The Week Ahead

Chargers at Browns. Beginning with this game, San Diego will play in the Eastern time zone three times in 22 days. Coach Dan Henning puts the Chargers on Eastern time for workouts and meetings every week they play a game on the East Coast to help his players adapt. Still, linebacker Billy Ray Smith likes his schedule. "I don't think I've ever seen a team with seven of its last eight games against division teams, which we have," he says. "I like it because we ought to have all our adjustments made by then."

Eagles at Rams. It's a big game for Philly, which gave up 409 yards and 21 points to L.A. and couldn't sustain its own offense in a playoff loss at home last year. "It was a weird game," says Eagle center David Alexander. "It was rainy, cold, foggy. We did some good things, but that last game of the year sticks with you."

Bills at Jets. When Buffalo met New York in a night game at Giants Stadium in 1988, a new low in NFL crowd behavior was set. A huge inflatable naked doll was tossed around the stands. Intoxicated fans set fire to their Jet caps and put out the flames by urinating on them. There were 15 arrests, and 56 people were ejected from the stadium. "We all thought it was the end of the world," says former Bills nosetackle Fred Smerlas , who is now a 49er. Since that night, the sale of beer at Giants Stadium has been banned at all night games.