Kordell Stewart passed for a career-high 333 yards and two TDs on Sunday.

Steelers 26, Ravens 21: If Kordell Stewart's best days are ahead of him, as coach Bill Cowher suggests, then Stewart is going to make a lot of people look foolish -- including Cowher, who banished the quarterback to receiver about this time two years ago.

Stewart's play Sunday night in prime time -- against a Super Bowl champion, at their place and without Jerome Bettis in the backfield -- was startlingly sensational and perhaps the season's single best performance. He made all the throws, some with Ravens bearing down in his face, and broke the pocket only when he needed to. Think about this: Stewart produced almost 400 yards of total offense (333 passing, 55 rushing) against the powerful Baltimore defense.

MVP? Stewart is now a candidate. He looks like he's close to mastering the position.

Do you know how hard it is to hold a 22-minute edge in time of possession against the Ravens? It was also a stroke of intelligence by Mularkey to utilize Amos Zereoue (16 carries, 76 yards) as the primary back in Bettis' absence -- his quickness and shiftiness was exactly what the Steelers needed in this game.

Rams 34, Saints 21: I still can't get over how I allowed a few scouts to sway me that Kurt Warner's miracle season in 1999 was just that -- a miracle never to be repeated. I should have known better. Warner is Dan Marino. He is what Marino was with Duper and Clayton; only Warner has even more weapons. Like Marino, he has laser-like accuracy. Like Marino, he will stand in the fire and stay cool. Rams WR Isaac Bruce also reminded us that he has few peers at the position with a five-catch, three-TD night.

Warner and the Rams are the class of the NFC, just as Stewart and the Steelers are the class of the AFC. The Rams have the early advantage if the two teams meet on Feb. 3 in the Super Bowl. They are 1-0 this season at the big game's site, the Superdome.

	For the first time in seven seasons, Bears fans can talk playoffs.

Bears 27, Bucs 3: Remember the last time these two teams met? We said that we likely would look back on the Bears' 27-24 win as a defining moment for both teams.

This may be just as defining. The Bears' domination is further validation that they are legit and that the Bucs are, well, average.

When the season started, average would have sounded great for the Bears, but now they are 10-3 and coach Dick Jauron can rightfully expect affirmation from GM Jerry Angelo that he's more than welcome to keep coaching this team beyond 2001.

Eagles 20, Redskins 6: As long as we're in the season of sizing up postseason individual honors, let's not overlook a player who may not have the stats but does have the right stuff -- Eagles safety Brian Dawkins.

Dawkins magnified a great season with a clutch performance that included two interceptions, amazingly his first two of the season. He also had a fumble recovery, but it was his sheer hustle when he ran down Redskins receiver Rod Gardner at the Philly 7-yard line that might have turned the game. Had Gardner scored on the big catch (it went for 57 yards), the Redskins would have had a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter and a full house of Redskins fans might have taken their emotions to a higher level. Instead, the 'Skins had to settle for a field goal and a 6-0 lead that failed to hold up.

Titans 26, Packers 20: Yes, this was a trap for the Packers. They were playing outside the NFC Central and on the road against a proud, wounded team like the Titans that had been drummed the previous week by the Minnesota Vikings. Yep, a trap, and the Packers fell into it.

Still, the Titans do have talent, and QB Steve McNair actually made more plays than Brett Favre. But the story was the Titans' defensive front -- it dominated the Packers, and head coach Jeff Fisher loaded up with so many bodies that it made the Packers forget they had Ahman Green in the backfield. Now the Packers must hope that the Bears -- back in the division lead -- trip up in the final three weeks in order to regain the advantage.

49ers 21, Dolphins 0: 49ers coach Steve Mariucci knew his team was facing a crisis after a lopsided defeat to the Rams the week before. His team needed a quality win against a quality foe. Beating the Dolphins was a must for the 49ers' growth. And they did it in a very different way than I expected -- their defense smothered the Dolphins while the 49ers' offense just got plain physical with a Miami team that prides itself on being physical.

Patriots 16, Bills 13 (OT): You can't knock a victory, even if the records of these two teams suggested the Patriots are the vastly superior team. The young Bills are just 2-11 but are playing their buns off for Gregg Williams. True, the Bills can point to many plays and say, "We should have won" -- but that's an old line. The Patriots won and now they get an unforeseen opportunity to possibly steal the AFC East when they host the Dolphins on Saturday.

	Vinny Testaverde's two late TD passes Sunday helped the Jets snap their December jinx.

Jets 15, Bengals 14: Ah, it's the season of giving, and leave it to the Bengals to wrap a pretty nice gift for the Jets. But the best gift the Jets received was the first real game that Vinny Testaverde carried the team to a victory, a vital one at that. You wondered if it ever was going to happen -- the Bengals dominated in taking a 14-3 lead, but they must have looked at the scoreboard and panicked.

Chiefs 26, Broncos 23: Like all great coaches, Dick Vermeil is a grinder. His team is getting better. Sure, it's too late for a playoff run, but it isn't too late to run momentum into 2002 with a strong finish. Chiefs QB Trent Green is at least giving KC fans a glimmer of what the fuss was all about. He was near perfect with 17-of-21 passing for 292 yards.

Jaguars 15, Browns 10: Fiasco. No question about it. This is why the beloved George Young, who passed away the previous weekend, opposed instant replay. For the Browns, the ending was devastating in more ways than one. The defeat all but ends their wild-card playoff hopes, and it also was a black eye for the Browns fans. Boo all you want. Boo loud. Real loud. But don't cross the line.

Colts 41, Falcons 27: Did you think Peyton Manning was going to pack it in? Not a chance. Manning gave the Falcons a clinic with 325 yards passing and three TDs, and had them in such a state of confusion they thought Dominic Rhodes (177 yards) was Edgerrin James.

For the Falcons, it was a huge indictment of a defense that hasn't stopped the passing game most of the season, despite having two talented, well-paid cornerbacks in Ray Buchanan and Ashley Ambrose. You need a pass rush to make good corners effective, and the Falcons had none Sunday. They also look like they're playing defense without safeties, and that's a tough deal.

I suspect that Falcons coach Dan Reeves was asking a lot of questions of first-year defensive coordinator Don Blackmon. The Falcons are now 6-7, having lost three straight. If they finish this season in the tank (the Bills, Dolphins and Rams remain), then maybe new prospective owner Arthur Blank will have some hesitation about a contract extension for Reeves.

Raiders 13, Chargers 6: I love how Jon Gruden and the Raiders responded to this nail-biter. No apologies for a near-defeat. Grit won it, and sometimes grit is good enough. Actually, grit is what Gruden prefers -- it's him, it's his quarterback, it's his team when the Raiders are at their best. The Oakland defense was good enough. Darrell Russell even made a huge interception in what could be his final game for a year, pending a decision on his appeal of a third violation of the substance-abuse policy.

Giants 17, Cardinals 13: Imagine if Kerry Collins had not delivered, or if Amani Toomer had dropped the game-winner (as he had dropped a few earlier). This would have been an ugly aftermath. For now, the Giants still have a chance to be a .500 team. Still not much to brag about, huh?