The best of the rest
An unlikely showdown
Chiefs (5-2) at Colts (5-2), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Each week in this wacky '99 season, it seems we're hyping a new showdown between two teams that have come out of nowhere. The Week 9 edition comes in Indianapolis, where the surprising Chiefs and Colts clash in a game with playoff implications. That's amazing considering that these clubs combined for 10 wins in '98.

The Chiefs were thought to be an aging team in transition, while the Colts were viewed as a young team on the rise that wasn't ready to contend. Surprise! Less than halfway through the season, these two have already equaled those 10 combined wins in '98. And the matchup of the Chiefs' aggressive defense against the Colts' explosive offense should be a good one.

Getting another earful
Rams (6-1) at Lions (5-2), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
You can't really blame the Rams for not knowing how to deal with crowd noise. After all, St. Louis isn't really used to playing many meaningful games, and opposing fans haven't exactly been flocking to stadiums to distract a franchise that has been one of the NFL's worst in the 1990s.

But things have changed big time in '99, and the Rams even asked the league for permission to wear special ear devices last week at Tennessee. St. Louis was turned down, and the Titans crowd can be credited for several early false-start penalties on Rams offensive linemen. Well, it might get even louder for Dick Vermeil's club in Week 9. The Silverdome is one of the league's loudest venues, and the Lions are alone in first place. Translation: Bring your earplugs.

Another Titanic clash
Titans (6-1) at Dolphins (6-1), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN
If it seems like the Titans just played a huge game, it's because they did. One week after handing St. Louis its first loss, Tennessee faces another big challenge when it heads to Miami for a nationally televised affair with the Dolphins. These two are tied with the Rams and Jaguars for the NFL's best record at 6-1.

Miami has fared just fine without injured quarterback Dan Marino, thanks to a defense that has allowed only one TD in the 11 quarters Marino has missed. Tennessee is tied for first primarily because Neil O'Donnell went 4-1 during the five weeks in which Steve McNair was out with a back injury. Anyone else want to question the value of a good backup quarterback?

No rest for Prime Time
Cowboys (4-3) at Vikings (4-4), Monday, 9 p.m. ET, ABC
Life as Deion Sanders is always interesting. Two weeks ago, Neon Deion was being verbally challenged by brash Redskins receivers Albert Connell and Michael Westbrook. After shutting those two up in Dallas, Sanders moved on to face Marvin Harrison in Indianapolis. Prime Time didn't fare as well in that showdown, getting burned for a key fourth-quarter touchdown by the Colts' young gun.

Now, comes perhaps the ultimate test for the Cowboys' cover man -- a Monday night matchup with Minnesota's Randy Moss. As the Cowboys definitely remember, Moss torched the Dallas secondary for three TD catches of more than 50 yards on Thanksgiving Day last year. Deion didn't play in that game because of a sore toe. We'll find out Monday night how much difference Sanders can make.

Kevin Jackson, the NFL editor for ESPN.com, writes a weekly Viewer's Guide that appears each weekend.