Colts defensive end Robert Mathis and safety Clayton Geathers missed practice again Thursday and could miss a second consecutive game Sunday.
Geathers has a neck inury and Mathis has a bicep injury. Those two and starting cornerback Patrick Robinson missed last Monday’s rout of the Jets. Robinson has been a limited participant this week due to the same groin injury that kept him out of the Jets game.
If Robinson returns Sunday against the Texans but Geathers doesn’t, the Colts could be free to use cornerback Darius Butler at safety in some situations. The defense will again be shorthanded with usual signal-caller and inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson serving a four-game suspension.
That suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy was announced earlier this week. Jackson would be eligible to return for the postseason if the Colts qualify.