The Week Ahead
Peter King
Lions at Packers. For the first time in their lives, 52-year-old Willie Peete and his son, Rodney, 23, will be participants in the same football game. They'll be on opposite sides at Milwaukee County Stadium. "It's going to feel weird, very weird," says Willie, coach of Green Bay's offensive backfield. "You always cheer for your son, and now I'll be on the other side of the field." Willie says he'll have trouble sleeping [the night] before the game because he'll be thinking about Rodney, Detroit's quarterback.
Eagles at Broncos. In Philadelphia, Wade Phillips, who was the Eagles' defensive coordinator from 1986 through '88, couldn't escape the shadow of coach Buddy Ryan, who dictated Philly's defensive style. So Phillips moved to Denver, where he runs the Broncos' revitalized defense. "Here, we're doing what I want to do," says Phillips. Doing it well, too. Last year Denver allowed 4.6 yards a rush; this season it's yielding 3.6, and the Broncos rank fourth in the NFL in overall defense. Phillips admires Ryan and has brought to Denver some of Ryan's defensive philosophy, including an eight-man line. "From the start, we said, 'We're going to play this defense no matter how the other guys line up,' " says Phillips. "We want to be in control." Sound familiar?
Vikings at Giants. This could be the highest-rated Monday-night game since the unbeaten Bears played in Miami on December 2, 1985. New York and Minnesota both should make the playoffs, and Herschel Walker, who will be returning to the stadium of his first pro team, the USFL New Jersey Generals, will at last be fully integrated into the Viking offensive system.