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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NFL notes: Colts hold on, top Texans

Indianapolis’ Ahmad Bradshaw, left, is hit by Houston defenders Jared Crick and D.J. Swearinger, right, during Thursday’s game. (Associated Press)
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Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts had a great first quarter and did just enough the rest of the way to hold on for a 33-28 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night in Houston.

The Colts (4-2) raced to a 24-0 lead after one quarter, but allowed Houston to cut it to 33-28 early in the fourth quarter on J.J. Watt’s fumble return for a touchdown.

The Texans (3-3) had two opportunities to take the lead late, but the Colts recovered fumbles by Andre Johnson and Ryan Fitzpatrick in the last 5 minutes.

Luck finished with 370 yards passing and three touchdowns, and T.Y. Hilton had a career-high 223 yards receiving with a touchdown to give the Colts first place in the AFC South.

Titans’ Roos injured

Tennessee left tackle Michael Roos, who played collegiately at Eastern Washington, will have surgery to repair his right knee and may have played his final game with the Titans.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt said that Roos, who has played more games than any other offensive lineman since 2005, won’t play against Jacksonville on Sunday, but declined to discuss the injury or if Roos’ season is over.

“A large part of that is going to depend on what the rehab process is and all that,” Whisenhunt said.

Roos is in the final year of his contract, and he said he faced either a short-term recovery or season-ending surgery.

Roos has played 148 games since 2005, missing one start in 2012 because of an appendectomy.

Kaepernick fined

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he has been fined $10,000 by the NFL for the pink headphones he wore around his neck postgame Sunday that are made by the brand “Beats by Dre.”

While Kaepernick has an endorsement deal with Beats and has done a commercial, the league’s contract is with Bose. Apparently wearing the pink version for October breast cancer awareness month, Kaepernick knew he could be subject to a fine after a 22-17 win Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

NFL penalties increase

The NFL’s emphasis on defensive-backfield penalties has contributed to an average of more than two extra flags every game this season, a 15 percent rise from 2013.

Most of the increase comes thanks to passing-game rules the competition committee decided to emphasize or reword.

According to STATS, illegal contact, defensive holding, defensive illegal use of hands, and offensive pass interference are all at Week 5 highs for the last 20 years.

Around the league

Arizona quarterback Drew Stanton said he has improved every day and is hopeful he will be cleared to play in the Cardinals’ game Sunday against the Washington Redskins. … New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker was limited at practice for the second straight day, but coach Rex Ryan expects him to be able to play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. … Four Philadelphia players missed practice, including both starting inside linebackers and wide receiver Brad Smith, who had surgery this week. Starting linebackers DeMeco Ryans (groin) and Mychal Kendricks (calf) sat out practice for the third straight day as the Eagles prepared to take on an NFC East rival, the New York Giants, on Sunday night. … Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden did not practice for the second straight day because of a hip injury. … Jacksonville receiver Cecil Shorts III returned to practice after missing more than a week with a nagging hamstring injury.