INDIANAPOLIS — Adam Vinatieri has never been a superstitious guy.

He’ll talk numbers and records, goals and streaks all day, even when he’s on the cusp of another major milestone.

If experience has taught the 43-year-old Indianapolis Colts kicker anything, it’s this: Work hard, savor the special moments and focus on putting the football between the goal posts.

Nobody has been more successful at it recently than Vinatieri, who has made 38 consecutive field goals and nine in a row from 50 yards or more.

“He doesn’t miss in practice either,” holder Pat McAfee said Wednesday. “I don’t remember what year it was he told me this, but he said, ‘It’s never a good day if I miss.’ Even in practice, it’s not a good day if he misses.”

Fortunately for the Colts (2-3), Vinatieri succeeds far more often than not.

He’s 12th in league history with a field goal rate of 84.5 percent and has made 87.2 percent of his kicks since moving from the harsh New England winters to the cozier, warmer conditions inside Indianapolis’ dome and retractable roof stadiums.

Of course, it’s not as if Vinatieri needed a climate-controlled environment to make his case as one of the league’s all-time best.

He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, two thanks to last-minute field goals. He made two crucial field goals in blizzard conditions during the infamous “Tuck Rule” game during New England’s first title run and he left as the franchise’s career scoring leader.

But even after the Patriots decided to go with a younger kicker following the 2005 season, Vinatieri has continued to thrive. He’s climbed to third on the NFL’s career scoring list (2,304), third in field goals (516) and is the first player in league history to score 1,000 points or make 200 field goals with two teams. If he makes five field goals Sunday at Houston (3-2), Vinatieri would break Mike Vanderjagt’s NFL record of 42 in a row. Gary Anderson is second on the list at 40. While Vinatieri prefers not to talk about making 43 at 43, it’s not out of bounds, either.

“The key is I feel like the first time I step onto the field it’s just another opportunity to put points on the board for my team,” Vinatieri said. “I’ll try to get to 39. If I do that, I’ll try to get it to 40.”

He’s made 68 of his past 71 tries and with the Colts struggling to score touchdowns , Vinatieri is on pace to score a career-high 163 points.

“I promise you, if he actually misses one, it won’t be his fault. It will be my fault or (long snapper Matt) Overton’s fault,” McAfee said. “But we never worry about that. The only thing we know is that if he misses, it’s not a good day.”