Matt Hasselbeck will start vs. Texans in place of Andrew Luck
— -- Matt Hasselbeck will start at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night when they visit the Houston Texans, according to a league source.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano had said his team will "do the right thing" regarding Andrew Luck and his injured shoulder. The Colts have never described the exact nature of Luck's injury, but have said there is "zero truth" to reports that Luck has a partial shoulder subluxation.
It is unclear if Luck will dress for Thursday night's game. Quarterback Josh Johnson, who re-signed with the Colts on Wednesday, would serve as Hasselbeck's backup if Luck doesn't dress.
Luck threw lightly at practice Tuesday, and the team was unsure if he would be able to play, despite Luck's optimism earlier in the week.
Luck, who last weekend missed his first NFL game (against the Jacksonville Jaguars), was technically listed as "limited" in Tuesday's practice, according to Pagano.
Hasselbeck has his own issues. He has been dealing with a virus this week that has limited his practice time, a Colts official told ESPN on Thursday.
Hasselbeck was in an emergency room until 2 a.m. Tuesday dealing with the virus, which he's still feeling the effects of, and he hasn't thrown a pass in practice this week.
Hasselbeck started in Luck's place last Sunday and led the Colts to a 16-13 overtime victory over the Jaguars. He was 30-of-47 for 282 yards and a touchdown.
It was the first game this season the Colts had not thrown an interception, and the 282 yards passing are a season high. Luck, in his three starts this season, has thrown five touchdown passes but also has seven interceptions.
With his start against the Jaguars, the 40-year-old Hasselbeck became the oldest quarterback to start an NFL game since Brett Favre (41) in 2010, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
ESPN.com's Mike Wells contributed to this report.
