Questions Ahead

Q: Which will be the scariest team in the second half of the season?

Philadelphia. The Eagles started the season as a one-man ( quarterback Randall Cunningham) offensive team and a one-man (end Reggie White) defensive team. White is now tied for second in sacks, with tackle Jerome Brown, behind end Clyde Simmons, and the Eagles are winning by running. They were 2-2 passing 61% of the time. Since then, they have gone 4-1 by running 58% of the time.

Q: Are the Bears finished?

They're no longer dominant, but consider this: In nine games they have started nine different defensive lineups, and of the 25 defensive players the Bears have had on the active roster, 20 have started at least one game. Chicago, which lost 14-13 to Green Bay on Sunday, is in chaos on defense—but still only one game off the pace in the NFC Central. The Bears ain't dead yet.

Q: Are the Redskins as bad as they looked in losing 13-3 to Dallas?

They might be. In the past 24 months, coach Joe Gibbs made 11 quarterback changes. Now the ball belongs to Doug Williams, who made his first start of the year on Sunday and is one scramble away from disk surgery.

Q: How do the Giants win without chewing up the rushing yardage?

Coach Bill Parcells thinks a more important stat is rushing attempts. He likes to milk the clock by running the ball, even if he can't get four or five yards a clip. Since the start of 1988, the Giants have been held to 3.5 yards or less per rushing attempt in 13 games. They are 12-1 in those games. Over that same span, the league's 27 other teams are 110-133 in games in which they have averaged 3.5 yards or less per run.

Q: Are the Vikings better with Herschel Walker or just different?

Since acquiring Walker from the Cowboys, Minnesota hasn't turned around much of anything. To wit: