HOUSTON -- The 100th game in Houston Texans history will be a turning point for this fledgling franchise.

Get a win over Indianapolis and there might still be hope for salvaging this season. Go to 0-4 and the Texans will almost certainly be headed for their sixth losing season in seven years.

The Texans play the 100th game of the season this Sunday.

Don't believe it? Consider this: the only time the Texans lost their first four games was in 2005 when they finished 2-14.

That's not to compare this team to that dreadful squad. These Texans are more talented, better coached and more motivated, but in order for any of that to matter they've got to start winning.

This was supposed to be the season the Texans got to the playoffs. So far they've looked nothing like a playoff team. After 99 games, the Texans are 32-67 with the only non-losing season coming in last year's 8-8 finish. And even that's nothing to cheer about, really, since the last win came against a Jaguars team that had already made the playoffs and rested most starters.

There have been countless lows, but very few highs since the Texans brought professional football back to Houston in 2002. Would-be franchise quarterback and No. 1 draft pick David Carr has come and gone and Ahman Green has yet to make a meaningful contribution to the offense despite his fat paycheck.

Mario Williams was a monster late last season, but the high-pick laden defense hasn't become the force it was expected to be and is currently ranked 25th in the NFL.

Things looked better in last week's 30-27 overtime loss to Jacksonville. That is if you don't count when Houston was tricked by a fake punt that ended in a touchdown, despite there being no punter on the field.

Matt Schaub had his first good game of the year. Even though that effort ended in a loss, Texans fans should be encouraged by his performance. He finally showed the ability to evade pressure and succeeded despite another poor rushing day and constant double teams that took Andre Johnson almost completely out of the offense.

The Texans held Jacksonville to just three points on offense in the first half, although they struggled to contain a scrambling David Garrard after halftime.

Houston has won just 1 of 12 meetings with the Colts since joining the league. However, it's important to note that this Colts team isn't the same as Indy's teams of recent years. They are 1-2, missing top defender Bob Sanders and dealing with a slow-starting Peyton Manning. In other words, if the Texans can't get them now, they probably never will.

Playing at home for the first time this season should give Houston an advantage after three tough road losses and an early Hurricane-Ike forced bye.

It should be an uplifting moment for this storm-ravaged city, with owner Bob McNair expected to announce the final contribution in his goal of raising $2 million for hurricane relief. Workers who helped in the days after Ike will be honored during the game.

A win could be a springboard for Houston to get things back on track. They play each of their October games in the friendly confines of Reliant Stadium, a place where they've won four straight and went 6-2 last season.

A month of home games is a rarity in this league. The last time an NFL team played four straight games was when the Houston Oilers did it in 1990 when their game at Cincinnati was rescheduled because the Reds were in the World Series.

The Oilers started that season 0-2 and finished their season in the Wild Card playoffs. Could the Texans still hope for their first playoff berth? Unlikely, but it will be more like impossible if they don't beat the Colts.

---

Notes: The Houston Texans placed safety C.C. Brown on the injured reserve and signed fullback Cecil Sapp. Brown broke his arm against Jacksonville this weekend and had surgery to repair the injury on Monday. Sapp spent five seasons with the Broncos and scored two touchdowns in 2007. Also on Tuesday, Houston signed linebacker Kevis Coley to the practice squad and released tight end Clark Harris from the unit.