 p.m. Monday, Sepl 26 RAIDERS at Denver, 5 p.m. APWIREPHOTO Atlanta Falcons cornerback Scott Case nearly rips the helmet off 49er receiver Jerry Rice during Sunday's game at Candlestick Park.

Favored by 14, 49ers fall to Falcons By ERIC PREWITT Associated Press KANSAS CITY In the galaxy of NFL stars, few shine brighter than Denver's John Elway and Tony Dorsett. But Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, these perennial All-Pros had to take a backseat to Kansas City's Steve DeBerg and Paul Palmer as the Chiefs pulled off a 20-13 upset victory. The defending AFC champion Broncos and Chiefs now are both I- 2 in the AFC West. DeBerg was 21-of-35 for 259 yards and two touchdowns, while Palmer rushed 22 times for 80 yards and caught one of DeBerg's scoring passes. "This one's right up there with the top wins," said DeBerg, who quarterbacked the Broncos from 1981-83 before moving on to Tampa Bay and now Kansas City.

The Chiefs also kept the dangerous Elway on the sidelines for much of the second half as DeBerg directed a 9-minute scoring drive in the third quarter and an I I- minute drive in the fourth. Elway, playing most of the afternoon in a light rain, finished the game completing 15-of-32 passes for 213 yards. Each team exchanged field goals in the first quarter, then DeBerg hit Carlos Carson for a 6-yard touchdown at 6:39 of the second quarter. Dorsett banged his way into the end zone from eight yards out at 12:08 to send each team into the half with a 10-10 tie. "That touchdown run was one of the few times the offense really executed all day," said Dorsett, who rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries.

DeBerg marched the Chiefs 77 yards to open the third quarter, capping the drive with a 14-yard stike to Palmer. Denver's Rich Karlis hit a 42-yard field goal at 5:26 of the fourth quarter cutting the Chiefs' lead to 17-13, but K.C.'s Nick Lowery hit from 29 yards at 1 1:13 to give the Chiefs a 20-13 edge. The Broncos had one final chance to tie the score, but Elway threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-4 from the Kansas City 30. SAN FRANCISCO Chris Miller, who was a confused young quarterback the first time he faced the San Francisco 49ers, was in complete control of himself and the Atlanta Falcons' of SUNDAY'S STARS fense on his triumphant return to Candlestick Park. He passed for 130 yards and ran for a touchdown Sunday during a 21-point, second-period outburst that carried the about what the guys on the other side of the line were doing," said Miller.

"That was the first week I'd practiced with our first unit. I didn't know where my protection was coming from, and I had trouble remembering our receivers routes." On Sunday, Miller completed only one pass in the second half, when the Falcons used mostly running plays, and finished with 175 yards passing in the game. The 49ers' Joe Montana passed for 343 yards, 225 in the second half. But Montana's 100th career NFL start was marred by three interceptions. The Falcons also sacked Montana three times as they beat the 49ers for the first time since 1983.

The 49ers held a 3-0 lead in their home opener before the Falcons took over. The Falcons drove 80 yards after Scott Case's endzone interception and took the lead on a three-yard touchdown run by Gerald Riggs, who rushed for 115 yards. Atlanta took the ball 70 yards on its next possession, with James Primus running 29 yards for the TD. Miller later gave Atlanta a 21-3 halftime lead when he scored on a fourth-down bootleg play. Safety Robert Moore intercepted Montana early in the fourth quarter, and went 47 yards for a touchdown that virtually clinched the victory.

The 49ers got their first touchdown late in the third quarter when Montana hit Guy Mclntyre, an offensive guard lined up as a tight end, on a 17-yard pass play. Montana passed 13 yards to Mike Wilson for a fourth-quarter D. "We had a lot of respect for Atlanta going into the game. We needed more," San Francisco coach Bill Walsh said. The 49ers' offense had 128 yards in the first quarter but settled for Mike Cofer's 38-yard field goal and managed only one first down in the second period.

San Francisco's Jerry Rice had a big receiving day, with 163 yards on eight catches, and ran 20 yards on two reverses. He also threw a pass off a reverse play, but it was intercepted by safety Bret Clarke, who made a 21-yard return to set up the first of two Greg Davis field goals. Craig caught 10 passes for 61 yards, giving him 19 receptions for 140 yards in the last two games, and rushed for a team-leading 57 yards. Steve Largent, Seattle receiver, entered the record book with his third catch in 17-6 loss to San Diego. The reception gave him 12,148 yards, surpassing the 'previous record of 12,146 held by Charlie Joiner.

Gerald Riggs, Atlanta running back, gained 115 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown as the Falcons stunned San Francisco, 34-17. Gary Anderson, San Diego running back, rushed for 120 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown in Chargers' J' 17-6 upset of Seattle. Wesley Walker, Jets receiver, caught 6 passes for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns in 45-3 rout of Houston. 7 Gary Jeter, Rams defensive lineman, had five of his team's nine sacks as the Rams beat the Raiders, 22-15. Steve Beuerlin, Raiders rookie quarterback, com- pleted 19 of 38 passes for 375 yards and 2 TDs in 22-15 loss to the Rams.

7: Lionel Manuel, New York Giants receiver, caught 9 passes for 142 yards and aTD in 12-10 win over Dallas. Jerry Rice, San Francisco receiver, made 8 catches for 163 yards in 34-17 loss to Atlanta. 14-point underdog Falcons to a 34-17 victory. "There was no comparison with last year's game. We came in this time and beat them, after they won their first two games," said Miller.

"We didn't just slip by them, either." The Falcons, who lost their first two games, had a 24-3 lead early in the second half. Their final point total was the highest by any team against the 49ers since 1983. Atlanta definitely wasn't the same team the 49ers beat 35-7 last December, when Miller made his first NFL start and was intercepted four times. "In that game, I didn't even think NOTEBOOK Seattle loses Krieg, game to S.D.; Largent gets record The Miami Dolphins' 24-17 victory over the Green Bay j'. Packers was their 200th regular-season victory Kan- sas City Chiefs kicker Nick Lowery moved into second place on the NFL list with his 15th 50-yard or more field 'K goal.

Lowery is second only to former Chief Jan Stenerud, who has 19 Pittsburgh Steelers guard John Rienstra suffered a fractured lower right leg in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals and could miss the rest of the season. San Diego's 17-6 upset 7 over the Seattle Seahawks ended the NFL's longest losing streak at eight Jim Kelly completed 12 straight i passes in the fourth quarter to lead the Bills past the New i England Patriots 16-14 The Pittsburgh Steelers fum- bled the football seven times, losing it four times, and lost 17-12 to Cincinnati. Rickey Jackson's four sacks helped the New Orleans Saints defeat the Detroit Lions. The Houston Oilers, already leading the NFL in penal- ties, were called for 10 more penalties and 95 more yards as they lost to the New York Jets, 45-3. The San Diego Chargers shocked Seattle 17-6 Sunday, but the visiting Seahawks lost more than the game they also lost their quarterback.

Dave Krieg suffered a separated right shoulder when he was tackled by Chargers defensive end Lee Williams. Krieg is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. He will not require surgery. In one of Seattle's few highlights, wide receiver Steve Largent became the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yardage with NFL ROUNDUP histhirdrecePtion- The 19-yard catch late in the second quarter gave him 12,148 yards, boosting him past Charlie Joiner, the former Charger who retired after 18 seasons with 12,146. Joiner, now a receivers coach for the Chargers, watched from the sideline.

San Diego's victory ended the longest current losing streak in the NFL. The Chargers had lost eight consecutive games since starting last season 8-1. The loss was the first of the season for the Seahawks, who missed an opportunity to take a two-game lead in the AFC West. Seattle is 2-1; the other MONDAY NIGHT PREVIEW 0 Cleveland starts its third-string quarterback, former Colt Mike Paget, after seeing Bernle Kosar and Gary Danielson sidelined with injuries, at home against India-napolis (5 p.m., Channel 7). Pagel was a fourth-round fi draft choice of the Colts in 1982, and he beat the odds as a i rookie by stealing the starting job from first-round pick Art Schlichter.

Pagel went on to start 47 of the Colts' 57 games over the next four seasons, during which they 1 went 16-40-1. Jack Trudeau will be the Colts' starter Monday. Cleveland's secondary is shaky, too, where the All-Pro cornerbacks Hanford Dixon (ankle) and Frank Mlnnifleld (groin) are nursing injuries. The Colts are also hurting along the offensive line. The game will be the third between the Colts, 0-2, and Browns, 1-1, since last December.

Indianapolis defeated Cleveland 9-7 in a regular-season contest Dec. 6 and the Browns eliminated the "Colts from the AFC playoffs 38-21 on Jan. 9. APWIREPHOTO Houston's Ernest Givens grabs a pass under pressure from New York Jets' Carl Howard in Jets' 45-3 victory Sunday. lour division teams are 1-2.

The Chargers made big plays defensively, intercepting Krieg and backup Jeff Kemp four times. San Diego entered the game as the only AFC team without an interception this year. Keith Browner returned the initial interception 55 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. Gill Byrd's second interception of the game came at the Chargers' 2-yard line with 1:09 remaining. The Chargers sustained only one drive all day.

Leading 10-6 with 9:27 left, San Diego got its only offensive on a 25-yard run by Gary Anderson. BENGALS 17, STEELERS 12: Boomer Esiason, held in check for the first three quarters, hit Eddie Brown with a 65-yard fourth-quarter scoring pass to rally the unbeaten Bengals over mistake-prone Pittsburgh, 1-2. The Bengals are 3-0 for the first time since 1975, when they finished 11-3. BILLS 16, PATRIOTS 14: Scott Norwood kicked a 41-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining to give the unbeaten Bills their first victory over New England, 1-2. Norwood's third field goal of the game came after Jim Kelly threw his first touchdown pass of the season with 9: 1 5 left.

JETS 45, OILERS 3: Wesley Walker caught three touchdown passes as New York's offense gave the Jets, 2-1, their largest margin of victory ever. The game was marred by 190 yards in penalties including nine personal fouls. Walker finished with six catches for 129. The loss dropped Houston to 2-1. GIANTS 12, COWBOYS 10: Linebacker Harry Carson and cornerback Perry Williams intercepted Steve Pelluer passes in the fourth period as the Giants, 2-1, held on and Dallas fell to 1-2.

REDSKINS 17, EAGLES 10: Timmy Smith ran for 107 yards and one touchdown and the Redskins sacked Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham six times as Washington, 2-1, stayed atop the NFC East. Cunningham has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15' straight games for the Eagles, who dropped to 1-2. QUOTABLE SAINTS 22, LIONS 14: Bobby Hebert completed 23 of 32 passes for 282 yards, including a 29-yard scoring toss to Lonzell Hill. Detroit's misfire on a fake punt set up the go-ahead touchdown for New Orleans, 2-1. The Lions, 1-2, had taken a 14-7 halftime lead on a pair of touchdown passes by Chuck Long CARDINALS 30, BUCS 24: Cliff Stoudt relieved injured Neil Lomax and hit Jay Novacek with a 42-yard touchdown pass with 3:14 to play to give the Cardinals, 1-2, their first victory of the season The loss dropped Tampa Bay to 1-2.

DOLPHINS 24, PACKERS 17: Dan Marino threw two touchdown passes and surpassed 20.000 career passing yards, and Miami's special teams took advantage of mistakes by Green Bay, 0-3. Miami is now 1-2. From Sun News Services They took it to us, and they stuck our noses in it. Bears' Mike Ditka after loss to Vikings.