Matt Hasselbeck helped get the Indianapolis Colts to .500 with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Now the team plans to hand the reins back to Andrew Luck.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport told NFL HQ on Monday morning that Luck should be back for Thursday's game against the Houston Texans after missing just one contest.
"At this point that is certainly their hope and expectation," Rapoport said on NFL Network. "They did some tests on Andrew Luck's shoulder earlier in the week. They found no structural damage to explain why he was experiencing some soreness, just some bruising in his throwing shoulder."
Rapoport added that Luck suffered a subluxation of his throwing shoulder, according to a source informed of his injury. However, there is no structural damage, which explains why the Colts believe he'll play Thursday night.
Luck didn't throw last week, but had a private session on Saturday and was deemed unable to go in Sunday's contest, his first career missed game.
Pagano called his young quarterback day-to-day after Sunday's victory and said he is "moving in the right direction" on Monday. It's a quick turnaround for Indy to play on Thursday in Houston, but the Colts believe they will have their stud back in time. The Colts also parted ways with quarterback Josh Johnson -- whom the team signed prior to the win over the Jaguars as insurance -- which supports the idea that Luck will be active Thursday.
Hasselbeck also added strength to the notion Luck will be playing Thursday: "I'm not expecting to play, but i'll be ready to play if they need me," the veteran quarterback told reporters Monday.
Now that they are back in the lead in the AFC South, at 2-2, the Colts could put even more distance on the pack with a third-straight divisional win.
