Following a theme that has prevailed throughout their eight- year history, the Houston Texans simply refuse to do things the easy way.

On a day in which they gutted out a 31-10 road victory over a hard-nosed Buffalo Bills team to finish the first half of a season above .500 for the first time ever, the Texans (5-3) had their enthusiasm tempered by a couple of disconcerting elements.

The first was the continued plague befalling Steve Slaton. The Texans had made Slaton's fumbling issues a point of emphasis for several weeks, after the second-year back out of West Virginia coughed the ball up six times (four lost) during the team's first seven contests.

But, despite a lot of hope that Slaton was finally ready to put those problems behind him, the running back was stripped by linebacker Paul Posluzsny on just his third touch of the game, and was benched for the remainder of the contest.

And though the Texans didn't know it yet, the worst had already come, even before Slaton put the ball on the ground.

Following the team's second possession of the game, tight end Owen Daniels had left the contest after catching his foot in the Ralph Wilson Stadium turf. On Monday, the grim news was confirmed that the Pro Bowl tight end had suffered a torn right ACL, and would be lost for the season.

Daniels entered Week 8 Buffalo leading all NFL tight ends in receiving yards, and was second at his position in receptions and touchdowns.

On a team that will always have its biggest challenges on the defensive side of the football, the potential of having two fewer bullets in the chamber on offense is disconcerting indeed for Kubiak and company, especially as they prepare to head to Indianapolis for what the team still hopes can be a statement-making effort against the unbeaten Colts.

Slaton figures to be back in the lineup in some capacity, though whether he gets his starting job back remains to be seen. It stands to reason that Ryan Moats, who replaced Slaton and had a career-day with 126 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, has earned himself another start.

But Moats is a career backup who had 118 career carries in five NFL seasons for a reason, and the fact that the Bills were and remain last in NFL rushing defense (174.1 yards per game) does not exactly speak to Moats' potential for continued excellence in a primary position. The Texans are going to need Slaton to play a major role during the second half, which is why Kubiak was puffing his sophomore rusher up, even after pulling him on Sunday.

"I told Steve in the locker room to get his chin up," said Kubiak. "This team needs him playing well and making plays and I'm expecting him to come right back next week and help us."

The Daniels situation is trickier, since there is no natural replacement for the blossoming fourth-year-pro on the roster. Fifth-round draft pick James Casey (Rice) also injured his knee against the Bills after filling in for Daniels on Sunday, leaving blocking specialist Joel Dreessen (25 career receptions) and fourth-round project Anthony Hill (North Carolina State) as the team's only current options at the position. Hill has been inactive for every game this season, a situation almost certain to change on Sunday.

"He's a very young player and obviously we haven't had the luxury of suiting four guys," said Kubiak of Hill. "We have been impressed with his work. He's a physical player. Is he ready to go? I don't know. We'll see, but it's time for him to go. This is a tough spot for him to get started, down in Indy, in this football game, this crowd noise, but hey, that's part of the game. That's what we drafted him for."

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