Colts Face Texans with Hobbled Secondary

The Colts suddenly have serious injury issues in the secondary, and with the Texans coming to town, the timing couldn't be much worse.

The team placed standout SS Bob Sanders on injured reserve with a torn biceps that will require surgery, the Indianapolis Star reported. The team also confirmed Friday that CB Marlin Jackson(notes) will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. In addition, veteran CB Kelvin Hayden(notes) is expected to be sidelined at least three weeks with a knee sprain.

That means the Colts will be missing three-fourths of their ideal secondary when they face Houston's hot passing game Sunday. Texans QB Matt Schaub(notes) leads the league with 2,342 yards passing and is tied for the NFL lead with 16 TD passes.

The team will start two rookies - undrafted free agent Jacob Lacey(notes) and third-round pick Jerraud Powers(notes) - at corner. Melvin Bullitt(notes), who started the first five games this season in place of Sanders and does a solid job, will be back at strong safety.

The Colts also said WR Anthony Gonzalez(notes) had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday to clean out loose particles. It's not clear when he'll resume playing.
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