HOUSTON - Dante Hall fed off a trip to mom's kitchen.
Hall had a 73-yard punt return for a score in his return to Texas and Priest Holmes had 156 total yards and two touchdowns to lead Kansas City to its first 3-0 start in seven years.
"The guy that gave us the spark was Dante Hall. We are going to give the game ball to his mother," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said, noting Hall is from Houston. "She cooked for him last night and we are going to bring her home with us."
The Texans trailed 14-7 late in the third quarter when Houston rookie Tony Hollings, getting his first playing time at running back, fumbled after a jarring hit by safety Jerome Woods. The Chiefs' Dexter McCleon recovered at the Houston 32.
Moments later, Trent Green hit an open Eddie Kennison for a 15-yard score.
The Texans went three and out on their next series, and Hall made them pay.
Hall took the punt at the 27-yard line, escaped Jason Simmons and darted around the right end, where he juked punter Chad Stanley. Then he picked up his blockers and cut back untouched across the goal line for a 28-7 lead.
It was Hall's fifth punt or kickoff return for a touchdown in his past eight games.
Patriots 23, Jets 16
FOXBORO, Mass. - New England players are going down as quickly as New York's season.
For the third straight game, the Patriots lost a key defender and the Jets lost a close contest.
Quarterback Tom Brady never missed a play after hurting his right elbow with 5:45 left in the second quarter. He ran for a 1-yard touchdown late in the third to break a tie at 9.
But in the first quarter, nose tackle Ted Washington fractured his leg and wide receiver David Patten hurt his right leg.
"We don't ask, "Why us?"' linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "We deal with what is happening, no matter who's in there."
Washington is expected to miss "a couple of weeks," coach Bill Belichick said. It is not known how long Patten will be out.
The Patriots already were without starting linebackers Ted Johnson, who broke his left foot in the first game, and Rosevelt Colvin, who broke his left hip in the second. They released safety Lawyer Milloy before the first game.
Cornerback Ty Law rolled his ankle late in the first half but returned: "We're already down in numbers as it is. As long as I can run, even if I'm not full speed, my presence is important out there."
The Jets lost to Washington 16-13 on a field goal with five seconds left, then fell to Miami 21-10.
Steelers 17, Bengals 10
CINCINNATI - Jerome Bettis lowered his battering-ram shoulders and plowed into the end zone. Joey Porter yanked down the quarterback as the Terrible Towels twirled.
Different setting, familiar scene.
The Steelers got back to their black-and-gold basics, running the ball when they wanted and turning Porter loose on the Bengals.
"It was good to see us kind of re-establish a little bit of our tradition," coach Bill Cowher said. "That's like the days of old."
Tens of thousands of Pittsburgh fans were in the crowd of 64,596, the largest to see the Bengals in Cincinnati, and stayed on their feet as the Steelers went back to grinding it out.
In their first two games, they became dependent on Tommy Maddox's passing. Amos Zereoue managed 104 yards in those games.
Bettis, relegated to a backup role in preseason, showed the Bus has a few miles left. When Zereoue needed a rest late in the third quarter, Bettis led the Steelers to a decisive touchdown through brute force.
Bettis ran six plays in a row for 23 yards, putting Pittsburgh ahead 14-3. He lowered his head and powered into the end zone on fourth down from inside the 1.
"You get frustrated," said Bettis, who had 59 yards on 16 carries. "As a running back, you want the opportunity to make a difference in the game."
Ravens 24, Chargers 10
SAN DIEGO - The Ravens were chased out of Baltimore two days early by Hurricane Isabel, and Jamal Lewis talked some smack about his matchup with LaDainian Tomlinson.
It was an eventful week, all right, and it ended with Lewis and the Ravens beating punchless San Diego.
"You can't imagine how big of a win that was," coach Brian Billick said, adding he would have taken some heat had the Ravens lost. With Isabel approaching the East Coast, the Ravens flew to San Diego on Wednesday, two days earlier than scheduled.
"That was the smart thing to do," Billick said. "There was no other way to handle it."
A week after setting the single-game record with 295 yards on 30 carries, Lewis ran for 132 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries.
Lewis fumbled at midfield late in the first quarter, but the ball bounced a few yards ahead and fullback Alan Ricard picked it up and ran 50 yards for a touchdown.
Lewis irked Tomlinson during the week by saying Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis was going to dominate the star running back.
Tomlinson, the NFL's second-leading rusher last season with 1,683 yards, had a season-high 105 on 23 carries and scored his first touchdown in three games. He also had eight catches for 51 yards.
Vikings 23, Lions 13
DETROIT - Gus Frerotte had one thought when he replaced injured Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper late in the second quarter.
"I just tried not to screw up," the veteran, 32, said.
He didn't.
Frerotte threw for 184 yards and a touchdown replacing Culpepper, who left with a bruised back after his second rushing score gave the Vikings the lead for good. He was scheduled to have his back examined Sunday night in Minneapolis.
Culpepper said he was in too much pain to return but expects to play in Week 4 at home against San Francisco.
"Do I look hurt?" Culpepper asked as he limped from Minnesota's locker room. "I thought I looked cool, like Fred Sanford."
Minnesota, with three wins in the NFC North, is off to its best start since winning seven to start the 2000 season. The past two years, the Vikings were a combined 11-21.
"I think it's big because we've been on the low end of the stick," said Randy Moss, who caught three passes for 85 yards despite back spasms. "Being 3-0 in the division gives us the confidence that we can be a playoff team."
The Lions have lost to Minnesota and Green Bay since beating Arizona in the opener. They face games at Denver and San Francisco the next two weeks.
Browns 13, 49ers 12
SAN FRANCISCO - Though team president Carmen Policy wore the biggest grin, the win and fourth-quarter comeback were more important to Kelly Holcomb.
Andre Davis caught an 11-yard touchdown from Holcomb with 29 seconds left as Cleveland rallied for two late scores.
The Browns had one touchdown in 11 quarters this season before scoring two in the fourth against San Francisco, which held them to 113 yards in the first three quarters. It led to a comeback win for a franchise that has specialized in them since rejoining the NFL four seasons ago.
"That's Cleveland Browns football: Just wait until the last minute and 35 seconds of the game," coach Butch Davis said.
Holcomb beat out Tim Couch in training camp, but two middling performances in losses had put his job and Cleveland's season in jeopardy. His first three quarters against San Francisco weren't much better, but with two sore ankles and a 12-point deficit, he led two stirring drives.
"We just hung in there, and when we had to make plays, we made them," Holcomb said.
Both drives ended in touchdown passes to Davis, the second capping a 91-yard drive comprised mostly of short, expertly thrown passes.
"We were Nineresque at the end," said Policy, who was the 49ers president for eight years.
