Sick Hasselbeck shows class to guide Colts past Texans

(Reuters) - Back-up quarterback Matt Hasselbeck climbed out of his sick bed and then led the Indianapolis Colts to a 27-20 road victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday. Hasselbeck, battling a severe bacterial infection that had reportedly seen him on a IV drip until at least Tuesday, did not even know whether he could finish the game, let alone be so effective. But the 40-year-old connected with his offense for two touchdowns as the Colts improved to 3-2 this season and set a National Football League record with their 16th consecutive victory in the AFC South, a stretch of nearly three years. "I honestly didn't know if I could make it through," an emotional Hasselbeck said in an on-field interview. "For some unknown reason I was able to finish. I can't explain it. Its been an emotional day." Indianapolis wide receiver T.Y. Hilton said the team's system allowed an old pro like Hasselbeck to slot into Andrew Luck's quarterback position without the offense missing a beat. "In this system it's always next man up. Hasselbeck is a great back-up to have and he played like a true starter," Hilton said. Hasselbeck is not your average back-up quarterback. A three-time Pro Bowler, he was a starter for most of his career with Green Bay, Seattle and Tennessee, before taking the understudy role at Indianapolis in 2013. In 2005 he was the NFC passing touchdowns leader and guided the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, where they fell to Pittsburgh. Though he may have lost a yard of pace with age, his football brain is as sharp as ever. "I used to take highlights of him and show young quarterbacks," said television analyst Phil Simms. "That's why he can still perform so well at 40, because he technically does so many things well and tonight, that was a masterful performance by him." (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)