Juanita Slaton had attended the Indianapolis Colts game earlier this season at Reliant Stadium, but Carl Slaton hadn't been able to attend a game until Monday night. The timing couldn't have been better.

Steve Slaton put together the second best day by a running back on Monday Night Football this season in the Texans' 30-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 52 yards.

Now, the Texans will lean on him to help them continue their two-game winning streak against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

"I wanted to run the ball," Slaton said. "I wanted to be on this stage and leave no regrets."

Slaton made all of that clear to coach Gary Kubiak and his teammates at halftime when he approached Kubiak about giving him the ball more. Kubiak has been worried about wearing Slaton down. He has limited him at times during games and in practices, hoping to keep the rookie fresh.

At halftime against the Jaguars, Slaton had nine carries for 50 yards and one reception for six yards.

"He's really growing up," Kubiak said. "I didn't run the ball enough in the first half to be honest with you. We got a little out of whack play-call wise, and the kid came up to be at halftime - here's a rookie, grabs me by the shirt to say, 'I'm OK, give me the ball.'

"He reminds me of (Clinton) Portis personality-wise. He's got a great personality, nothing is too big for him. To watch him get stronger at the end of the game was very impressive."

Slaton is now just 96 yards away from a 1,000-yard season. He is averaging 5.0 yards per carry for the year and has eight rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

His emergence this season has been critical in keeping the Texans ranked among the top five offenses in the league.

"It was great," wide receiver Andre Johnson said. "It was a big stage. He wanted the ball and he went out and ran like he wanted it.

"So that was great for him. I'm happy for Steve that this happened on Monday night. He showed people what he can do. He's a great player. He's going to be a great player for us."

The Texans drafted him in the third round out of West Virginia to be a third-down back, but Slaton has convinced them he's capable of much more. He has started 11 games, and will be counted on as the team's primary running back in the final four games since Ahman Green is now on injured reserve with a knee sprain.

It bodes well for them that Slaton seems to be getting stronger as the season continues. His two best outings have come in the last three weeks. He rushed for a season-high 156 yards against the Colts two weeks ago.

"I think it's really impressive what he's doing," right tackle Eric Winston said. "If you're around football right now, you know rookies are supposed to start going the other way. Especially guys forced to start from the beginning of the season, they aren't supposed to be doing this in week 10 or week 11. He's really showing up and putting games away."