With the monotony of Indianapolis’ annual contention for the AFC South stifled by Peyton Manning’s injury, Houston and Tennessee will battle for the division lead Sunday as we approach the season’s midpoint.

A few items on my mind this week after emerging from the film room, starting with the team that gets my vote as the NFL’s most improved.

Everybody loves a good brawl on the field, including the charities that will be the beneficiaries of those hefty fines that will be doled out. Well everybody other than those who have Texans WR Andre Johnson on their team.

Tempers boiled over midway through the fourth quarter, and Texans WR Andre Johnson and Titans CB Cortland Finnegan were ejected.

Josh McDaniels backed up Kyle Orton for calling the Tennessee Titans cheap.

When Demaryius Thomas gets on the field for the Broncos, he just can’t stay on it.

The NFL fined Titans CB Cortland Finnegan a total of $10,000 for two separate violations, a league source told NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora.

Teams have released their Week 10 practice participation reports through Wednesday. Here’s a look at some notable developments.

The Titans’ struggling pass defense will have some help against the Jaguars with the return of CB Cortland Finnegan and DB Vincent Fuller. Both players are active today, although the Titans will continue to be without CB Nick Harper (broken forearm), who was ruled inactive.

Teams have released their Week 8 injury reports through Thursday. Here’s a look at some of the notable names.

The Tennessee Titans’ jerseys may be light blue, but not because the sky has fallen — yet. At 0-4, I expected there to be some sense of despair after practice today, in this knee-jerk, reactionary NFL in which we reside.

The Titans’ 29th-ranked pass defense likely won’t get any relief against the Jaguars this weekend. Backup S Vincent Fuller (forearm) has been ruled out for Sunday’s AFC South showdown, and starting CB Cortland Finnegan (hamstring) is listed as doubtful. Backup DT Jason Jones is listed as questionable.

A look at the official Thursday injury reports reveals a number of ailing players — including Marion Barber, Darrelle Revis, Justin Tuck and Cedric Benson — taking part in full practices today.

Chad Pennington, Shawne Merriman and Frank Gore were among the key players who sustained injuries in Week 3.

One of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season was the Titans’ improbable run to a league-best 13-3 regular-season record and the dethroning of the almighty Colts, snapping Indianapolis’ five-year reign as AFC South champions. Even more stunning was the rebirth of 36-year-old Kerry Collins, who led the Titans to a 10-0 start and a No.1 seed in the AFC playoff race. Now, everyone wants to know if the Titans can do it again with Collins at quarterback.