Matt Hasselbeck, Andre Johnson lead Indianapolis Colts past Houston Texans

Say it isn’t so Texans fans. Adams’ first pick came against Texans QB Ryan Mallett and stalled a promising Houston drive in the first quarter.

Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins finished with 11 catches for 169 yards. It was Hasselbeck’s first National Football League start since November 2012 and he managed the game deftly. If it wasn’t for a desperation throw by Hoyer at the end of the half that resulted in Strong’s touchdown, it probably would have been a blowout.

Inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (groin) was inactive for the Houston game. Gore was the bedrock of the offense, falling two yards shy of the Colts’ first 100-yard game in three years. The Colts quickly turned the turnover into points with a 48-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri.

NOTES: Mallett was 7 of 10 for 50 yards…. Luck returned to his hometown and topped the 300-yard mark for the fourth consecutive game.

The Texans’ defensive implosion began before Phillips left the team following the 2013 season. Johnson isn’t just a former Texan. You knew Gore wanted to avenge the goal line fumbles he’s had earlier this season on Thursday night.

The 40-year-old Hasselbeck was filling in for Andrew Luck, who missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Just don’t tell that to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after his gutsy performance Thursday night while suffering from the effects of a bacterial infection.

“I honestly didn’t know if I could make it through”, an emotional Hasselbeck said in an on-field interview.

The Colts will get a true test of how good they are against the Patriots next week and we will also get another look at how bad Andrew Luck’s injury really is if he doesn’t play. Hasselbeck is now 40, and still showing he can get it done when he’s called upon. Johnson snagged six passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Hoyer won the starting job out of camp but was benched after Week 1. The third-year quarterback was 22 of 27 for 244 yards in the first two quarters and never gave the Jags a chance.

A 42-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri, who had earlier made a 48-yard kick, put Indianapolis up 13-0 with 7:41 remaining in the second quarter. Mallett looked to be OK soon after that, but coach Bill O’Brien stuck with Hoyer. Houston’s Nick Novak answered 5:29 later.

The Texans were on their last leg and a prayer – Jaelen Strong answered that prayer.

Hoyer played very well. He hadn’t caught a pass in his previous two games. He added two touchdowns to his stats and one interception. The Texans fell 27-20.

They must prove they can win outside it before returning to divisional play December. 13 against Jacksonville (1-3). Still, you can’t fault Pagano for pumping his team’s tires, even if the Colts’ three wins thus far have been relatively unimpressive victories over seemingly inferior AFC South opponents.