Andrew Luck is Avoiding a Sophomore Slump

Remember last year when Robert Griffin III got hot and carried the Washington Redskins to the playoffs and everyone wondered if he was the best young QB in the NFL? And remember in the offseason when ESPN’s Ron Jaworski said that San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick could become one of the best QBs in the history of the NFL?

See, there’s this excruciatingly dull guy in Indianapolis, Andrew Luck, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He carries a flip phone, rarely does commercials, occasionally rocks an unkempt neckbeard, and isn’t as flashy when he’s on the run as RG3 or Kaepernick.

What Andrew Luck is, according to Pro Football Focus, is the 3rd rated QB in the NFL so far this season, only behind Peyton Manning (duh) and Tony Romo. What else Andrew Luck is: The fastest No. 1 pick to reach 15 wins since the NFL merger in 1970 (15-6). All he’s done in his second year in the league is boost his completion percentage from 55 to 63, up his QB rating (if you’re into QB rating) from 79 to 91, and improve his QBR (if you’re into QBR rating) from 65 to 77.

The Colts are never out of a game because Luck is the master of the 4th quarter comeback.

There’s no sophomore slump for Andrew Luck and the Colts, who, despite preseason pleas from Las Vegas to tread carefully because a regression was likely, are 4-1 and legit Super Bowl contenders.

It would be remiss to not address the improved defense, which was one of the NFL’s worst last season, but has vaulted into the average category this season. The Colts gave up 6.1 yards per play last year – tied for second worst in the NFL. This year, they’ve lowered that number to 5.5, good for 17th. These numbers will surprise you: The Colts third-down defense held offensive juggernauts San Francisco and Seattle to just 3-for-12 and 2-for-12, respectively.

[I’d mention Trent Richardson as the ‘Wild Card’ to the team’s success, but everyone seems to think he’s terrible. I’ll just sit quietly over here in the Trent Richardson corner and then, when he busts out a 150-yard game in a playoff win against New England, we can talk.]

But back to Luck, who refuses to get rattled, a trait that may remind you of a certain Indianapolis signal caller who frequently led the Colts to greatness from 1998-2011. We’re entering probably the biggest-two week stretch of the season for Luck and the Colts: Back-to-back nationally-televised games, first in San Diego (ESPN), and then at home against Peyton Manning and the undefeated Broncos (NBC).