COLTS

Insider: Through it all, Colts have kept their heads

Stephen Holder
IndyStar
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) reacts to the victory at the end of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Colts won the game, 27-20.

HOUSTON – A few short weeks ago, they were a winless lot trying to find their way. Then a private spat between the coach and general manager became public. Then the starting quarterback got hurt and concerns mounted. Then the backup quarterback went to the hospital.

And, somehow, through it all, the Colts kept their heads.

They emerged from that potentially season-crushing sequence of events and somehow won three consecutive games, the latest being Thursday’s 27-20 AFC South victory over the Houston Texans.

No Andrew Luck, no problem. The Colts are 2-0 without their franchise quarterback, the fourth-year phenom missing a second straight game with a right shoulder injury. They’ve recorded this trio of wins by a combined 12 points, and not every moment within those victories was aesthetically pleasing. But do not underestimate the magnitude of what the Colts have achieved in recent weeks.

“It speaks to the character of this football team and our coaches and their ability to block out the noise,” said coach Chuck Pagano, who continues to fight for his job with no contractual agreement beyond this season.

“At some point, it’s going to turn unless you quit and give into it. These guys have never done that and they will never do that. …Go back to the start of the season and all that stuff swirling (rumors about a deteriorating relationship between him and general manager Ryan Grigson). Nobody listened to that stuff…I love this football team.”

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The Colts won their second consecutive game with Matt Hasselbeck under center, or, more accurately, a shell of Hasselbeck. A bacterial infection left Hasselbeck hospitalized after the Colts’ win over Jacksonville on Sunday. Up until the bus ride to NRG Stadium on Thursday, the weakened Hasselbeck still wasn’t certain if he could perform his duties. He couldn’t practice this week because he was too busy dealing with symptoms that included constant vomiting and diarrhea. There seemingly weren’t enough intravenous fluids to keep his drained body hydrated.

And yet, under those unideal circumstances, this was a game in which the Colts offense, finally, appeared to turn the proverbial corner.

Hasselbeck was 18 for 29 for 213 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (107.4 passer rating).

Running back Frank Gore (98 yards) was slippery and crafty as he ran through wide lanes created by an ever-improving offensive line. Receiver Andre Johnson (six catches, 77 yards), returning to Houston where he spent 12 seasons, had his best performance. The Colts’ offensive line, beleaguered and much-maligned, had its single-best performance against a defensive front featuring the indomitable J.J. Watt, Jadaveon Clowney and Brian Cushing.

“We’re taking steps the right way,” said Gore, who overcame his own setbacks with two critical fumbles in recent weeks. “Every week, we’ve been struggling but still finding ways to win. Even for myself, I’m learning, ‘Don’t feel like I have to make every play.’”

While Hasselbeck played efficiently and decisively in his start on Sunday against Jacksonville, he was that and more on Thursday night.

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This was a more assertive Hasselbeck. A more comfortable one, too. He looked down the field considerably more than he did against Jacksonville, and he hit some notably bigger plays.

Oftentimes, when a backup quarterback plays, the job description is to simply not lose the game. Hasselbeck raised the bar. He made plays that were winning plays, the sort of plays that do not impede the offense from functioning as it’s intended. In fact, Hasselbeck operated the offense as well as Luck has at any point this season. He even capped the night with a knockout punch, a 45-yard deep shot down the sideline to T.Y. Hilton – a play they’d been trying for most of the night to hit, without any prior success.

As a side note, Hasselbeck was asked whether his condition was contagious. He said it was not, "but I told J.J. Watt that it was."

Looking ahead, it's possible the Colts have not yet played their best football. But they probably have weathered the worst challenges they’ll face. Luck is getting better. Pagano indicated he has a good chance to play against the New England Patriots in Week 6, although a determination was made Thursday morning that he could not perform adequately in that night’s game.

“Supremely confident,” Pagano joked, echoing a false statement he made about Luck’s availability prior to the Jaguars game. “…He’s really, really close.”

Pagano had a pep in his step after the game, as though a weight had been lifted. And, frankly, one was. He found a way to reach his players at a time he needed their attention most.

“I credit Chuck with keeping us calm and sane and keeping the ship sailing smoothly,” linebacker Robert Mathis said.

The chemistry in the Colts’ locker room is not an insignificant factor here, either.

“We have a group of guys who really like each other,” punter Pat McAfee said. “So, when we started out 0-2, we had guys who didn’t want to let their teammates down. When you have that, it’s a huge deal. When you see teams fighting in the locker room, that is a very telling sign that a team is not going to do well.”

As for the Colts, they held it together when things threatened to come apart. And now they are 3-2, above .500 for the first time this season.

They survived the loss of Luck. They survived in spite of his violently ill backup. They survived a 169-yard performance from Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins. They even survived a huge penalty on their final offensive possession (offensive penalty sound familiar?).

Other major challenges await, namely the New England Patriots in their next game. But this was more than anyone likely expected under what were bleak circumstances.

Because the Colts kept their heads.

“Sometimes you’re going to go through some stuff to make you stronger, to galvanize you,” Pagano said. “And not one guy flinched.”

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Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.