The Sports Xchange

INDIANAPOLIS — After not having Andrew Luck to play quarterback in last Sunday’s 16-13 overtime home field win over Jacksonville, the big question now is whether Luck will be available for Thursday night’s nationally-televised road game with Houston.

The Colts got by with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck leading the way and, if needed, team officials have full confidence that Hasselbeck would be fine to start this week’s game as well.

Luck’s availability probably won’t be known for certain until after the team’s Tuesday workout.

Indianapolis has only two days to get some other people healthy as well, such as tight end Dwayne Allen, inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman, cornerback Vontae Davis and rookie defensive tackle Henry Anderson.

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano waived the 24-hour rule in which to savor the win over the Jaguars.

“There is no 24-hour rule in effect on this one,” Pagano said. “We’ve got to go to work. You guys know as well as I do we have another tough division game on the road Thursday night down in Houston.

“So we’ll take a look (at the Jacksonville tape) and clean up what we need to clean up and then go try to get another win.”

Despite the injuries and the short amount of time to get ready for the Texans — as well as upcoming games against the Patriots, Saints Panthers and Broncos — the Colts’ coach isn’t going to try and make excuses.

“That’s it,” Pagano said. “We’ve got to just find a way (to win). Got to win at home. Got to win division games. That was a huge, huge win because it doesn’t get any easier, as you guys know.”

“You guys got the schedule. We all got the schedule. These are one-game seasons, period. This is a one-game season. All that we need to focus on right now is Houston and Houston only.”

With the short time for preparation, the Colts will go light during practice before Thursday night’s game.

“We played five quarters of football Sunday,” Pagano said. “We didn’t expect that. Plus we’re on the road (against Houston). Mentally, we’re whipped. Physically, we’re whipped. But you have to move on. It’s hard for these guys.”

REPORT CARD VS. JAGUARS

–PASSING OFFENSE: B — Backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck got the call with starter Andrew Luck sidelined because of a right shoulder injury. Hasselbeck hadn’t started a game since 2012 but played well, completing 30-of-47 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown. TE Coby Fleener had nine catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. WR T.Y. Hilton added seven receptions for 67 yards and wide receiver Donte Moncrief added six receptions for 75 yards. Hasselbeck did not throw an interception but was sacked three times.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: C-plus — The Colts’ running game did barely enough against Jacksonville, especially late in the fourth quarter and overtime. Running back Frank Gore had a team-high 53 yards in 17 carries, including a 22-yard run in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal. Indianapolis had trouble getting the running game untracked with Jacksonville hugging the line of scrimmage for most of the game. The Colts averaged only 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.

–PASS DEFENSE: C — Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles completed 28-of-50 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown. Bortles was sacked once. Wide receiver Allen Hurns had 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Mercedes Lewis added five receptions for 40 yards, while wide receiver Allen Robinson had four catches for 80 yards. The Colts had a tough time of getting a consistent pass rush going, giving Bortles too much time to throw the football. That being said, the Indianapolis secondary and linebackers didn’t do a bad job in a tough situation.

–RUN DEFENSE: C — Running back T.J. Yeldon had a game-high 105 yards rushing in 22 carries, including a long run of 36 yards. As a team, the Jaguars rushed for 142 yards in 28 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Much of that yardage came earlier in the game as the Colts defense stiffened in the second half and in overtime. Inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson had a game-high 17 tackles for Indianapolis. Inside linebacker Josh McNary came off the bench and had six tackles when starter Jerrell Freeman left because of a groin injury in the first half.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: A — If there was one area that can take credit for the Colts victory, it could be special teams. Kicker Adam Vinatieri was 3-for-3 in field goal attempts, including a 54-yard effort in the first quarter and the game-winning 27-yard game-winning kick in overtime. He also had a 32-yard kick in the fourth quarter that tied the game. Punter Pat McAfee averaged 47.8 yards, 45 yards net, on six punts. He had two of his kicks downed inside the Jaguars’ 20-yard line. McAfee added five touchbacks on kickoffs. Wide receiver Griff Whalen had two kickoff returns for 30 yards and two punt returns for 16 yards.

–COACHING: B — After losing the first two games of the season. Indianapolis has evened its record at 2-2 and is 2-0 in the AFC South. Yes, a little luck was involved (no pun intended) in the win over Jacksonville, as the Jaguars missed field goals late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. But with starting quarterback Andrew Luck sidelined because of a shoulder injury, the Colts found a way to hang on and win the game. There’s still a lot of work to do and Indianapolis is far from where it wants to be. But a win is a win, which is a credit to coach Chuck Pagano and his coaching staff.