Dunta Robinson completed his comeback against the Bengals, finishing with nine tackles and his first interception since returning to the Houston Texans after missing almost a year with injuries.
That interception gave the cornerback 12 for his career and set a Texans record, a performance that solidified his status as a leader of this young defense.
Though he's mostly playing in Houston's nickel defense and hasn't played more than 39 snaps, coach Gary Kubiak believes Robinson has added confidence to his team.
"It's a boost for mine and everybody's I can promise you that,"
Kubiak said. "It's great to have him out there. His teammates really respect him and he brings a lot to the table. He makes our team more physical just by the way he plays the game and the energy he brings."
Robinson also knocked down two passes in Houston's 35-6 win Sunday, including one he almost intercepted inside the 20 that forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal.
"That was my golden opportunity,"
he said. "So, after I didn't get it and I got the one at the end, I was like, 'Man, I'm supposed to have two.' You get greedy after that. But I'm just happy I made it through that entire game."
The Texans are slowly bringing Robinson back into the defense as he recovers from knee and hamstring injuries so severe he had to relearn how to walk. He was injured Nov. 4, 2007, and played for the first time since the injury last week.
Before the injury, the fifth-year player had started each game in his Texans career.
Kubiak said he doesn't have a timetable on when Robinson could return to the starting lineup, but that he will likely see a few more plays this week.
"We'll continue to do what's best for him,"
Kubiak said. "We won't push him to the limit too quick. We'll let him kind of dictate to us how he feels and where we go from here."
Robinson was a bit sore after his first game, so they will see how he feels on Wednesday before deciding what his role will be this week. Kubiak said he never doubted Robinson would play again, but he is impressed with how well he's done in such a short period without the benefit of training camp.
"I don't think any of us knew when he came back how quickly he would adapt to playing again,"
Kubiak said. "It's been a long time since he's been on that field. Yesterday he had a lot of confidence and played extremely well too. Just tackled well, gets a big interception so I think the progress that he's making is very surprising."
Robinson, who has been through four losing seasons with the Texans, was excited about Houston's third straight win. But he wasn't quite ready to think about the future and how much he'll be able to contribute against Minnesota this week.
"Right now I'm just going to enjoy this win,"
he said. "I'm not really thinking too much past it."
NOTES:@ RB Ahman Green had cramps Sunday and was sore on Monday and will be listed as day-to-day this week. ... TE Joel Dreessen has an injured jaw, but should be able to play this week.
