Week 7 in the NFL

At least every game this weekend wasn't as bad for Chicagoland viewers to watch as Bears-Bengals ... though the Monday nighter came pretty close.

- Houston usually waits until December to start playing its best football. Sunday's 24-21 victory over the 49ers made the Texans 4-3, which means they're still 2 1/2 games behind Indianapolis in the AFC South. They probably won't catch the Colts, but the Texans are very much alive in the AFC wild card race. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and the rest of the key components of the passing game have been good enough to compensate for the struggles of Steve Slaton and the running game. And while 49ers backup Alex Smith throwing three second-half touchdowns was not a good sign, the defense isn't that bad.

- I say the Colts won't be caught by the Texans because they look like the second-best team in the NFL right now. The first is New Orleans, which was down 24-10 at Miami at halftime before rallying to win 46-34. It wasn't the best game that the surprisingly solid Saints defense has played, but they actually did well to hold the Dolphins to 137 rushing yards. As long as they don't let the opposition's best offensive player or skill torch them, they can beat anyone thanks to Drew Brees and their offense.

- The biggest upset of the weekend in my book was Dallas' 37-21 defeat of Atlanta. I predicted that it would be a long season for the Cowboys, who aren't really that good at anything on paper. But Tony Romo, who had been struggling, had a great statistical game for the first time since Terrell Owens left. The thing is, he really hasn't even gotten his best pass catcher, tight end Jason Witten, going yet. If he does, and the freshly-paid DeMarcus Ware and the defense hold up their end of the bargain, the Cowboys could end up right there with New York and Philadelphia in the NFC East race.

- There were at least two other victories that were on par with Dallas' as the most impressive on the weekend. Pittsburgh scored a huge 27-17 victory over previously unbeaten Minnesota, and Arizona went on the road to upset the Giants 24-17. (I guess that I reluctantly have to include the Bengals' defeat of the Bears in this category). The least-impressive winner was Philadelphia, which faced a team determined to shoot itself in the foot repeatedly Monday night at Washington yet won by a rather tame 27-17 final.