SOME TEAMS COULD USE A BIG DOSE OF NODOZ.

Byline: BILLY WITZ NFL 

When Terrell Owens hauled in a touchdown pass against the Redskins, everyone's favorite narcoleptic cleared a comfortable spot in the end zone to lay down, placed the football under his head as a pillow -- one inflated orb resting upon another -- and prepared for a late afternoon nap.

Not long after, it was hard to tell if Owens, who acknowledged last week that he often fell asleep in team meetings, was still counting sheep.

He dropped a long and certain touchdown pass that would have put the Cowboys ahead by twotouchdowns and likely deprived them of a victory.

But that seemed to be the story all around much of the NFL on Sunday: You snooze, you lose.

In Chicago, where the fans and media had long ceased measuring the Bears for ring sizes and instead had taken to sizing them up against the '85 cast of cartoon characters, this team at least shared something in common with their fore-Bearers: They both suffered their first loss to Miami.

That, unfortunately for this group, is where the similarities end -- unless Buddy Ryan, who 21 years ago figured it was fine to cover Mark Duper with a linebacker, had taken over the play-calling.

The Bears turned the ball over six times, including four by quarterback Rex Grossman, that resulted in a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown by defensive end Jason Taylor and touchdown drives of 6, 12 and 24 yards directed by Juggernaut Joey Harrington.

Nobody was more surprised by this turn of events -- the worst team in the AFC beating the best in the NFC ... on the road. ... by 18 points -- than Bob Kuechenberg, a lineman for the '72 Dolphins, the NFL's only perfect team, in case they haven't reminded you.

Kuechenberg said last week that the previously 1-6 Dolphins would be fortunate not to have the decals knocked off their helmets, and called an upset ``not even remotely possible.''

Funny, but they were saying the same thing in Atlanta last week about a possible letdown against Detroit.

After big wins against the Steelers and Bengals, there was no way the Falcons would look past the lowly Lions. Not after last season, when they waltzed into a game against 1-7 Green Bay with a 6-2 record.

They left with a loss to the Packers, won just two more games and ended the season at .500 amid a postgame meltdown by Jim Mora and acknowledgment from Michael Vick that he didn't really, you know, feel like trying in the season finale.

So, what happened Sunday?

Mora's press conference after a 30-14 loss lasted 83 seconds, and if Vick was trying -- he threw twointerceptions and lost a fumble -- it was only in relation to the defense, which allowed Kevin Jones to run for 110 yards and Roy Williams to run through the secondary for 138 receiving yards.

Also in need of a wake-up call were the Steelers and Bengals, who each found themselves trailing 14-0 less than five minutes into games they desperately needed to win against Denver and Baltimore, respectively.

Naturally, they didn't.

Fortunately for some, a little pick-me-up arrived just in time.

To no one's surprise, one of those teams was San Diego -- home to The Chemical Brothers, Shawne Merriman and Terrence Kiel. It took the Chargers' offense nearly 44 minutes to score against a Cleveland defense that was without two of its best players, Willie McGinest and Orpheus Roye. They also survived 12 penalties in a 32-25 win.

The Giants almost crashed, too. They trailed the Texans until Eli Manning's touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey with just under eight minutes to play, and then recovered a Houston fumble at their 35 to seal the victory.

If Giants' fans booed their team several times, Tom Coughlin was a little more forgiving.

``We're 6-2,'' the coach said. ``That's the position I'm taking.''

Coughlin, who has been around a few years, wasn't about to sweat aesthetics. Nor did he seem interested in looking ahead to Sunday night against the Bears.

Instead, he seemed like someone interested in borrowing an idea from Miami, Detroit, Buffalo and Washington, which had won a total of six games before returning from their bye weeks with victories:

Get plenty of sleep.

Elsewhere around the league in Week 9:

Bengals receiver Chad Johnson after catching four passes for 32 yards in a 26-20 loss to the Ravens: ``Four for 32 -- that's (bleeping) ridiculous. You've got to be (kidding) me. When Christmas comes around, I might as well be a hood ornament, because all I've been so far is a decoration.''

Add Denver's Javon Walker to the tally of A-list offseason acquisitions, along with New Orleans' Drew Brees, Minnesota's Chester Taylor and San Diego's Marlon McCree. Walker has caught 39 passes for a 17.2-yard average and five touchdowns, along with the 72-yard score he had on a reverse against the Steelers.

The Colts, at 8-0 the NFL's lone unbeaten team, may be far from perfect but they've managed an impressive trifecta: winning on the road against the Giants, Broncos and Patriots, who otherwise have a combined record of 18-3.

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