Pagano: Colts won't rest starters

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Colts were back to work on Wednesday gearing up to play host to Houston on Sunday at 1 p.m. on WISH-TV.

The Colts are already playoff bound at 10-5 and are locked in as the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano led his first practice on Wednesday since coming back from his battle with leukemia. Pagano was asked on Wednesday why he should play his starters since the team is already heading to the post season.

“That’s just not in our DNA. From day one, we had a week and we set goals for ourselves and just watching what this team has done over the course of the last 12 weeks and the entire season, it’s just not in our DNA, it’s not in our makeup,” said Pagano. “These kids deserve it, their families deserve it, our fans in this city deserve our best every game regardless of the situation and regardless of the circumstances. They’re going to roll a ball out there and it’s our job to go out there and try to win a football game. We’re going to approach it just like we approached the first three and then the way they approached the last 12. Take it one week at a time, one game at a time. It’s a 16-game regular season, this is the last one on the schedule. We all would love to win 11 games and that’s our goal and that’s our focus, the Texans obviously and getting number 11.”

As for the Texans, they still have worked to do. Houston is still in a battle for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs with Denver.