Andrew Luck has officially been ruled out for the Indianapolis Colts in a key Week 15 game against the Houston Texans, and coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Matt Hasselbeck is expected to get the start.
Andrew Luck returns to practice, but Matt Hasselbeck expected to start vs. Texans
Andrew Luck returned to practice on Wednesday but will not play on Sunday. Matt Hasselbeck is still nursing some injuries but is expected to get the start against the Texans.
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Luck returned to the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a lacerated kidney and torn abdominal muscle against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 8. He was a limited participant and went through individual drills with his teammates.
In a 51-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Hasselbeck suffered an injury to his left arm and was in a sling on Monday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Hasselbeck had a few "upper body injuries" to deal with, but tests showed no fractures and just soft tissue damage. Pagano told reporters on Monday that the sling was just to prevent spasms that Hasselbeck was suffering from.
Hasselbeck has started six games for the Colts in 2015 due to injuries for Luck. Early in the season, Luck suffered a shoulder injury and is determined to return from a kidney laceration that has kept him out of action since Week 10.
Charlie Whitehurst took over for Hasselbeck following his arm injury in Week 14 and completed just two of eight passes with an interception against the Jaguars. He began the season as a member of the Tennessee Titans, but was released in November. Hasselbeck has completed 62.1 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and four interceptions for the Colts in 2015.
The Colts are tied with the Texans for the AFC South lead and can clinch divisional tiebreakers over both the Texans and Jaguars with a win.
The Texans have some quarterback problems of their own, too. They will start backup T.J. Yates on Sunday while Brian Hoyer remains in the concussion protocol.
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