The Indianapolis Colts never deviate from their personnel approach when it comes to dealing with injuries. If someone goes down, it's next man up.

The new next man up? That would be rookie linebacker Buster Davis, who is in line to get his first start Sunday with Gary Brackett out at least two weeks -- and maybe the rest of the regular season -- with a broken bone in his lower right leg.

"I think Buster is going to be able to handle things fine,'' coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday. "We'll see how practice goes. If he has any problems, we can put Freddy (Keiaho) in there (at middle linebacker).

"But right now our plan is to leave everybody where they are and just play the next man.''

Brackett, the Colts' defensive captain and leading tackler, broke his right fibula in the second quarter of Sunday's win at Cleveland.

Dungy said the team didn't consider the injury serious enough to place him on the season-ending injured reserve list, and that he's hopeful Brackett will return for the playoffs if the Colts earn a berth.

"We're just going to fight through it shorthanded until he gets back,'' Dungy said.

Brackett has emerged as a defensive mainstay since being signed as an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers in 2003. He has started 58 of a possible 60 regular-season games since 2005, led the team in tackles in '05 and '07, and has a team-best 113 tackles this season.

Keiaho, the weak-side starter, replaced Brackett at Cleveland, with reserve Tyjuan Hagler filling Keiaho's spot. But Keiaho will return to the weak side Sunday, with Clint Session remaining on the strong side.

Until Brackett returns, the starting middle linebacker chores fall to Davis. That begins Sunday with Cincinnati at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts claimed the 5-9, 239-pounder -- "a powerful guy," Dungy said -- off waivers from Detroit in late August. A third-round draft pick out of Florida State in 2007, Davis has appeared in two games, was in uniform but did not play in two and was inactive for the eight others.

The question is whether he has absorbed enough during practice the past three months to be a viable replacement for Brackett. Dungy said Davis has played well in workouts as part of the "look'' squad, which prepares the No. 1 offense for the upcoming game.

Brackett, though, will be missed regardless of how well Davis plays.

"It's a big loss because he's our defensive captain and he gets everybody in the right position and orchestrates the defense,'' end Robert Mathis said.

Dungy described Brackett as the quarterback of the defense, "so it's like playing with a new quarterback in there.''

"Gary does a lot in terms of communication on the field. He's been a leader for us, a captain. It'll be an adjustment playing without him, but we'll get through it.''