Kevin Mack

The ill winds that have swept through Cleveland's quarterback corps over the season's first six weeks appear to be forcing the Browns to play right into the Eagles' hands this Sunday. Buffeted by injuries, Cleveland is down to its fourth quarterback of the season, 37-year-old Don Strock. It would seem logical, then, that the quarterback plague, coupled with the fact that the Browns do have two solid runners in Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, would force them into a ground- oriented game.

In the pregame introductions, the Browns had sent out their offense - five linemen, a tight end, two running backs, a QB and four wide receivers. That's 13 in all, which, of course, exceeds the limit. But it was an omen because there were times yesterday during their AFC playoff game with the Indianapolis Colts when it looked as though the Brownies were playing with more than the law allows. Bernie Kosar, for example, the NFL's most unappreciated quarterback, sprayed the ball around to nine receivers.

Does the team that came unglued finally have it together? The New York Jets will try to answer that question in the affirmative this afternoon at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium during an AFC playoff semifinal against the resident and resilient Browns (Channel 29, 12:30 p.m.). The lingering memory of the Jets' manic-depressive season has not been the 10-1 record they achieved by mid-November, when they were hailed as the finest team, yea juggernaut, in the NFL. Rather, it has been the five-game losing streak that preceded the team's backward entry into the playoffs, as the least-worthy contender on the postseason manifest.

Bernie Kosar is tired of the Cleveland Browns' Brooks Brothers suit offense. He's tired of off-tackle plays and swing passes to his running backs. He's tired of playing it safe. He says if the 4-3 Browns expect to make it back to the playoffs again this year, they're going to have to start living a little more wrecklessly than they have been this season. He says they're going to have to start throwing the ball long. "I think we're going to need to stretch teams more vertically than we have been," said the Browns quarterback.

BENGALS at PACKERS 1 p.m. What to consider: This matchup in Milwaukee probably means more grief for the Packers (0-4), whose beaten-up offense has averaged 8 points a game. No Green Bay back has managed to run for 100 yards - not a 100-yard game, but 100 yards for the season - and the ineptitude of the Packers' passing attack is reflected in the receiving stats of WR James Lofton, one of the NFL's best deep threats. He has averaged less than 12 yards per catch on 17 receptions and has scored only one TD. The Bengals (2-2)

It doesn't bother Sam Rutigliano that the same Cleveland Browns team that helped fire him last season meets the Miami Dolphins in the AFC playoffs tomorrow (Channel 3, 12:30 p.m.). "Nah, I haven't lost any sleep wondering how the hell they won eight games," said the NFL coach-turned-NFL analyst. "Because I know I did the best with what we had. And the truth is, we didn't have a defense good enough to win in the NFL. This Browns team has really improved defensively. "They've gotten more conservative offensively, but they're a much better football team.