INDIANAPOLIS — T.J. Yates steps onto the field of the Houston Texans' Super dreams, knowing his team's footing is anything but sure.

As Yates tosses his warmup throws at Lucas Oil Stadium — which will be the site of Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 — before the Texans' first and only primetime game of the season, one could not help but wonder what the rookie fifth-round draft pick is thinking. Forget chasing that first-round bye, Houston (10-4) needs a win to rebuild its confidence heading into the playoffs. Yates needs a win to shake off the stink from a two-interception performance just four days before and hold off any notion of Jake Delhomme getting a crack at becoming the new quarterback, the Texans' fourth quarterback this season.

And oh yeah . . . Yates needs to do it with lifeline wide receiver Andre Johnson missing his ninth game and with tight end Owen Daniels, the sure-handed (even if it's one hand) pass catcher who quickly became the rookie's go-to target as soon as he took over the offense, and second wideout Jacoby Jones both banged up. Jones is dealing with a sore foot, no small hurdle for a player who depends on his speed.

Owens' injury is even more worrisome. Despite a knee that Texans coach Gary Kubiak describes as "very sore," Daniels is not on the inactive list revealed an hour before kickoff.

Daniels will start. If No. 81 will be able to play his usual heavy workload of plays is another question entirely.

Another man almost down . . . more pressure on the rook?

To a man, from the coach on down, the Texans maintain that Yates is their quarterback. That there is no thought of yet another player stepping under center.

"T.J. is our guy," Daniels said after the 28-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. "We'll move forward with T.J. and get better with T.J. The quarterback position always gets a lot of attention, but it's not just about T.J.

"It's about all of us playing better around T.J."

Of course, that's easier to say when you're in no danger of being replaced in the starting lineup. Daniels is a veteran, an all-pro caliber talent whose job is secure. No matter how many votes of confidence he receives, Yates is a fifth-round draft pick with no such assurances. Especially playing for a team that still feels its more than capable of making a run at a February return to Lucas Oil.

A win — even a workmanlike one — over an 1-13 Colts team on this future Super field would go a long way toward holding the doubts at bay. Colts starting quarterback Dan Orlovsky, an ex-Texan, would love nothing more than to show his old coach that the Texans made a mistake in letting him go though.

Orlovsky is still listed as second string on the Colts' official depth chart behind Peyton Manning, even though there is no chance that Manning will play this year. The Texans, in contrast, have Yates listed first string with Delhomme as the backup. Just another little bit of fuel for Yates' often-dismissed counterpart?

As far as Johnson, Kubiak's decision to give him another 10 days of rest before he returns to game action rings out as a no brainer. What really matters is having Johnson healthy for the playoffs and questioning Kubiak over this one seems silly at best. Give Kubiak credit for learning from previous rush-back-from-injury mistakes.

Not having Johnson Thursday does not make Yates job any easier, but that cannot be the coach of a playoff-bound team's first concern.

Even as the pressure seems to be stacked up against Yates, his teammates will tell you that it's unlikely you'll ever notice it in his demeanor.

"He was the same guy in the huddle (against Carolina when he struggled) as he was against Cincinnati (when he led the 80-yard, last-second touchdown drive that put Houston in the playoffs)," receiver Kevin Walter said. "T.J. doesn't freak out."

Now, he just has to win and make the Texans feel Super again.