It was quite the comeback in 2018 for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Will the talented signal-caller perform at a higher level this season?
There is no intent here to slight anyone, but it’s not exactly going out on a limb to say that quarterback Andrew Luck was the main focal point of the Indianapolis Colts offense during his first five seasons in the league.
During those initial three years, he started all 18 games and each year the club finished 11-5. There was a Wild Card berth in 2012 and division titles in both 2013 and 2014.
There was also progress made in the playoffs each season. There was a Wild Card loss to the Ravens in Baltimore in 2012. A year later, the Colts pulled out an epic comeback vs. the Kansas City but were routed one week later at Foxborough by the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. In 2014, Indianapolis knocked off the Bengals at home and then the Broncos at Denver before being manhandled once again by the Pats at New England.
There would be no playoffs for the Colts in 2015 and 2016 and Luck did not play all 16 games either year. And in 2017, he missed the entire NFL campaign due to shoulder surgery. This past season, the team got off to a 1-5 starred and the 29-year-old quarterback had his issues early on. Perhaps not 100 percent healthy, there were questions about arm strength.
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But a funny thing happened to this team in the final 10 regular-season games. The zip on the ball appeared to be back. First-time NFL head coach Frank Reich was complimenting his signal-caller with a solid ground game. A revitalized offensive line was rounding into form. And all of the pieces were coming together.
Luck would throw 23 touchdown passes and was picked off only seven times during the Colts’ 9-1 finish. This compared to his first six outings, when the talented performer served up 16 scores but also threw eight interceptions.
By year’s end, Luck was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for 2018. He wound up completing a career-best 67.3 of his throws. His 4,593 yards and 39 touchdown passes were the second-highest total of his career. And there’s no reason to think he won’t be even better in 2019.
Now another year removed from shoulder surgery and a second year with Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, he figures to pick up where he left off even more comfortable with the current sytem.
So does that mean 5,000-plus yards through the air and perhaps 50 touchdown passes? Not necessarily and especially if the Indianapolis Colts’ offense remains balanced as it did after that rough start in 2018. What it could mean is a higher completion percentage and fewer turnovers. And that’s the kind of progress that results in big seasons for a player and his team.