He arrived for the game and worked out for the coaches, trying to convince Gary Kubiak to let him play. But in the end, Kubiak decided their best chance to win was with Sage Rosenfels.

Schaub said he will be ready to play next Sunday.

"I'm obviously drained," Schaub said after the game. "I haven't really been able to eat anything. Yesterday afternoon, the stomach bug got to me and it wasn't a very pretty 24 hours for me. I don't want to go into any details about that, but I had to replace a lot of fluids and try to get numerous IVs at the hospital.

"I felt like I was able to (play), but the energy just wasn't there."

--Texans players tried to rally behind QB Sage Rosenfels after the loss Sunday. Some did it by giving him his space. Others did it by trying to tell him to shake off the ending, and by pointing out how well he played for more than three quarters.

The players realize how important that first start of the season was for Rosenfels, who went 4-1 as a starter last season. Despite his strong play last year, Rosenfels was not given a chance in the offseason to compete with Matt Schaub for the starting job.

"Everyone knows how bad Sage wants to play," receiver Andre Johnson said. "Today, he had an opportunity. And it seemed like everything was going so great for us. But then all of a sudden it was like a disaster happened. We're going to rally behind Sage. We're not going to let him hang his head.

"We think we have two great quarterbacks. And both of them are capable of running this team. We're just going to rally behind him and keep supporting him."

--When WR Andre Johnson finally reached the end zone for the first time this season, he ran straight toward the stands and handed the football to a little boy sitting in the front row.

The little boy was wearing a DeMeco Ryans jersey and hugged the ball tightly after Johnson handed it to him.

"Today, I just said to myself - I've been a little frustrated - and I was just like if I score a touchdown today I want to find a little kid in the stands to give a ball to," Johnson said. "Kids come out and watch us play, they are yelling and screaming and things like that.

"I'm pretty sure it meant a lot to him. He probably never thought he'd get a football from a football player. So, I hope he enjoys it, takes it around the neighborhood, throws it around, scuffs it up, and has fun with it."

--RB Ahman Green had a solid outing as a backup to Steve Slaton on Sunday. It was the first appearance for Green since injuring his ankle in Week 1. Slaton was making his third start of the year.

The two backs combined for 28 carries for 140 rushing yards. Slaton had 16 carries for 93 yards (5.8 yards per carry). Green had 12 carries for 47 yards (3.9).

"It's good to see him hold up for the whole game," Kubiak said of Green. "He did some good things. He looked explosive again, so that's a positive for us."