Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
The Indianapolis Colts did something on Sunday that they didn’t think they would have to do; not in their wildest dreams. Facing the Oakland Raiders, they had to come back in the fourth quarter.
Yeah, I didn’t believe it either — and I was watching.
Early on, the Colts looked great as quarterback Andrew Luck started the game 10 for 10, finishing the first half 11 of 12. He was on target all day long and wound up completing 18 of 23 passes overall for 178 yards and two touchdowns without throwing a pick.
It wasn’t Luck’s arm, though, that won the game.
Luck rushed for 38 yards Sunday after carrying the ball six times. Averaging 6.3 yards per carry, could Indianapolis be thinking about implementing some sort of read-option with Luck?
Ha! Absolutely not; never in a million years.
However, Luck finished the comeback off in the fourth quarter with an impressive 19 yard dash that went for a score. Luck acknowledged he made the right decision after not finding any open targets after going through his reads.
“I went through my reads. As you’re sort of stepping up you sort of realize, ‘Hey man, there’s no one here,’” he said according to ESPN.
“That decision is like, ‘OK, I can make the first down.’ Then you start running and it’s, ‘OK, let’s go for the end zone.’”
Go for the end zone he certainly did, as the Colts won their opening game for the first time in four years. Luck showed some legitimate versatility, giving himself a bit more confidence at the professional level to do what is necessary when his team needs it. He’s no Michael Vick, but Luck definitely displayed some quickness when he needed to the most.
Going forward, the Colts will be even better on offense now that they know Luck can pull off a play or two like that ever so often. He is a true, pure passer but with nimble feet he can take his game to the next level. Being mobile and keeping the defense on its heels will only further his value to the team as the season goes on.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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