QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

HT: 6-4, WT: 234, Born: 9-12-1989, College: Stanford, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: B Green-Ellis (63), D Amendola (64), Andrew Luck (65), R Griffin III (66), G Jennings (67)
Position: M Stafford (58-QB8), R Wilson (62-QB9), Andrew Luck (65 - QB10), R Griffin III (66-QB11), T Romo (70-QB12)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Outlook

Andrew Luck is one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in terms of ability. Combine that with his Peyton Manning-like knowledge of the game and desire to keep improving and you have a tremendous player capable of accomplishing anything. Luck has a solid supporting cast led by veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne, that also includes speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey and budding receiver on the rise, T.Y. Hilton. Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener are two capable tight ends who add to the list of players that Luck can utilize. The pieces are in place for Luck to have an equal, if not better year than his rookie campaign that saw him reach 4,374 yards passing, 23 touchdown passes and 5 rushing touchdowns. Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians has left Indianapolis for the Arizona head coaching job. He is replaced by Pep Hamilton, formerly the Offensive Coordinator at Stanford, who held the same position while Andrew Luck was there. The early word is that Hamilton will incorporate a very similar style of Bruce Arians' down field offensive attack that Luck thrived under in his rookie season. This bodes well for Luck's 2013 outlook.

2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Yep. This is exactly what you might expect from a rookie QB in his first ‘real’ game of his NFL career. The Bears were doing their best to confuse him, showing blitz then dropping into coverage, and getting pressure from just their four man fronts. It didn’t help that the running game was stuffed at almost every turn, forcing Luck to pass the ball 45 times for the game. His interceptions where about as expected – either lofted passes that hung in the air too long, or on passes where he clearly didn’t respect the speed of the DB. He also had a fumble where he was hit when he dropped back and the ball fell into Julius Peppers’ hands. However, Luck did show some solid points, including the ability to look down to alternate receivers and find the open man when he had time. He showed nice touch on a couple passes as well, especially going down the middle of the field to Fleener where Luck places the ball in between defenders for a nice gain. His favorite receiver was definitely Reggie Wayne, and Wayne did his best to make Luck successful. Luck took his lumps but showed some progress as well. Time will tell if he will live up to the expectations that have been placed on him.

Week 2 - What a difference a week makes. Andrew Luck was almost a different quarterback Sunday, as he looked calm and poised even under pressure from the Vikings’ defensive front. The former Stanford quarterback’s underrated mobility was on full display behind a makeshift offensive line and he eluded numerous tackles behind the line of scrimmage, bought time and delivered accurate, crisp passes almost every time. It was amazing to watch as more than once he was almost in the grasp, but slipped away. On the first drive, in fact, he did an excellent job twice of running the ball when there was nobody open and gaining positive yards. While that drive ended in a touchdown pass, the more impressive throw was earlier on 3rd and 9. On the play, the pocket collapsed and Luck was nearly grabbed by the Vikings. Again, though, he got away, this time stepping up towards the line of scrimmage, all the while keeping his eyes downfield. He spotted Donnie Avery crossing the field. Luck made a nice throw to Avery, who ran it to the first down. Luck threw that ball with perfect touch, pretty much only with his upper body as his feet were not really set and facing the wrong way. It wasn’t a tremendous game by any means but it was a very nice first step.

Week 3 - If Andrew Luck has typical rookie issues, there is very little evidence highlighting their existence. Luck was poised in the pocket and composed under pressure on over 90 percent of the plays in this game and it was impossible to find any rookie traits in his play. Luck had some issues, but also made some incredible plays. He repeatedly hooked up with Reggie Wayne as the two have seemingly developed an excellent understanding. While Wayne was his favourite target as a possession receiver, TY Hilton was the big play receiver down the field. Luck's first touchdown went to Hilton and it was an elite throw. Luck instantly diagnosed the defense and looked off the safety from the snap. With the safety reacting to his eyes, Luck quickly flipped his shoulders to the other side of the field. Without surveying the field for more than a moment, Luck hit TY Hilton in stride with a throw that combined excellent accuracy and overwhelming velocity to beat the cornerback in coverage. Luck and Hilton repeatedly connected with each other with two throws in the fourth quarter standing out in particular. Backed up 1st and 20 in his own redzone, Luck threw a perfect deep post pass to Hilton to convert for the first down. On the same drive he threw across his body while escaping pressure deep down the sideline between two defenders as if it was a slant route in shorts and a t-shirt. Luck repeatedly showed the ability to throw very accurate passes across his body even when he was off-balance. His awareness of the defense rarely exposed his team to any potential turnovers, and never did in those situations. He wasn't perfect however. On nearly exactly the same play that the Colts scored their first touchdown, he was nearly intercepted. Dwight Lowery should have intercepted Luck in endzone when he stared down TY Hilton running a seam route. Because Luck didn't look off the safety, as he did on the touchdown pass previously, Lowery broke on the ball and it bounced off his hands. Luck was also nearly intercepted when he underthrew Donnie Avery going deep. Luck was hit as he threw the ball which prevented him from stepping into the throw and ultimately cost him a touchdown. Luck showed good mental strength however as he wasn't rattled. He continued to hit Wayne on intermediate throws to move the chains and also threw a perfect slant pass to Mewelde Moore for a touchdown. For the most part, Luck was very poised and under control. Most of his incompletions were either well defensed passes or drops. Only Paul Pozluzny could ever really get to Luck as he intercepted an underthrown pass over the middle intended for Reggie Wayne, before dropping a surefire interception underneath when Luck didn't properly view the field. Outside of those scarce plays however, Luck primarily showed off incredible arm strength and accuracy in this game. With more experience and a better supporting cast, Luck could easily be the best player in this league...very soon.

Week 5 - Luck looked at times shaky, and at time brilliant during the game. This was illustrated perfectly by the Colts’ game winning drive. Early on in the drive, he threw a pass which, if safety/cornerback hybrid Charles Woodson had held onto, would have given the Packers the ball and likely the game. It was a bad choice to throw the ball as Woodson had good position on the receiver but Luck trusts his arm. He got lucky. Luck has a short memory though and immediately went back to the middle of the field and found Reggie Wayne for a big gain. Luck hung in the pocket and waited for his shot, and the offensive line did a good job of giving him time. Luck continued to stand tall in the pocket and deliver hard throws to receivers who continually got great position on the Packers’ defenders. On one play, despite Packers swarming around him and one even grabbing him, Luck delivered a great pass to—who else?—Reggie Wayne for a huge gain. Wayne was nearly unstoppable, and Luck found him again and again including on the touchdown. He hit Wayne on the one yard line and despite multiple Packers tackling him, Wayne extended and broke the plane. Luck may have had some ‘rookie’ moments throughout the day, but in the end, he was masterful—and nearly perfect—on the drive that counted. It was a perfect reflection of his day against the Packers.

Week 6 - For the first time this season, Andrew Luck played like a rookie quarterback. Luck struggled establishing any sort of rhythm against the rejuvenated Jet defense. Throughout the afternoon, Luck had opportunities to hit open receivers, but most of his targets sailed a little high. On his second drive, Luck complemented his completions with a few Vick Ballard runs to lead his team into the red zone. On a 3rd-and-1 from the NYJ 3-yard line, Luck had Coby Fleener wide open in the back of the end zone, but the Jet pressure forced an overthrow. On his next drive, Luck threw a ball behind Reggie Wayne, Wayne tipped the ball into the air, and Antonio Cromartie intercepted it. Cromartie ran the interception back for a touchdown, but the score was negated by a personal foul penalty.

Despite not leading any scoring drives, Luck displayed the skills that made him this year’s top pick on his fourth drive. Luck attacked the underbelly of the Jet defense early on, finding Fleener on an out-route for a 10-yard gain. On the next play, Luck came back and found Donnie Avery on a 10-yard underneath route. Luck found Fleener and Dwayne Allen on the next two pass plays, picking up 28-yards. On both plays, Luck stepped up in the pocket, kept his eye moving and delivered crisp passes. However, Luck was still dealing with some accuracy issues and the Colts settled for a field goal.

The Jets’ offense was uncharacteristically efficient today, so their defense played the majority of the second half with a sizable lead and settled into zone coverage. Luck took advantage of underneath routes, but also fell victim to the Jets’ pass rush. Luck took four sacks, lost one fumble, and threw an uncharacteristic interception in the end zone during fourth quarter ‘garbage time’. Despite the lopsided score, Luck took every offense step and took a few unnecessary hits during his last drive. Growing pains are part of Luck’s development so Colt fans should take this performance with a grain of salt.

Week 7 - It was a tale of two halves for Luck against Cleveland. In the first half, he and the Colts offense had their way against the uninspired Browns defense with four straight drives of 8+ plays. The lack of pass rush early in the game made it easy for the Colts to establish the run game and work play-action with their passing attack. Luck exhibits many qualities that elude young quarterbacks in the NFL. He has a great sense of the pocket when pressure does arise, knowing where his check down options are and moving efficiently while keeping his eyes downfield. Whether it was going through his progression on a third down to the backside of the play for a first down, or finding Vick Ballard as his safety valve at the last moment, Luck executed like one of the best in the game at many points in this game. On multiple occasions, Luck audibled from a run play to a hot route, finding Wayne and Avery, for example, running slant routes against soft coverage. Luck added two rushing touchdowns from inside the red zone, a still-underrated part of his game. While he uses the rushing ability as a last resort between the 20-yard lines, Luck is quick to tuck the ball and run at the goal line when he sees a void at the second level. The second of his rushing scores was when Dwayne Allen and Reggie Wayne were both well covered on a goal line rollout. Luck quickly changed gears and won the foot race to the pylon. The game remained close in the second half as the Colts passing game lost its timing. Luck’s location on throws was not quite as sharp as the first half and Cleveland’s pass rush was able to muster occasional pressure in big spots. The lack of chemistry between Luck and fellow rookies in the passing game was apparent as the game wore on. Cleveland’s best chance to mount a comeback late in the game arose because of that lack of chemistry. On third-and-short with just minutes left in the game, Luck rolled out but Vick Ballard and Dwayne Allen were both in the flat and covered well by just one defender. The rush closed on Luck after he hesitated, forcing a fumble. The Colts were able to close out the win despite what looked like a wrong route on Allen or Ballard’s part and Luck failing to throw the ball away. Andrew Luck continues to play well for stretches, looking like one of the best in the league. The inconsistency and chemistry with his young weapons make it difficult to string an entire game together at this point in his developmental process. In fantasy, Luck remains a match-up play as his upside on the good weeks is more than worthy of QB1 consideration.

Week 8 - Luck continues to mature each week as the leader of the Colts' offense. While his numbers are far from eye-popping, he is increasingly making good decisions with the ball and controlling the pace of the team's efforts. And with a 4-3 record, the Colts are firmly in the AFC playoff hunt. Luck continues to have some trouble overthrowing receivers on short routes but shows a deft touch on routes outside the hash marks and deep down the middle of the field. The trouble on short routes appears to happen when he is rushing the throw as a receiver screen develops and should be fixable in time. Luck's underrated athleticism was on display during the Colts first drive. During the drive Luck was flushed from the pocket and four times and was able to gain positive yardage on each scramble. He was also 3 of 4 on the drive which ultimately resulted in an Indianapolis field goal. Luck's best throw came on a 22 yard deep completion to Reggie Wayne with under two minutes to play in the first half. Luck was excellent in leading the no huddle offense and correctly recognized where pressure would be coming from and that Wayne was in single coverage. Luck put the ball out where only Wayne could catch it, leading to a big gain and ultimately a field goal before the half.

Week 9 - This word gets thrown around far too much in describing player performances – but Andrew Luck was flat-out amazing against the Dolphins, in a game with surprising playoff implications. The first overall pick in the 2012 draft threw for a rookie record four hundred and thirty-three yards and kept the supposedly rebuilding Colts in the playoff conversation at 5-3. Luck looked like a ten-year veteran against a competent Miami Dolphins defense, continually standing tall in the pocket with the pass rush breathing down his neck , converting critical third downs at will. The game ball goes to him.

Against the third-ranked run defense and the twenty-ninth ranked pass defense of the Dolphins – and the glaring lack of a running attack in Indianapolis - it should come as no surprise that Luck attempted an eye-opening forty-eight pass attempts. He made, at worst, two mistakes – a short throw to tight end Dwayne Allen that Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby nearly picked, and a fumble that Allen recovered. Otherwise, Luck had a game that rivaled his comeback victory over the highly-favored Packers earlier in the season. 

The rookie simply did it all in leading a high-volume passing attack to a tremendous win over Miami. Luck’s two scoring plays were both highlight-worthy. His nine-yard pass in the back of the end zone to Reggie Wayne showcased a tremendous amount of trust in his veteran receiver, as Luck put the ball where only Wayne could snag it. Luck’s thirty-six yard touchdown bomb to T.Y Hilton was more Brett Favre than his predecessor, Peyton Manning, a gunslinger’s heave on a deep crossing route to a double-covered Hilton. Hilton brought down the ball with defenders draped over him for a jaw-dropping touchdown. Luck might have put more points on the board had his receivers wrangled in more of their end zone passes, but fate determined the Colts needed to win one the hard way. Other than his scoring plays, Luck was laser-focused all afternoon against Miami. He helped the Colts convert thirteen out of nineteen third downs, extending plays by repeatedly scanning his reads and hitting the open, uncovered receiver. Luck’s ability to remain unfettered in the face of a snarling Dolphins pass rush was inspiring to watch. Many of the passes that he threw on the way to a record-setting day were not easy. He had to zip the ball to skill players in tight windows, often on third downs, and he rarely opted for the outlet/checkdown option. The trust he has in his receiving corps makes it seems like they have all been teammates for over a decade. Overall, Andrew Luck’s combination of athleticism and football acumen is unquestionable. He is a rookie merely in terms of age – otherwise, he plays with the determination of a veteran. 


Week 10 - Andrew Luck looked in total control on Thursday night and has become a very reliable option for Fantasy owners as he is more productive than many other veteran QB’s. Luck felt the pocket very well, stepped up to make his throws at the right time and was aware of the rush around him. He was very accurate on a lot of his throws, putting the ball perfectly in stride for his receiver to catch and run. Luck almost had an early interception down the field but it was erased a personal foul call on the Jags defense. Luck involved WR Wayne a lot from the very start and there is a strong connection between the two. They were often on the same page on Thursday night, checking with each other at the line and picking up first downs with just the right call against the Jags. Luck found Wayne on slants, posts and showed great chemistry fitting the ball in between several defenders at times. Luck executed a rollout near the goal line to perfection to earn his first rushing TD of the game. He was isolated one on one with a defender on the goal line, forcing the defender to split his responsibility between tackling Luck and covering the Colts receiver nearby which lead to Lucks first TD. Luck then had a big completion down the field to WR Avery. Avery got open down the seam and Luck floated a high ball that was almost overthrown but Avery made the difficult catch. Luck forced his way over the goal line later in the game for his second rushing touchdown. The play was difficult to call, was challenged but upheld as it was difficult to tell if the ball crossed the white line from the replay angles. Luck’s only turnover came on an interception. The pass got interrupted as he was following through, causing the ball to flutter in the air where it was easily picked off by the Jags. Luck had a very impressive performance for the rookie, even considering WR Avery dropped a big pass attempt down the field that was well thrown. He took apart the defense with the help of Wayne and never looked too troubled finding open receivers.

Week 11 - Andrew Luck had an inconsistent day that will be made to look much worse by his stat sheet. Now, Luck was far from impressive on the day, but he did make some outstanding throws and some of his struggles were to do with his teammates. Luck's first big pass of the day fell incomplete, but was a perfect deep pass that drew the pass interference and moved the offense 50 yards down the field. He then should have been intercepted when he missed Dwayne Allen deep down the field late in his progression. The ball came too late on a crossing route and bounced off of Devin McCourty's hands. Luck was making outstanding throws early on, with two against Talib in perfect coverage standing out. He first hit Lavon Brazil down the right sideline on a back-shoulder throw, before then throwing a strike to TY Hilton at the back of the endzone on a post route for a touchdown. The velocity and accuracy on Luck's throws were outstanding. After two touchdown drives when Luck appeared to be locked in, he stuttered somewhat with three straight incompletions. One was a result of poor accuracy, another a bad read and the last was tipped at the line of scrimmage. It was that drive that ultimately started the slide down the slippery slope. Luck had shown warning signs of poor accuracy over the middle earlier in the game, but it was still a shock to see him miss so severely when Aqib Talib intercepted him. Luck forced a throw under pressure to Reggie Wayne, who was surrounded by four players. Those players turned into a cavalry who escorted Talib to the endzone. Another interception should have come in the third quarter when he hung in the pocket, before throwing a pass straight to Steve Gregory over the middle. Gregory couldn't hold onto it. Luck responded well with two excellent throws, but the drive ultimately stalled at midfield. Pressure showed up again on the Colts' next drive when the youngster didn't step far enough into the pocket and allowed Rob Ninkovich to strip the ball from him. Protection could have been better, but Luck also needed to feel the pressure and glide away from it, or at least protect the football. Turnovers were raining down on the quarterback as Alfonzo Dennard had the second pick six in the game. It was either a miscommunication or a throw that Luck simply never grasped properly, but the ball went straight to Dennard. Dennard was covering Reggie Wayne who ran an intermediate out route. Luck rebounded with a deep thrown to TY Hilton for a touchdown, but another Patriots score sent them to garbage time. Garbage time that resulted in a tipped pass for an interception when he was trying to force a throw to Reggie Wayne.

Week 12 - Watching a 2012 Indianapolis Colts game feels like a rewind machine taking viewers back to 2010. Andrew Luck is by no means Peyton Manning, yet, but the aura and atmosphere surrounding the Colt offense feels very familiar. There is an obvious command and direction with Luck leading the huddle that so few teams, including the opposition on Sunday, are fortunate enough to have. Luck didn’t blow the doors off a struggling (but getting better) Bills’ defense, but was still the driving force behind the resurgent 2012 Colts. Firing right out the chute, Luck opened with back-to-back play action fakes, dumping the first pass to Reggie Wayne in the flat for four yards before pressure forced an incompletion to Dwayne Allen on the next toss. The incompletion may have been Luck’s worst throw, as Kyle Williams brought the heat right into Luck’s face and the throw was considerably off target, sailing high and behind Allen. Converting the first of what would be many third down conversions, Luck hit T.Y. Hilton on deep in for 16 yards on 3rd and six. The offense stalled three plays later, as the Bills defense did a nice job spreading the coverage and forcing Luck to misfire on a dump to Allen in the flat. Luck again hit Wayne for his first completion on the following drive, picking up an easy eight yards on the quick slant. Four plays later Luck went back to play action, trying to hit Donnie Avery on a corner route, nearly throwing an INT as Jairus Byrd just missed the pick on the overthrow. Mario Williams batted Luck’s next pass down, a quick screen attempt to Avery before getting the sack on the following play. Luck opened the following drive again looking to Wayne, but CB Stephon Gilmore made a nice play on the ball knocking the ball out of Wayne’s hands. Luck threw his lone INT on the following play, but appeared to be more of a miscommunication between Luck and Wayne than a poor throw. As Wayne worked across the middle, Luck expected Wayne to sit on the route, but Wayne instead only hesitated before continuing the route. The throw was behind Wayne and as he reached back, deflected the ball up into the air to the trailing Justin Rogers for the pick. After two punts and an INT in his first three drives, Luck seemed determined to get some offensive points on the next drive. After a four-yard quick screen to Avery put the Colts in 3rd and short, Luck used his legs to convert picking up eight yards on a scramble. Luck hit Donald Brown on a short out the following play and the RB was able to break the initial tackle, scampering up the sideline for 23 yards. Working off play action the next play, Luck found Allen on a corner route for 24 more yards. Luck again faced 3rd down two plays later, using his legs again to pick up 14 yards and the first down. Luck just missed his first TD two plays later, as the ball was slightly tipped at the line of scrimmage, making the pass to Vick Ballard wobble a bit and the RB couldn’t secure it in the end zone. The Colts started deep in their own territory the following drive and again Luck converted a 3rd and long. Needing eight, Luck went to his safety valve as Wayne picked up 10 on the out. Luck hit Avery for 17 on the next play before finding Allen for 10 for his 3rd completion in a row on the drive. Uncharacteristically, Luck threw three incompletions in a row to kill the drive, but not before flipping field position. Facing a short field and even shorter time, Luck went to Wayne to open the last drive of the half. The throw wasn’t great, but Justin Rogers panicked and drew a 23-yard pass interference call. Going right back to Wayne on the next play, Luck dropped a perfect toss just over Wayne’s shoulder (ideal placement, setting up Wayne for the run after the catch) allowing him to run away from the coverage and pick up 25 yards. With no timeouts and 15 seconds remaining, Luck and Wayne tried to hit a quick slant to get into the end zone, but Gilmore stoned Wayne just short of the goal line. Maybe Luck’s best play of the game, he was able to get the offense organized and set to clock the ball with one second remaining and salvage the three points just before half. Luck took the offense on their best drive of the game on the first drive out of halftime, burning more than eight minutes off the clock. Again starting deep inside their own territory, Luck hit Weslye Saunders for four yards on an out. After an incompletion on 2nd down, Luck converted another 3rd down, hitting a wide-open Wayne for 15 yards on a crosser. Two plays later Luck was slicing the defense back up, finding LaVon Brazill for 11 yards over the middle before hitting Avery on a quick slant to convert a 3rd down. Luck tried to hit Wayne on his next throw, but pressure and a shot from Williams almost led to a pick from Gilmore. Luck was sacked on the next play, setting up a 3rd and 17, but like he had been doing all day, Luck converted again with a 25-yard toss an uncovered Wayne over the middle. Two plays later, another 3rd down and Luck converted again, throwing a strike to Hilton in the end zone for his lone TD pass on the day. After consecutive three and outs, it was Luck who finally iced the game and put Buffalo away. Pinned on their own five, Luck hit Wayne over the middle for 14 yards for one first down before the two were able to draw an interference call on Gilmore on 3rd and 10 to finally get into victory formation.

Week 13 - Andrew Luck had an up and down performance on Sunday afternoon but did an amazing job of making the plays necessary to win the game. Luck started off the game with a bang as he hit WR Hilton deep down the field, exposing the defense in the long passing game. Luck then threw an excellent touchdown pass with poor footwork but managed to hit WR Avery on the post route in the back of the endzone. Luck then showed excellent accuracy and ball placement as he found TE Fleener just over the goal line deep down the field, with a pass that only his TE could catch. Luck did have mistakes however, and his performance was far from flawless. Luck was picked on a slant pattern over the middle, simply forcing it into receivers that were well covered. He could have easily had at least two more interceptions on the day on top of his 3 that were recorded but fortunate bounces and penalties help avoid some of them. Luck’s next interception came on a pass deep downfield that was very ambitious due to the coverage and well underthrown, leading to an easy pick by the defense. Luck bounced back from this pass by floating a ball perfectly over the shoulder and in stride for WR Avery down the field. Then Luck had his final interception on a pass that sailed high over his target and fell into the hands of a DET DB over the middle of the field. Luck made up for this error by having two touchdowns late in the game to seal the victory. Luck managed to side step and take advantage of one on one man coverage deep down the field in the endzone, finding WR Brazill who was wide open for the score. Luck then completed a short pass to WR Avery over the middle on 4th and 10 deep in DET territory as time expired and watched as Avery used his speed and quickness to split the defense and scamper into the endzone for the go ahead touchdown.

Week 14 - Andrew Luck struggled Sunday against the Titans as the Tennessee defense did an excellent job defending deep routes to the outside and short routes across the middle. With few exceptions, Luck had to work hard to stay alive in the pocket to give his receivers time to get open. He showed excellent agility in the pocket, however, both in evading the pass rush and in getting to the outside, setting his feet, and passing the ball. He finished the day completing fewer than 50% of his passes. Luck's best pass came on 3rd and long in the third quarter. After being chased from the pocket by two Titan pass-rushers, Luck launched a pass deep down the right sideline. The ball fell between three defenders to Reggie Wayne for a 20 yard gain and a first down. Luck's first interception was returned for a touchdown by Will Witherspoon. On the play, Luck was flushed from the pocket on to the left. He was caught from behind and tried to pass the ball before being downed. The ball went straight to Witherspoon who returned it 40 yards for the score. Even though replays showed his knee might have touched the ground, the touchdown was upheld. Luck's second interception came on a Hail Mary play in to he endzone to end the first half. Otherwise, Luck was calm under pressure and made good decisions on when to force the ball downfield and when to throw it away.

Week 15 - The Houston defense did Luck no favors on Sunday as he struggled to find time to complete downfield passes throughout the game. He was sacked five times and had to move around in the pocket on most every snap to avoid even more lost plays. He threw for two touchdowns and could have had a third had a pass to Reggie Wayne not been called back on offsetting penalties. His best pass came on a 61 yard touchdown to TY Hilton. On the play, Luck was flushed to the left in the pocket and stepped forward as if he might run. The move brought both safeties towards the line of scrimmage allowing Luck to loft a long pass to a wide-open Hilton in the middle of the field. Otherwise, Luck was pressured in to throwing the ball away or making inaccurate passes as the Texans were hot on his heals on most every snap. Of note: Luck is excellent at selling play-action just as his predecessor Peyton Manning was. On the nullified touchdown to Wayne, Luck sold play-action in a way that froze the defense enough to allow Wayne to get behind two defensive backs.

Week 16 - Luck was under immense pressure from the beginning of this game. He repeatedly made excellent throws while evading pressure or without any space in the pocket. However he should have been intercepted when he was hit late during his throwing motion and the ball wobbled towards a Chiefs' safety who couldn't make a diving reception. The Kansas City Chiefs were better than the Indianapolis Colts in every facet of the game...except for quarterback. Andrew Luck carried his team to victory and overcame his overmatched offensive line and a receiving unit that wasn't as consistent as it has been for most of the season. Luck repeatedly made difficult throws while under pressure, but his only touchdown of the day was the complete opposite as Reggie Wayne was wide open in the endzone and he let the ball go long before the Chiefs' pass rush could get near him.

Week 17 - Luck wasn't perfect, and his offensive line didn't do him any favors, but he was dialed in for two scoring drives in the first half and a perfect bomb to TY Hilton on 3rd and 23 in the fourth quarter to break the Texans back in this struggle. Most of Luck's success came with him improvising after the play broke down. His mobility has been a huge asset behind a piecemeal line, and that bought him time against a fierce Texans front seven. He calm on a play action touchdown to give the Colts the lead on the game's first drive. Luck did have an early fumble that could have turned the momentum to Houston overturned by a generous tuck rule interpretation, and sometimes there was just no time for him to throw. On the game-killing drive, Luck made a few excellent throws on third down to keep the Texans defense on the field.

Week 18 - Luck had a huge task this week as the Colts traveled to Baltimore after their surprising playoff-bound season. The play-calling was conservative to open the game as wide receiver screens and Vick Ballard in the running game were the preferred methods to move the ball. Luck’s excellent mobility was apparent throughout the game as the Baltimore pass rush pushed the pocket and required plays to be made under duress and on the perimeter. As the first half developed, Luck found more and more opportunities in the passing game. He completed seven straight passes at one point and led two field goal drives in the final minutes. After an intentional grounding penalty set-up third-and-26 near midfield, Luck made one of his signature plays. He scrambled to avoid the rush and found T.Y. Hilton open down the sidelines for 25 yards. With just seconds remaining, Luck setup a long field goal to pull to within 10-6 at the half. In the third quarter, Luck continued to made plays with his mobility. He was able to beat the Baltimore pressure on a third down with a scramble as well as using his hot reads like Vick Ballard as an outlet on another occasion. Luck made two ‘wow’ throws in the third quarter alone, making decisive throws into tight windows. Both were deep throws over the middle, where multiple defenders were in his line of vision, to LaVon Brazill and Reggie Wayne. When faced with an 11-point deficit in the second half, on the road, in the playoffs, Luck led an impressive 14-play field goal drive to keep the Colts in the game. Inconsistencies in the passing game cropped up in the fourth quarter with dropped passes and a missed field goal that led to the 15-point loss. The last hope for Indianapolis faded when Luck’s pass to Reggie Wayne on fourth down was tipped and intercepted in the closing minutes. Luck had his rookie season end with a game similar to what he had shown all season: tremendous plays mixed with inconsistent stretches on a young offense in need of some seasoning. The flashes of immense ability are there with Luck. He was handed the keys to the car, a full playbook of difficult throws, and digested the entire thing. His mobility and mental attributes covered for a suspect-at-best offensive line and over-achieving, make-shift defense. He made plays when they were not there on third downs. After a single down season in Indianapolis, the team looks to be in great hands with one of the next decade’s young superstars under center.