On Mar. 7, 2012, the Indianapolis Colts cut ties with Peyton Manning. The legendary quarterback missed the entire 2011 season with a neck injury. For the first time in over a decade, the Colts were on the quarterback market. Luckily, a stud from Stanford came along in time to uplift the struggling franchise.
Andrew Luck started at Stanford for three seasons, finishing second in the Heisman voting in both 2010 and 2011. When scouts and executives watched Luck compete, they knew they were watching the future of the NFL.
Sure enough, the Colts drafted Luck with the top pick in the draft, and the rookie delivered immediately. Paired with new head coach Chuck Pagano, Luck and the Colts went 11-5 in his rookie season. However, Indianapolis ran into the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round and got stomped.
In 2013, Luck cut his interceptions total in half and completed over 60% of his pass attempts. The Colts finished 11-5 for the second year in a row. In the Wild Card Round, Luck led a stunning comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs, as Indianapolis scored 35 points in the second half. The Colts won 45-44.
Indianapolis' good luck ended one week later, against the New England Patriots. Luck threw four interceptions as New England routed the Colts 43-22.
Despite two consecutive seasons with disappointing playoff exits, the Colts continued their Super Bowl push in 2014. The team went 11-5 again, claiming the AFC South title for the second year in a row. Luck led the NFL in passing touchdowns with 40, and his 4,761 passing yards ranked third in the league. He made a third Pro Bowl.
Indianapolis swept past the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round and dispatched the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos the following week. Unfortunately, the Colts ran into Tom Brady and the Patriots again. In the game that became infamous for starting Deflategate, Luck threw two interceptions and no touchdowns in a 45-7 loss.
At the peak of his career, fans hoped Luck and the Colts could take the logical next step in 2015 and finally make the Super Bowl. However, Luck suffered the first major injury of his professional career. He missed Weeks 4 and 5 after suffering a sprained shoulder.
The star quarterback returned for four games before suffering a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle in Week 9. The Colts expected he would miss 2-6 weeks, but Luck never returned. The team finished 8-8, missing the playoffs.
After the disappointing season, Luck and Indianapolis aimed for a bounce back season in 2016. Luck did set a career-high in completion percentage, but the team finished 8-8 again.
The 2015 shoulder injury that sidelined Luck for two weeks had long-reaching consequences that no one foresaw. While Luck and the Colts decided to forgo surgery at the end of the 2015 season, Luck opted for the procedure in 2017. The Colts expected their superstar quarterback would return in 2017. He didn't.
Luck suffered setback after setback, eventually landing on injured reserve. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Luck received the advice to take a few months off from throwing. Meanwhile, the Colts rolled with Jacoby Brissett in 2017, finishing 4-12.
While he later detailed the extreme mental wear and frustration of his injury, Luck fought to return to the field in 2018. The Colts tweeted out a video of Luck throwing a lighter football on June 12. His path back to stardom continued throughout the offseason as he participated in training camp and then appeared in Indianapolis' first preseason game of 2018. It was Luck's first game in 585 days.
2018 arguably marked the peak of Luck's NFL career. He completed 67.3% of his pass attempts for 4,593 passing yards and 39 touchdowns. His 98.7 passer rating marked a new career-high, and he won Comeback Player of the Year.
The Colts went 10-6 with new head coach Frank Reich and won convincingly in the Wild Card Round. However, the Chiefs got revenge on Indianapolis in the Divisional Round.
With the offensive line finally coming together, Luck looked primed for an MVP campaign in 2019, but he never suited up for Indy.
After suffering a calf strain that kept him sidelined during most of Indianapolis' offseason program, Luck had had enough. Citing the repeated cycle of injuries and rehab, Luck chose to walk away from football at the age of 29. The Colts fully supported Luck throughout the process. Without their regular starter, the Colts went 7-9 and missed the playoffs.
Luck ranks third in Colts' franchise history in regular season wins, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Despite his regular season success, Luck never put together a strong playoff run. He retired with a 4-4 postseason record, including 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
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