The Sports Xchange

INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano decided to honor the entire franchise after the Colts set an NFL record with their 16th straight win over an AFC South opponent with the victory over Houston Thursday night.

“We gave everybody a game ball on this one. We could have given out some individual ones. But to surpass the only team in the NFL that had a perfect season, the 1972 Dolphins, and go 16 straight division games and hold that record now, that is something that every man on this football team and everybody in our organization can share,” the Colts head coach said.

–With the Colts win over Houston Thursday night, Indianapolis is 23-4 overall against the Texans and have posted six straight victories against their AFC South rival.

–Indianapolis has now won 10 straight games on Thursday nights. It’s the longest such streak in the NFL.

–Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is the first 40 year old with two passing touchdowns in a game since Mark Brunell vs. the Jets in Week 17 of the 2010 season.

Notes: Quarterback Andrew Luck (right shoulder) was a pregame inactive for the second straight week. Luck had seen limited practice time in the three days prior to the Houston game. According to Pagano, Luck is getting better but was not ready to play in a game Thursday night. The quarterback now has 10 days in which to get ready for the Colts’ Oct. 18 home game with New England. … Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (illness) has been battling a bacterial infection since last Sunday’s game with Jacksonville. He began to feel ill at halftime of the Jaguars game. Hasselbeck’s symptoms became more pronounced early in the week as the Colts began preparations for Houston. He spent time in the emergency room at an Indianapolis hospital and received IV treatment. Hasselbeck was given the option Thursday to sit out against the Texans. But he decided to play and had his best performance since joining the Colts.

Inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman (groin) was inactive for the Houston game. Freeman was hurt in the first half of last week’s game with Jacksonville and did not return. He did not practice last week. His status for the Patriots’ game on Oct. 18 remains undecided. … Safety Mike Adams continues to be one of the best free-agent signings of the Ryan Grigson general manager era. Adams was added to the Colts roster prior to the start of the 2014 season. He wound up leading the team in interceptions last season (five) and being named to the Pro Bowl. Adams had a pair of interceptions against Houston Thursday night and now has three pickoffs for the year. … Running back Frank Gore had his best game since joining the Colts in the offseason in the win over Houston. Gore rushed for 98 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns against the Texans. Indianapolis hasn’t had a 100-yard rusher since the 2012 season (Vick Ballard). … Wide receiver Andre Johnson had gotten the 2015 season off to a slow start by his standards. Questions were being raised as to whether Johnson still had anything left in the tank and whether he could be a key member of the Colts’ receiving cops. He hadn’t caught a pass in his previous two games. But he responded in a big way against his former team Thursday night, catching six passes for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns.