(Sports Network) - I was listening to former NFL head coach Jim Mora Sr. this past Sunday evening talk about how the unbeaten Tennessee Titans are a playoff caliber team, but not a Super Bowl team.

At first I agreed with Mora, before two recent championship teams came to mind. I remembered how Baltimore and Tampa Bay won Super Bowl titles with stout defenses, much like Tennessee has right now, and a subpar quarterback under center. I bet Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson would most likely be guessed last if there was a trivia question regarding winning quarterbacks in the Big Game.

Titans quarterback Kerry Collins was on the opposite sidelines when Dilfer led the Ravens to a championship over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, and later lost in the opening round of the NFC Playoffs the year when Johnson and the Buccaneers topped the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Now Collins is under the spotlight with the 6-0 Titans, who still need to win over some pundits and prognosticators to be labeled as a possible AFC representative in the title game come February.

"We're not worried about recognition," Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan said after Sunday's 34-10 win at Kansas City. "We're a family, we're one big team, and we're not really worried about how the outside world perceives us. We play for each other, and we're on a quest."

At the ripe age of 35, Collins is on a quest to get Tennessee back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the team lost to St. Louis to end the 1999 season, The veteran, who was without two of his top receivers (Justin Gage and Justin McCareins) on Sunday, completed 11 of his 18 passes for 123 yards and did not throw a touchdown pass because the Titans' ground attack was on point. Collins protected the football and wasn't sacked for the fourth straight week. He has been sacked just once in six games played this season.

Down the road Mr. Mora may have a point, but "diddly poo" to him for already shunning the Titans. Maybe Mora missed the Kansas City game or simply forgot about the franchise-record 332 rushing yards Tennessee churned at Arrowhead Stadium. The Titans ended with 455 total yards of offense, mainly thanks to running backs LenDale White and rookie Chris Johnson. The tandem took much of the pressure off of Collins, with White highlighting the charge with 149 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard scoring burst, on 17 carries. Johnson changed the pace with 18 touches for 168 yards and had a 66-yard touchdown sprint.

"We challenged the receivers to block for us and to get open," Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said. "Your run game is a development of the way your team plays. Overall, I was pleased with it. The backs got a lot of extra yards on their own after contact."

The defense deserves a lot of credit, too, for Tennessee's resurgence that has the team all alone atop the AFC South standings. The Titans rank in the top 10 in every defensive category and were led by linebacker Keith Bulluck's eight stops on Sunday. Many believed the Titans would start out sluggish coming in off of their bye week, but Bulluck and the defense was able to stay focused with the division-rival Indianapolis Colts coming to town this Monday night.

Tennessee will get a true test versus Indy on national television, which should help us see where the team really is in the NFL landscape.

NOTES: Tennessee, which has surrendered only two sacks all year, has ripped off nine straight regular-season wins dating back to 2007...Titans kicker Rod Bironas nailed a 49-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 46-yarder in the third to extend his streak to 18 field goals in a row...White and Johnson became the first players in franchise history to record at least 100 rushing yards in the same game since Rob Carpenter and Ronnie Coleman accomplished the feat on November 27, 1977, also against the Chiefs...Collins passed Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for 14th place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list during the win...The Titans have not allowed an opposing team to score more than 17 points in nine straight regular-season contests. Bulluck started his 103rd consecutive game, the longest active streak of any Titans player.

INJURIES: There were no key injuries in the game for the Titans, but they played without Gage and McCareins.

WEEK 8: Tennessee is back at home to play two straight games, starting with a visit from the rival Colts on Monday night that will be followed by a showdown with the Green Bay Packers on November 2. The Titans have won four in a row as the host dating back to the 2007 campaign, and should be favored to handle a struggling Colts team that has dropped two of its last three meetings with Tennessee.

COLTS LAY EGG IN GREEN BAY, PREP FOR TITANS

Just when you thought Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were back on track, the Tony Dungy train hits a railroad tie in Green Bay and disappears. After waxing the floor with the Baltimore Ravens the week before, the Colts were handed a 34-14 loss by the Packers last Sunday at historic Lambeau Field.

The five-time defending AFC South champions had a two-game winning streak come to an end and fell into a second-place tie with Jacksonville in the AFC South. Tennessee is alone at the top of the division standings with an impressive 6-0 record.

The Titans' surge to the top of the division may be the biggest headline in the AFC South this year, but Indy's peculiar 2008 campaign has got to be a close second.

"It was a very, very disappointing game, obviously," Dungy said of his team's most recent loss. "It's kind of the way we've been all year. We've been up and down and not consistent. We showed more of that today. It's disappointing that we didn't play better and give ourselves a chance to win."

You're going to have much of a chance to win when the starting quarterback throws a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, including a 99-yard runback by Green Bay's Aaron Rouse in the fourth quarter. Manning, who threw three touchdown passes and was not picked off versus Baltimore the week prior, has been intercepted seven times already this season. He couldn't even take advantage of a Green Bay team playing without injured cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby.

Manning and the Colts are off to their worst start since 2001, the last time the team missed the playoffs.

The offense was also kept off the field for the majority of the afternoon, making it difficult to get into a rhythm. Tight end Dallas Clark came out of nowhere to catch eight balls for 81 yards for Indianapolis, which got a combined 35 yards and four catches from wideouts Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Too many penalties on defense kept Green Bay drives alive, while others committed by the offense killed some too.

Now the Colts have a date with undefeated Tennessee this Monday night at LP Field. It's not going to be pretty if the Colts play the way they did this past week, because the Titans have best defense in the NFL this season.

It didn't help Indianapolis either that running back Joseph Addai is out with a hamstring injury, leaving the running duties to veteran tailback Dominic Rhodes. The latter impressed with 73 yards and two scores on 20 attempts for the worst ground attack in the NFL. Addai will not be ready for Tennessee, so it will be up to Manning and Rhodes again to carry the load on the road next week.

"We have to regroup and play better next week," Manning said. "It's certainly an important game, because it's a division game. Division games count double. I know (the Titans are) playing very well and they're always tough to play there."

Manning has always been a very perceptive player even since he was drafted out of the University of Tennessee in 1998. But don't expect a homecoming party or red carpet treatment for the former savior of the Volunteers.

NOTES: Indianapolis was penalized 12 times for 110 yards, just one week after committing 11 penalties for 84 yards in its 31-3 victory over Baltimore. The Colts have 46 penalties for 337 yards this season, compared to 67 for 515 yards over 16 games last season...Linebacker Gary Brackett led the defense with a game-high 12 tackles against the Packers. He also forced a fumble.

INJURIES: The Colts welcomed back veteran linebacker Tyjuan Hagler on Sunday after he missed the first six weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Cornerback Tim Jennings started his second consecutive game in place of injured starter Kelvin Hayden, while Melvin Bullitt again started at safety in place of regular Bob Sanders. Bullitt has started the last four games.

WEEK 8: Indianapolis has dropped two of its last three meetings with the Titans after winning the previous seven matchups between the clubs.

TEXANS RIDING HIGH SINCE BRUTAL START

Apparently somebody in the Houston Texans organization was listening a few weeks ago, when team owner Bob McNair said the rest of the matchups on the schedule are must-win games. After starting the season 0-4, the Texans have beaten Miami and Detroit to pull within one game of second place in the AFC South.

The Texans are still alive in the AFC playoff chase, and a big reason for the team's turnaround has been the solid play of quarterback Matt Schaub, who has performed well over his last three games. Schaub owns 953 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions over that stretch, including a two-touchdown performance in last Sunday's 28-21 win over Detroit. Maybe it was the good luck Houston Rockets center Yao Ming brought to Reliant Stadium as a spectator, or perhaps Schaub is finally getting the results head coach Gary Kubiak and the Texans expected when the team traded for him in March of 2007.

Schaub helped Houston score touchdowns on its first three possessions for the first time in team history. The first half was excellent for the Texans, although they allowed the Lions to pull within seven points late in the game.

"I'd like to finish the way we started," McNair said. "But we did a lot of good things today, and I feel real good about the way the team's coming around. We've got to stay in this thing, and right now we've got four losses and we don't want that number going up."

Speaking of going up, wideout Andre Johnson's numbers keep rising as the weeks pass by. Johnson finished with a game-high 11 receptions for 141 yards against Detroit and has reached the 100-yard receiving mark in three straight weeks and four times this season. The former Miami-Florida star, though, has reached the end zone just twice this season and needs to score on a more consistent basis if this team has any plans to improve on an 8-8 record from a year ago.

Johnson has 20 catches for 456 yards in his past three games, including a career-high 178 yards against Miami on October 12.

Another piece of the offensive puzzle was set in place by rookie running back Steve Slaton, who carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards and a touchdown, with his fourth score of the season adding more optimism to the locker room. And speaking of wishful thinking, veteran running back Ahman Green had his best game of the year with 62 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The Texans can only get better if the oft-injured Green is back at full strength, since they've been waiting for this guy to produce since acquiring him around the same time as Schaub.

"If we keep going like that it's going to be a problem for a lot of teams," said Slaton, who has helped the Texans average 4.4 yards per carry and 120 yards rushing per game. It also helped that veteran left tackle Ephraim Salaam made his return to the lineup to spell rookie Duane Brown.

Houston giving teams problems sounds awfully weird, since this team has been a doormat in the AFC South for quite some time. But all teams must go through some rough patches before breaking out in the clear, much like the Texans have been doing the past few weeks.

Kubiak's bunch has a chance for its first three-game winning streak during a season for the first time ever. Houston won four straight games bridging the conclusion of the 2006 season and the first two contests of the 2007 campaign.

NOTES: Wide receiver Andre' Davis underwent surgery on his finger Monday, but is expected to play in Sunday's game with Cincinnati. Davis had one catch for 15 yards and returned five kickoffs for 102 yards in the win over Detroit... Tight end Owen Daniels had two touchdown grabs on Sunday and is averaging 62.3 receiving yards per game this season, while 21 of his 29 catches have been for first downs. Daniels is first among tight ends in receptions (29) and receiving yards (374) this season...The Texans welcomed the return of defensive back Dunta Robinson on Sunday. The cornerback had been out since last November because of knee and hamstring injuries.

INJURIES: Besides the finger surgery for Davis, there were no other significant injury notes for the team.

WEEK 8: Houston will try to keep its offense in gear when the winless Cincinnati Bengals come to Reliant Stadium on Sunday. The Texans must not overlook the desperate Bengals in their quest to avoid further embarrassment this season. Cincinnati is 3-0 all-time against Houston.

JAGS WELL RESTED AFTER BYE, RESUME AFC SCHEDULE

While the Jacksonville Jaguars were resting during their bye week, AFC South rivals Tennessee, Indianapolis and Houston were all in action on Sunday. The Titans remained unbeaten with their big win over Kansas City, but the Colts fell into a second-place tie with the Jaguars after their loss to Green Bay.

The Jaguars entered the break having won three of their last four games and seem to have gotten their ground game back in order. The scheme featuring Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew that worked so well last season started off slow in 2008, but seems to have picked up steam. Jones-Drew ran for 125 yards and a pair of scores on 22 carries to help Jacksonville defeat Denver in a season- saver on October 12. Head coach Jack Del Rio did get a scare in the win, however, when Taylor exited the game with a concussion. He is fine now and should be ready to go this weekend.

Quarterback David Garrard hasn't been the efficient passer he was from a year ago, but surprised many in Denver by throwing for 276 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Garrard seemed almost perfect during Jacksonville's deep run into the 2007 playoffs and is finally starting to knock some of the cobwebs loose.

Now that the Jags have reached a critical time in their season, Garrard has to be nearly perfect the rest of the way in order for the team to stay the course towards a division title. Jacksonville plays its first eight games of this season against conference opponents, and has two matchups left with AFC teams before it pays a visit to the NFC rag doll Detroit Lions.

"If you had asked us before the season, we would not have wanted to be 3-3 and would've been upset if we were," said Garrard, who has thrown for 1,259 yards and four touchdowns with four picks this season.

Before the season started, many predicted the Jaguars could be 6-0 and leading the AFC South at this point. Of course the 3-3 start is not what Del Rio and the rest of the team had anticipated, but now is the best -- and perhaps only -- time to start righting the ship.

Off the field, Jaguars wideout Matt Jones has some legal issues to deal with after he was busted in the offseason for cocaine possession. Recent reports have indicated that Jones could receive up to a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, although he can appeal. Jones leads the Jaguars in receptions (30) and receiving yards (338) this season.

In other team news, it has also been reported that police made an arrest on Saturday in the case of Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, who was shot 14 times in September and had to have his left leg amputated. He is now paralyzed from the waist down.

According to the Florida Times-Union, Tyrone Romaro Hartsfield was arrested on a charge of attempted murder and was held without bail in the Duval County jail. Hartsfield allegedly shot Collier, who was inside an SUV while waiting outside an apartment complex. The big lineman, the third NFL player to be shot in less than two years, is now rehabilitating in an undisclosed area.

NOTES: The Jags own a 2-3 record in the game following their bye week under Del Rio...Jones-Drew owns 301 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this season. He has also caught 21 passes for 184 yards...Kicker Josh Scobee is 11-for-12 in field goal tries and has made all 13 of his PAT's.

INJURIES: Jaguars center Brad Meester (biceps) is expected to make his 2008 debut this weekend. Second-year safety Reggie Nelson missed the last three games with a knee injury and cornerback Drayton Florence missed one with a groin problem. Both should be back this week. Defensive tackle Rob Meier was inactive at Denver with a knee injury, his first missed game since the 2004 season. Wide receiver and offseason free-agent signing Jerry Porter has been battling the injury bug all season and has made just one catch for six yards.

WEEK 8: Jacksonville Municipal Stadium will be the site of Sunday's clash with the visiting Cleveland Browns. Cleveland is a tough offense to stop when it is clicking, with quarterback Derek Anderson, wideout Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow all capable of putting up big numbers. The Browns are coming off a tough loss against the Washington Redskins and have split the last four meetings with the Jags. Jacksonville leads the all-time series by an 8-2 margin.