Indianapolis Colts: 3 Standouts from Week 5 vs. Patriots

2. QB Andrew Luck

The first time the Indianapolis Colts’ starting quarterback dropped back to pass on Thursday night, he was sacked by the Patriots’ combination of defensive end Trey Flower and safety Patrick Chung. But things would eventually get better for Andrew Luck, who once again appeared to have a little more zip on the ball.

The first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft was coming off a game in which he completed 40-of-62 passes for 464 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s frustrating overtime loss to the Houston Texans.

Against New England, the talented signal-caller was once again extremely busy. There were 59 pass attempts and Luck hit on 38 of them, good for 365 yards and three scores. There were a pair of interceptions, the first by Chung when Luck had a player in his face. The second was of the odd variety as a sideline throw to wide receiver Zach Paschal was inexplicably not hauled in, popped into the air and grabbed by Patriots’ defensive back Jonathan Jones.

Give credit where it’s due. Down wide receiver T.Y. Hilton this week, as well as running back Marlon Mack and tight end Jack Doyle (both for the third consecutive game), Luck did his best to keep his team afloat as the Colts rolled up 439 total yards in the loss.