There is an adage that says, “Father Time catches up to all of us.” Just don’t tell that to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after his gutsy performance Thursday night while suffering from the effects of a bacterial infection.
Despite his illness, Hasselbeck, 40, was able to lead the Colts to a hard-fought 27-20 victory over the Houston Texans.
The Indianapolis Star reported that the Colts quarterback was so sick that he had to take IVs Sunday through Wednesday and twice on Thursday.
“Lots of stuff coming out of the attic, then a lot of stuff coming out the basement,” Hasselbeck told the Indy Star.
That’s right. A 40-year-old man who had stuff coming out of everywhere and two IVs on game day beat the Texans.
Hasselbeck went 18 for 29 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, one of those touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter to give his team a 10-point lead.
For the second straight week, Hasselbeck was filling in for for Andrew Luck, who’s suffering from a sore shoulder.
In a post-game interview, Hasselbeck was understandably emotional and drained.
“I honestly thought I didn’t know if I could make it through and some unknown reason, I was able to finish and I can’t explain it. It was amazing.” he told Tracy Wolfson after the game.
Lots of emotion from Hasselbeck. What an effort: pic.twitter.com/UibAPN7FFM
— Derek Schultz (@Schultz975) October 9, 2015
After the game, Hasselbeck also tweeted out another motivating factor for his performance.
This game ball is in honor of Michelle Bair who lost her battle with cancer today. pic.twitter.com/7PkHLLCFe0
— Matthew Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) October 9, 2015
Well done, Matt.
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