by Sports Xchange

Last season when he was one of the top rookies in the league, Slaton had an excellent game at Lucas Oil Stadium. He ran 14 times for 156 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown, in the Texans' 33-27 loss. Slaton would like another chance at the Colts, but fans won't know until Sunday who's going to start.

When determining who's playing running back, the coaches will see who has the hot hand. They'll also see how offensive tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston are handling defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Slaton is a better blocker than Moats. If Freeney and Moats come flying off the edge, they may want their most experienced blocker in the backfield.

Still, the Texans will have no prayer of winning if they turn it over. The last thing they can afford is a Slaton fumble in the Texans' end, shortening the field for Peyton Manning to give the Colts an easy score.

PLAYER NOTES

--TE Owen Daniels suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and was placed on injured reserve.

--TE Anthony Hill grew up in Houston and played at North Carolina State. The Texans used a fourth-round pick on him because he's big (6-6, 269), and he's a physical blocker. He's been inactive for the first eight games. His only claim to fame is being the only NFL player diagnosed with swine flu, which caused him to miss a game. Hill is a good blocker, but he doesn't have good hands. He dropped a lot of passes in camp and preseason.

--RT Eric Winston is a four-year veteran who blocks the Colts' other defensive end, Robert Mathis. Winston is 6-7, 314. Mathis, who has six sacks, is 6-2, 245. Mathis is a speed rusher who gives Winston trouble coming off the edge. If Mathis gets into Winston, the tackle can control him. The key is to keep Mathis on his heels by running game ball effectively and not allowing him to be on his toes and teeing off on QB Matt Schaub. Winston is a ferocious run blocker.

--DE Jesse Nading was moved from the practice squad to the regular roster to take the place of TE Joel Dreessen on special teams. Although Dreessen remains the deep snapper, since he's now the starting tight end, the coaches wanted a player who excels on special teams. They decided Nading does the best job and deserved the promotion. He'll replace Dreessen on all special teams not requiring a snapper. Nading, 6-5, 263, moves very well for his size.

--TE Joel Dreessen will start in place of Owen Daniels. Dreessen also is the deep snapper. He played on every special team, too, but he's been moved from all but deep snapping.

--LB Marcus Freeman, a 6-foot-1, 239-pound rookie from Ohio State, was signed to the practice squad. He was with the Texans in training camp.

--TE Dezmond Sherrod, 6-2, 250, a rookie from Mississippi State, was signed to the practice squad.

--DE Mario Williams, who has only three sacks, continues to be affected by a bruised shoulder that hampers some of his pass rush moves, including those requiring strength. He's become more of a speed rusher. Despite the injury, Williams is playing the run better than any time in his four-year career. He ranks fourth on the team behind three linebackers with 24 tackles. His 20 unassisted tackles rank third.

GAME PLAN: Ideally, the Texans pick up at Indianapolis where they left off in Buffalo and run the ball to control the clock. They rushed for a season-high 186 yards against the Bills. But they rushed for 177 yards at Indianapolis and still lost 33-27 last season. The idea is to keep QB Peyton Manning on the bench as much as possible.

The Texans defense has been outstanding against the run over the last five games, allowing 58.2 yards. The Colts average 87.3 yards rushing. That means the Texans should stop the run and force Manning to pass. That's not good because they can't pressure him without blitzing. They have only 11 sacks, tying them for 30th. If they blitz, they leave his receivers in man coverage. If they don't blitz, he has plenty of time in the pocket to find open receivers.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Texans CB Dunta Robinson vs. Colts WR Reggie Wayne. Since David Gibbs became the secondary coach, he has put Robinson on the opponent's top receiver. In the past, Robinson always played on the right side. Against the Colts, Marvin Harrison played on the left across from Robinson. Reggie Wayne played on the right. It makes sense that Robinson will switch sides and try to cover Wayne, who's one of the NFL's best receivers. Wayne has speed, quickness and great hands. Robinson covers well, he's physical and he tackles well.

--Texans SS Bernard Pollard vs. Colts TE Dallas Clark. Secondary coach David Gibbs recommended the Texans sign Pollard, who spent two weeks on the street after Kansas City waived him. Pollard, inserted into the starting lineup in the fourth game, was the third and last player to start at his position. Pollard, 6-1, 224, is a physical player who likes contact. He plays the run well. He's a sure tackler. But he's been better on coverage than anyone thought he would be. Rookie OLB Brian Cushing will play over Clark when he's lined up tight. When Clark moves into the slot, more often than not, he'll be covered by Pollard.

--Texans LT Duane Brown vs. Colts RDE Dwight Freeney. As a rookie last season, Brown was well-schooled by Freeney, who was very complimentary of the Texans' first-round pick. Brown has quick feet. He moves them well. He doesn't get them tangled much. He plays well in space. Still, no left tackle has so much speed he can consistently keep Freeney from coming flying off the edge and around the corner to the quarterback. Brown has to shuffle his feet and keep his body between Freeney and QB Matt Schaub. Freeney has been playing hurt, and he's still got a team-high eight sacks. The best way to confront him is with a running game that keeps him on his heels rather than on his toes.

INJURY IMPACT: TE James Casey (scope on knee), is out; S Dominique Barber (sprained ankle) and DT DelJuan Robinson (sprained knee) did not practice Wednesday and neither may play Sunday; DT Shaun Cody (strained back) did not practice but is expected to play; OLB Brian Cushing (bruised foot), DE Mario Williams (bruised shoulder), DE Tim Bulman (bruised ribs), RG Chris White (sprained ankle), SS Nick Ferguson (sprained knee), OLB Xavier Adibi (sprained ankle) and OLB Kevin Bentley (bruised shoulder) were all limited in practice but are expected to play.