Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

The over-30 crew rises to the challenge for the Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- One player is a 40-years-old quarterback, who was getting intravenous therapy hours before making his second straight start. Another is a 34-year-old receiver. There’s also a 34-year-old safety and 32-year-old running back. And you can’t for the 42-year-old ageless kicker.

Who are those people you ask?

They’re not a group of retired players sitting around a local gym reliving their glory days in the NFL. They were the key players in the Indianapolis Colts’ 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday.

“Fountain of youth,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “Guys are from Miami, so I guess you go down there and find Ponce de Leon and find the fountain of youth. I spent six years down there sipping out of that thing myself. Again, those guys are warriors, great players, pros.”

The Colts are the oldest team in the NFL with an average age of 27.2 years old, according to ESPN Stats & Information. They also have the most players over the age 30 with 14.

  • Matt Hasselbeck was 18-of-29 for 213 yards and two touchdowns while moving around enough to make sure J.J. Watt and the rest of the Texans defense didn’t sack him once during the game.

  • You had to wonder if Andre Johnson had anything left after he entered the game with only seven catches for 51 yards and no touchdowns. He also was coming off back-to-back games without a reception. The receiver silenced doubters when he had six receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

  • Part of the reason why safety Mike Adams made the Pro Bowl last season was because of his ability to make plays in the secondary. He had two interceptions, including the one that ended any chance of the Texans being in the position to tie the game.

  • Running back Frank Gore was two yards short of becoming the first Colts player to rush 100 yards in game since the 2012 season when he finished with 98 yards and a touchdown. “Start of the year, I let things get to me,” Gore said. “[I wanted to] show everybody I could do [produce] instead of just being me.”

  • Kicker Adam Vinatieri was 2-of-2 on field goals to go with his three extra-point kicks. He’s made 206 straight extra points.

“It’s turned so much in to fantasy football, you have a lot of people talking about stuff like that rather than talking about the game, but they do,” Johnson said. “Once you get over 30, they look at you differently, but I never doubted myself. I know what I can do as a player. When my time comes and I can’t do it anymore, I’ll walk away.”

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