“That’s big of him to go out and put those pads on and play through it”, Johnson said.
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The Houston Texans host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, with a tempest of scope encompassing Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
TOUCHING TRIBUTE: An emotional Hasselbeck dedicated his game to cancer patient who lost their battle that day. Houston finished that drive with a field goal for its first points of the night, then Hoyer found Jaelen Strong for a Hail Mary touchdown to end the half.
The uncertainty at quarterback for the Houston Texans continues after yet another loss.
Colts running back Frank Gore added 98 yards on 22 carries, including a three-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.
Indianapolis Colts safety Mike Adams was putting the final touches on his suit by straightening his tie when, in a lowered voice, he said, “We needed this”. Not just do reinforcement quarterbacks for the most part tumble, hard old ones beyond any doubt aren’t relied upon to play the hardest position in games with aplomb.
Houston Texans’ Ryan Mallett (15) reacts after a late hit from…
The Texans screwed up first, driving down the field only to have a Mallett pass bounce off of Foster’s hands into the arms of a defender.
Hoyer finally got Houston’s offence going and the Texans cut it to 13-3 on Nick Novak’s 36-yard field goal.
Not to worry though. They failed to get pressure on Hasselbeck, failed to slow down Gore and allowed Johnson to roam free throughout the evening. Head coach Chuck Pagano said the veteran was “literally on his death bed”. We could argue that.
The 34-year-old Johnson, who spent his first 12 National Football League seasons in Houston before being released in March, pushed the lead to 27-17 with a 2-yard touchdown reception from Matt Hasselbeck in the fourth quarter. Andrew Luck was scratched from the game and Matt Hasselbeck was sick as a dog. Hasselbeck says, “I didn’t know if I could make it through … for a few unknown reason, I was able to finish”.
“He was literally on his deathbed Monday/Tuesday and mustered up enough to come in Wednesday and practice”, Pagano said.
The victory marked the 16th straight division win for the Colts.
QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL: Mallett got the wind knocked out of him on an illegal hit midway through the second quarter and was replaced by Hoyer. Julio Jones is averaging the most yards per game this year at 146 and has 440 yards through three games also catching four touchdown passes to go along with those. Though Hoyer had been named the starter to begin the season, he had turned over the ball twice inside the Texans’ 15-yard line.
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The mistake O’Brien made offensively was even thinking Mallett was a QB who could lead a team, in victory and in defeat.
