Houston Texans defensive tackle Cedric Killings surprised his teammates by walking into practice Friday, just five days after fracturing a vertebra in his neck. Killings wore a neck brace and had a black eye from the headfirst collision with Indianapolis receiver Roy Hall on Sunday, but couldn't keep a huge smile off his face. As he walked in, someone yelled "Oh God," before players began clapping and screaming. "We're making you our honorary captain this week and we're going to go down there and get a W," coach Gary Kubiak said to raucous applause as Killings made his way into the post-practice huddle.

Houston Texans defensive tackle Cedric Killings was able to stand in the hospital on Monday and doctors are confident he'll soon be walking. Killings' progress came one day after he left the field on a stretcher after a headfirst collision with Indianapolis receiver Roy Hall. Killings fractured his C-4 vertebra and was unable to move any of his limbs for a time on the field on Sunday, Dr. Rob Parrish, a neurosurgeon working with Killings, said. He has since gained movement in his arms and legs, though he's weak in both hands and his left arm. "He stood for me this morning at the bed side," Parrish said. "So I think he'll walk out of the hospital. That's very good. We were all applauding." Parrish said the biggest concern now is the weakness in his left arm, but that it was too soon to tell if would be permanent. "That's his deficit right now," Parrish said. "It might all come back."

Texans defensive tackle Cedric Killings was taken off the field on a stretcher Sunday after a headfirst collision with Indianapolis receiver Roy Hall. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Killings, playing special teams, hit Hall on a block as Jerome Mathis was returning a kickoff in the second quarter. The Texans said Killings suffered a neck injury, but had feeling in his extremities. Killings was taken to a hospital.

Today's game is the biggest for a Houston-based professional football team since the Oilers entertained Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 16, 1994, in an AFC divisional playoff game. Bigger, by far, than any of the previous 82 regular-season games played by the Texans. And that includes the expansion team's dramatic first step into the NFL, a 19-10 victory over in-state rival Dallas in September 2002. Speaking for so many Houstonians, safety Michael Boulware calls today's AFC South clash with the Indianapolis Colts in Reliant Stadium "our Super Bowl.'' Houston is off to its first 2-0 start and riding a club-record four-game winning streak that began with last December's 27-24 upset of the Colts. But Indy is the gold standard for success. The Colts are reigning Super Bowl champs and on the prowl for a fifth consecutive AFC South title. They've led or shared the division lead in all but seven of 87 weeks.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak on why rookie third-round draft choice Jacoby Jones will start in place of the injured Andre Johnson against the Colts on Sunday: "I think he's earned the right. He's played extremely well, and he was working as our third (receiver). "We wanted to see how he responded to this opportunity in practice this week, and he's been very good. He's gotten better each day, so the kid deserves a chance."

Three days after spraining his knee, Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson said he doesn't plan to play against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He also added that he is not sure when he will be back in the starting lineup. This week will mark the fourth time in Johnson's career that he has missed a start since being drafted in 2003. "If you look at me right now, no, I won't be there out there Sunday," Johnson said. "I'm taking it day-by-day, week-by-week."

The Texans will find out Monday if an MRI on Andre Johnson's left knee shows any serious damage. Johnson said he strained his posterior cruciate ligament and will be day-to-day heading into the big match-up with the Indianapolis Colts at Reliant Stadium on Sunday. "I'm a guy who never has injuries," said Johnson, who has started 63 of 66 games in his career. "To have Indianapolis coming in next week, that's a game you don't want to miss. I'm going to take it one day at a time and do what I need to do to get myself ready."

In the second-most significant victory of their six-year existence, the Texans spotted the Carolina Panthers 14 points before undergoing a Clark Kent-type transformation and scoring a team-record 34 of their own. After trailing by two touchdowns in the first quarter thanks to scoring passes from Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith, the Texans pulled off their biggest come-from-behind victory on the road, scoring 34 consecutive points to beat the Panthers 34-21 and post their first 2-0 start. "Down by 14 in the first quarter, the old Texans would have thrown in the towel, but we think more of ourselves now, and that's no longer acceptable," left tackle Ephraim Salaam said after the victory at Bank of America Stadium. "We're not what we used to be. We're not the same team. "We're trying to be something different: a winner. A consistent winner." The win set up an early AFC South showdown with Indianapolis next Sunday for the division lead.

This is the Mario Williams the Texans have been waiting for. Last year's top overall pick returned a fumble for a touchdown and had five tackles including two sacks to help the Texans to a 20-3 win over the Chiefs on Sunday. Matt Schaub had a successful, if a bit inconsistent debut in Houston, going 16-of-22 for 225 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Texans traded former first-round pick Jason Babin to the Seahawks for strong safety Michael Boulware on Saturday. "I heard that I'm going to Seattle," Babin said. "We knew it was a possibility. It's the way football goes. Just do what you can while you're here."