DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710050286

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C17  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA                      LENGTH:   43 lines

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES COACH RAY RHODES CALLS

Philadelphia Eagles coach Ray Rhodes calls it the NFL's ``underrated rivalry.''

He was referring to his Eagles and the Washington Redskins, who meet today at Veterans Stadium in a game that could have a lot to say about the home team's fate in 1997. A Philadelphia victory would improve their record to 2-3, one game behind Washington, no more than two games behind Dallas in the NFC East.

A Washington victory - they're 3 1/2-point underdogs - would make Philadelphia 1-4 and force them to win either eight or nine of their remaining 11 games to have a realistic chance at making the playoffs for the third time in Rhodes' three seasons here.

``I don't like to get into that `must-win' stuff,'' Rhodes said. ``I will say it's a huge game for our football team. A must-win game means there are no more games left for the rest of the year. That's not the case. So it's huge, yes, but not `must.' I've heard coaches throw that around too loosely.''

Rhodes likes playing the Redskins, ``because we have respect for them and I'd like to think they have respect for us.''

``There's a taste of rivalry there, but it's not as heated as Cowboys-Redskins or Cowboys-Eagles,'' Rhodes continued. ``The Cowboys rivalry is one with a lot of hate involved. I don't sense that with the Redskins; I sense respect.''

If they don't respect the Eagles, something's wrong. The Redskins have won just one of the last nine games against Philadelphia. That was last November at Veterans Stadium, 26-21, a game in which Washington's secondary broke up four passes inside its own 20 with 24 seconds left in the game.

It was typical of the recent series. The last nine games have been decided by an average of 3.7 points; all have been decided late in the fourth quarter, two on the last play of the game.

``Philadelphia has been playing well, but not with that old Philadelphia style,'' Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte said. ``But they're going to give us a lot of different looks, and we have to be well prepared.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Philadelphia Eagles coach Ray Rhodes

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