Snap Judgments (cont.)

Maurice Jones-Drew torched the Houston defense for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

And what exactly is going on with the Texans' run defense? Led by Maurice Jones-Drew's 119 yards and three touchdowns, the Jaguars dented Houston for 184 yards on the ground. That's probably going to keep Houston ranked last in run defense for another week. The Texans gave up 240 yards rushing to the Titans and 190 to the Jets two weeks ago.

• At 0-3, the Titans have as many losses as they had all last regular season, and since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams in 1990, only three teams have dug out of an 0-3 hole to make the playoffs. That's the grim news that Jeff Fisher's club faces, and it can't be sugar-coated.

Tennessee's game against the Jets on Sunday went about like its season so far -- the Titans were down 14-0 before they knew what hit them. But I wouldn't bury the Titans just yet. They can play a whole lot better than this, and I actually believe the playoffs are still possible. But they now face a must-win next week at Jacksonville, and they've got to at least split the following two games, which are home against Indianapolis and at New England.

• I can't really remember the last time Tennessee imploded on special teams, but rookie return man Ryan Mouton almost single-handedly killed the Titans against the Jets. His two fumbles, one on a first-quarter kickoff, and another on a second-half punt return, led to 14 of New York's 24 points.

I wouldn't want to be Mouton on the flight home to Nashville tonight.

• Having just watched Percy Harvin play in person for the first time in his NFL career, I predict that very soon teams are going to decide it's just not worth the risk of kicking off to the Vikings rookie. His 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against San Francisco is going to give chills to special teams coaches everywhere.

• The Packers will take their 36-17 ugly-at-times win at St. Louis and be happy about it, but the best news for Green Bay was that it protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers better after surrendering two first-quarter sacks to Rams defensive end Leonard Little.

Now comes a game the Packers have been aiming for since Favre signed with the Vikings: Green Bay at Minnesota on Monday night, Oct. 5, in Week 4. Though the players in their locker room aren't likely to admit it publicly, the Packers are incredibly eager to play against Favre and do their part to make sure his return to the NFC North isn't a season-long success story.

• I know one team that feels better about itself today: The Green Bay Packers. Because now they know losing last week to the Bengals was no disgrace. That became readily apparent once Cincinnati upset the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers 23-20 late Sunday, giving the Bengals their second consecutive eye-opening win.

The Bengals are clearly better than we thought, and to think they'd likely be 3-0 if they hadn't lost to Denver in Week 1 on that fluke pass deflection. As for the Steelers, their overtime win at home against the Titans on Sept. 10 already feels like a very long time ago. Pittsburgh has lost a fourth-quarter lead two straight weeks in a row, and that's the kind of stuff that convinces me there will be a post-Super Bowl letdown in Steel City this year.

• Not only did backup Kyle Boller look better than Marc Bulger after he replaced the Rams' injured starter against the Packers, but also a few other teams' quarterback situations bear watching this week.

Tampa Bay might be tempted to make a quick move away from Byron Leftwich after he bombed at home against the Giants, and how much longer can Oakland keep watching JaMarcus Russell as he regresses before our eyes? The Bucs let backup Josh Johnson finish the game against New York, and he at least moved the ball a bit. It's probably too early to turn to Josh Freeman in Tampa, so Johnson is the likely option if the Bucs bench Leftwich.

As for Russell, I'm guessing Oakland coach Tom Cable wishes he had Jeff Garcia now. Lastly, Miami starter Chad Pennington hurt his shoulder against the Chargers and was replaced by Chad Henne, who finished a decent 10 of 19 for 92 yards, with a costly interception. With the Dolphins 0-3 and in must-win territory in their season, will that be enough to start Miami's Henne era?

• It may not feel great if you're a Saints fan, but it's a great sign to see New Orleans win on the strength of its running game and defense, not just its high-octane offense. New Orleans is going to have to win games where the offense isn't clicking, and the Saints' hang-with-'em 27-7 victory at Buffalo was an excellent blueprint for the future.

New Orleans headed home 3-0 and eager to start preparing for one of Week 4's glamour matchups: A visit to the Superdome by the 3-0 Jets.