SAN DIEGO CHARGES ON : STEELERS, CHIEFS, BILLS WILL MAKE IT INTERESTING.

Byline: Tim Trepany Daily News Staff Writer

As you sift through all the exhibition NFL predictions, we offer one you can take to the bank:

The outcry about the need to seed playoff teams will resurface louder than ever.

You can bet on it happening because, while the top NFC teams aren't as strong as they have been in past years, they haven't slipped down to the AFC's level.

In our estimation, there are at least four teams in the NFC better than the best in the AFC. So it will be said again that the real championship is the NFC title game, and the AFC champion will once again get stomped in the Super Bowl.

Here's how we handicap the race for that latter honor:

The top four:1. San Diego; 2. Pittsburgh; 3. Kansas City; 4. Buffalo.

The Chargers no longer have Natrone Means and Ronnie Harmon on offense, but they still have Stan Humphries, the league's most underrated quarterback, a solid offensive line and running back Aaron Hayden, who averaged 93.4 yards in the final five games of last season.

Linebacker Junior Seau leads a strong defensive unit. End Leslie O'Neal was caught up in general manager Bobby Beathard's sweep of locker-room lawyers, and Marco Coleman was signed to replace him. Coleman had 6-1/2 sacks for Miami last season compared to O'Neal's 12-1/2, but expect Coleman's numbers to go up playing alongside Shawn Lee and Reuben Davis.

With Neil O'Donnell in New York with the Jets, last year's No. 3 Jim Miller will start at quarterback for the Steelers after beating out Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart. He figures to hand off a lot to Jerome Bettis, the former Ram who is looking to bounce back from a subpar season.

If Bettis can, the Steelers might be able to return to the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs are basically the same team they were last year, which isn't bad considering their 13-3 regular-season record was the league's best. But you have to wonder how much Marcus Allen, at 36 years old, has left and who is the real Steve Bono: the one who sparkled early or the one who faded late?

This might be the last hurrah for the Bills. The veteran nucleus, so adept at losing Super Bowls, is intact, but Jim Kelly is 36 and Bruce Smith 33, so it doesn't have many seasons remaining to capture the NFL's biggest crown.

Teams with a shot: 5. Indianapolis; 6. Seattle; 7. Houston; 8. Cincinnati.

Perhaps no team has more question marks than the Colts. Head coach Ted Marchibroda was fired even though he led them to playoff upsets over San Diego and Kansas City, defensive coordinator Vince Tobin became Arizona's head coach, running back Marshall Faulk is coming off knee surgery and the offensive line has four new starters.

If Faulk is healthy, quarterback Jim Harbaugh comes close to the career year of last season and new coach Lindy Infante can pull it together, the Colts could be a team to watch.

The Seahawks, who won six of their last eight games in 1995, have a group of young, emerging stars in running back Chris Warren, wide receivers Joey Galloway and Brian Blades, and quarterback Rick Mirer, and an established one in Cortez Kennedy. They must find a way to keep off-field distractions to a minimum, which hasn't been an easy task for this organization.

Rookie running back Eddie George, the 14th overall pick, will turn out to be a steal for the Oilers and the Heisman Trophy winner's presence will help quarterback Steve McNair develop. The Oilers are moving to Tennessee next season, so they won't enjoy any semblance of a home-field advantage as lame ducks in the Astrodome.

The Bengals' No. 8 rating says more about the lack of strong AFC teams than it does about Cincinnati's ability. Their defense and offensive lines are suspect, but quarterback Jeff Blake and running back Ki-Jana Carter might help the offense steal a victory or two.

No chance:9. Miami; 10. Oakland; 11. New England; 12. Denver; 13. Jacksonville; 14. New York Jets; 15. Baltimore.

Jimmy Johnson took over a thin Dolphins team, so he could end up starting five rookies, and the Dolphins are desperate for a dependable tight end. Only Dan Marino and Johnson make the Dolphins the best of the remaining sorry lot.

It's always tempting to look at the Raiders talent and predict they'll be among the AFC elite, but then you remember that Al Davis is ruler of the Silver and Black, meaning the meddling owner will be making personnel decisions, sending plays down from the press box during games and generally usurping any authority his coaching staff may think it has, much to the detriment of the team.

The Patriots have the easiest schedule in the league, but that won't keep coach Bill Parcells from losing his job. Drew Bledsoe has the potential to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his completion percentage dipped from 57.9 in 1994 to 50.8 and he passed for 1,000 fewer yards.

The Broncos have had one of the NFL's worst defenses the past two seasons and still haven't taken the proper steps to correct it. Drill sergeant coach Tom Coughlin might run his players into the ground, but it won't make the Jaguars winners. Neil O'Donnell won't have to worry about throwing Super Bowl interceptions for the Jets and any excitement generated from the return of the NFL to Baltimore won't turn the Ravens into winners.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde will lead the Ravens in their first season in Baltimore.

Associated Press