Thursday Night Football: Colts at Texans preview
Matt Hasselbeck will start at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday at Houston, ESPN reported.
The backup is pressed into action for the second consecutive game as Andrew Luck recovers from an injury to his throwing shoulder. Luck hurt his right shoulder in Week 3, according to the quarterback, but his performance to date was atypical and prompts doubt about the timing of the injury. Luck was dead last in passer rating (65.0) with five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Hasselbeck missed Tuesday’s practice with an illness and was listed on the injury report as questionable. The Colts re-signed quarterback Josh Johnson, who served as the backup to Hasselbeck during Week 4, as insurance.
Hasselbeck, 40, guided the Colts to an overtime victory last week, beating Jacksonville on Adam Vinatieri’s field goal after the Jaguars missed a field goal attempt to start overtime.
TV: 8:25 p.m. ET, CBS, NFL Network. LINE: Off. O/U: Off
ABOUT THE COLTS (2-2): Wide receiver Andre Johnson was a dominant force during a 12-year tenure with the Texans, racking up 1,012 career receptions, but he has labored in his first season with Indianapolis and does not have a catch in either of his past two games. Running back Frank Gore is also off to a slow start with the Colts, who survived three missed field goals by the Jaguars before prevailing last week behind 40-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Indianapolis’ defense has been vulnerable through the air, allowing 268 yards passing per game while registering only five sacks.
ABOUT THE TEXANS (1-3): Mallett was benched in favor of Hoyer during last week’s 48-21 loss at Atlanta after completing 12-of-27 passes for a season-low 150 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. O’Brien also is sticking with Mallett despite the fact that he owns a completion percentage of 51.8 percent. Arian Foster made his season debut after returning from groin surgery, but failed to provide a lift to the ground game with only 10 yards rushing on eight carries. Third-year wideout DeAndre Hopkins has 31 catches and is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Colts can break the Miami Dolphins’ record for consecutive division wins set in 1972-73.
2. Texans DE J.J. Watt has four sacks on the season and 15 overall in his last nine games.
3. Luck is 5-1 versus Houston, throwing for 1,385 yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions.
PREDICTION: Colts 23, Texans 20
