For the second straight week, it looks like the Indianapolis Colts will be without quarterback Andrew Luck. Matt Hasselbeck is expected to get the start Thursday night against the Texans, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. ESPN's Adam Schefter also confirmed that Luck will be out.
Andrew Luck is out for Thursday night matchup with Texans
Luck’s shoulder injury will keep him out a second game in a row.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Colts made it official by putting him on the inactive list Thursday night.
Luck, who prior to last week had never missed a game in his NFL career, threw lightly during practice this week after sitting out Week 4 against the Jaguars with a shoulder injury. But his recovery has taken longer than expected.
Hasselbeck, for his part, isn’t healthy either. He’s been dealing with a virus all week and spent time in a hospital following the Colts’ game last Sunday in order to get an IV, according to Rapoport.
It wasn't revealed until after Luck missed Indianapolis' Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that the quarterback suffered a partial separation of his shoulder in Week 3. Chris Hagan of Indy Sports Central first reported that Luck suffered the separation and consulted at least three experts and had an MRI for the injury, but there is no structural damage, per Rapoport.
A Colts official denied the report to ESPN and head coach Chuck Pagano said it was just a “sore shoulder” keeping Luck sidelined.
Without Luck, the Colts signed Josh Johnson as a backup and turned to the 40-year-old Hasselbeck to lead the way against the Jaguars, and he did just enough to earn a 16-13 victory in overtime. After the game, Johnson was released, but he was brought back on Wednesday when Hasselbeck was struggling with illness.
Luck entered the season as the favorite to win the NFL’s MVP award, but the season began with a pair of losses for the Colts and seven interceptions in the first three games. Even after missing a game, Luck leads the NFL in interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 65.1.
In 2014, Luck led the NFL in touchdowns with 40 and threw just 16 interceptions to finish the year with a 96.5 passer rating to lead the Colts to a third-straight 11-5 season.
The Colts currently lead the AFC South with a 2-2 record and will look to extend a 15-game winning streak against divisional opponents. After Thursday night, the Colts' next game is in 10 days against the New England Patriots.
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