81.   The Eagles had played the Cowboys eyeball to eyeball and it was the defending Super Bowl champs who finally blinked.

82.   The defending champs have a demanding five weeks ahead.

83.   The Cowboys are two-time defending champs.

84.   The defending champs finally show some life in a mild upset in five.

85.   The defending champs were marvelously talented.

86.   The four-time defending champ is Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, a Republican.

87.   The Jets figure their only chance to upset the defending champs is in a shootout.

88.   The Magic, a talented young team, looked more like a composed defending champ than the defending champs initially.

89.   The Mets, the defending NL champs, are playing bumbling baseball like the Cubs have historically, and are flirting with last place in the NL East.

90.   The Patriots have lost four of five, five of seven, and there is now doubt about whether the defending AFC champs can make the playoffs.