Zak Keefer

zak.keefer@indystar.com

Colts at Steelers, 8:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 6, NBC

Matt Hasselbeck cannot be stopped.

And — for the for the time being — neither can the Indianapolis Colts.

The league’s oldest quarterback is still one of the league’s undefeated quarterbacks, joining the likes of Tom Brady and Cam Newton, after authoring another ugly-but-it-don’t-matter victory Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts downed Tampa Bay, 25-12, by outscoring the Bucs 19-zip in the second half. Hasselbeck, meanwhile, improved a perfect 4-0 on the year.

Suffice to say, in fill-in duty while Andrew Luck nurses his lacerated kidney, Hasselbeck’s earned every penny of his $3 million salary in 2015.

Live blog: Colts look for third straight win, take on rising Bucs

And because of it, the Colts, losers of three straight midseason, have now rallied for three consecutive wins. At 6-5, they remain tied atop the AFC South with Houston, also 6-5 after toppling New Orleans on Sunday. Jacksonville fell to 4-7 with a loss in San Diego.

Hasselbeck finished with his first 300-yard passing day in four years. Trailing 12-6 at halftime, the Colts rallied to score 13 consecutive points. The 40-year-old signal caller finished 26-for-42 for 315 yards and two touchdowns to T.Y. Hilton.

Adding insult to injury, the Buccaneers continually beat themselves up with penalties. By game’s end Tampa Bay had committed 12 for 95 yards. The Colts were happy to take advantage. Beyond Hasselbeck’s two touchdown throws to Hilton, the ageless Adam Vinatieri finished off four drives with field goals.

It’s the Colts’ first three-game win streak since early October, when Hasselbeck filled in for Luck the first time. But with The Franchise sidelined for as many as six weeks, these precious wins are even more imperative. The AFC South race is heating up and the Colts can’t afford to fall behind.

Same as it was a week ago in Atlanta, the Colts’ dismal pass rush woke up in the second half of Sunday’s win. It keyed the comeback. The pressure forced a three-and-out to start the third quarter from Tampa Bay, then on the Bucs’ next possession, Colts linebacker Erik Walden registered the team’s first sack of the afternoon, swallowing up Jameis Winston for an eight-yard loss.

The Colts took advantage of the stellar field position. It took just three plays. Hasselbeck, playing his best football of the afternoon, hit Moncrief and Hilton on back-to-back throws, the latter a 19-yard touchdown that gave the Colts a 16-12 lead.

Vinatieri knocked in his fourth field of the day, and 16th straight on the season, to extend Indy’s lead to 19-12.

From there the defense held firm, chasing Bucs starter Jameis Winston all over the field. The Bucs rookie QB finished 18-for-34 for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

What the first half lacked in theatrics, it made up for in field goals. Lots of them.

It was a vintage Matt Hasselbeck-led drive to start: The Colts scraped their way into Buccaneers’ territory, enough for Adam Vinatieri to drill a 49-yard field goal to give the Colts the lead. It marked Vinatieri’s 13th consecutive make this season and kept him perfect (6-for-6) on kicks from 40 to 49 yards.

From there came three straight field goals, with the Bucs tying the game at six midway through the second quarter. Then, after a unsuccessful challenge from Colts coach Chuck Pagano deep in his own territory, the Bucs capitalized: Jameis Winston rifled a pass to tight end Cameron Brate for a 20-yard touchdown, the game’s first.

That extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 12-6, their largest cushion of the afternoon.

But it was all Colts, all Hasselbeck the rest of the way.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.

Colts at Steelers, 8:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 6, NBC