The Week That Was

THE FLIP SIDE

No NFL receiver has ever had a game like Willie (Flipper) Anderson had for the Rams on Sunday night. He hauled in 15 passes for a record 336 yards in L.A. 's 20-17 overtime win at New Orleans . Anderson was having a nice, six-catch, 141-yard game—then boom! He made seven grabs for 155 yards in the last 10 minutes of regulation. "Flipper put on the greatest performance I've ever seen by a receiver," said Ram coach John Robinson . Anderson, a second-round pick out of UCLA in 1988, had only 11 receptions as a rookie. "I really can't say how I feel," said Anderson. "Maybe it'll sink in when I see my name in the record book."

WATER YOU TALKING ABOUT?
It figures that a guy named Lake would make the big play in the wettest game of the year. Two inches of rain fell on Miami 's Joe Robbie Stadium , where the Steelers beat the Dolphins 34-14. With Miami leading 14-7, Dolphin running back Sammie Smith fumbled. Steeler safety Carnell Lake hydroplaned in, scooped the ball out of a puddle and lateraled to cornerback Dwayne Woodruff, who ran 21 yards for a touchdown. Miami had six fumbles, while Pittsburgh had none. What did the waterlogged Lake, whose hit knocked quarterback Dan Marino out of the game with a bruised shoulder, think of the game? "When the rains came," he said, "that's what turned the tide."

ANYONE SENSE A TREND?
Four of the top five 1988 rushers were in action Sunday: the Colts' Eric Dickerson , the Cowboys' Herschel Walker , the Rams ' Greg Bell and the Pats' John Stephens. All told, they gained 95 yards on 50 carries for a 1.9-yard average.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The Bills probably didn't need extra motivation against the Bengals on Sunday, after having lost the AFC Championship Game to them last season. But they got some anyhow, when their coach, Marv Levy , combined footage of stellar Bengal plays from that title game with excerpts from TV interviews Bengal players did last week. The Bills saw the tape Saturday night. In one interview, Bengal cornerback Lewis Billups said that Buffalo hadn't beaten Cincinnati in 20 years. It actually had been six. After the Bills' 24-7 victory, Buffalo nosetackle Fred Smerlas said, "That was the most excited I've ever seen our guys before a game."

STATS OF THE WEEK

?With their 14-13 win in Phoenix , the Bucs have won two straight games for the first time in five years and two in consecutive games on the road for the first time in a decade.

?The three teams that moved in the 1980s—the Raiders , the Colts and the Cards—are a combined 117-118 since they moved. None has a winning record this season.