Indianapolis Colts, led by 40-year-old veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, won the away clash against the divisional rival Houston 27:20 (10: 0, 3:10, 7: 7, 7: 3) in the first match of the fifth week of the NFL.
In addition to Hasselbeck, two more experienced players, Andre Johnson (34) and Frank Gore (32) were brilliant. Johnson, who came this season from the Texans, caught six passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns, his first and second of the season. Frank Gore carried the ball 22 times for 98 and a touchdown. Hasselbeck stepped in instead of injured starting quarterback Andrew Luck and won the second game in a row. The veteran was impeccable, completing 18 of 29 passes for 213 yards and two TD’s. Hasselbeck is a backup QB, he will probably go back to the bench when Luck recovers from injury; however, the player who is in the NFL since 1998 proved that he can do the job.
On the other hand, the Texans were once again disappointing. One of the best defenders in the league JJ Watt had no sack recorded. Indianapolis led from the Ryan Mallet interception. Brian Hoyer came into the game in the mid-second quarter for injured Mallet and started to move the chains with some good play calls and accurate passes. He threw two touchdown passes and an interception. That interception was the end of the Houston hopes in this game. Arian Foster, recently recovered from an injury, ran for 41 yards and caught ball nine times for 77 yards. DeAndre Hopkins was a big threat in the air, he recorded 11 catches for astonishing 169 yards, but the rookie Jaelen Strong scored two touchdowns, one of them was the Hail Mary pass in dying seconds of the first half.
The Texans are now 1-4 in the season while the Colts celebrated their third straight victory after two starting defeats. The interesting thing is that all three games they won against divisional rivals. This is the Indianapolis 16th consecutive victory over divisional opponents and they are marching towards another AFC South title.
