Andrew Luck out Sunday versus Texans, per Pagano

Andrew Luck returned to practice today for the Indianapolis Colts, but will not play on Sunday versus the Houston Texans, per head coach Chuck Pagano.

Though Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Andrew Luck participated in Wednesday’s practice, his head coach Chuck Pagano said that Luck will not play on Sunday in Week 15 versus the Colts’ division rival in the Houston Texans.

The Colts are in a first-place tie with the Texan in the weak AFC South at 6-7, but Indianapolis is opting to stay cautious with Luck as he recovers from a lacerated kidney stemming from the Colts’ November 8th win versus the Denver Broncos.

In a game that may end up deciding the AFC South, the two quarterbacks likely to start are third-string Charlie Whitehurst for the Colts and T.J. Yates for the Texans.

Luck’s backup 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck is dealing with a rib injury of his own suffered in the Colts’ devastating beatdown at the hands of their AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars, 51-16. Jacksonville at 5-8 is only a game back of both Indianapolis and Houston in the division title race.

Houston will go with Yates over starter Brian Hoyer who won’t play on Sunday versus the Colts because he is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. With Luck possibly not playing for the rest of the year, as lacerated kidneys are not something to take lightly, the AFC South may come down to strong arm of Blake Bortles and the Jaguars.

In a division that a sub-.500 team will likely win, any of these three teams can host red-hot Kansas City for Wild Card round matchup in January. Anything can happen on Sunday in this division, expect that Luck again will now play for the Colts. It’s not a bad year to play mediocre football in the South. Facing either Kansas City or Denver in the first round does sound advantageous for the AFC South Division winner.