Andrew Luck has been battling injuries for most of the season and on Tuesday it was revealed that those injuries were more serious than initially believed.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has been playing through injuries so far this season, and it looks like the fourth-year pro is going to miss the first stretch of significant time in his young career.
On Tuesday, the Colts announced that Luck had been playing through a lacerated kidney and an abdominal injury and would be out 2-6 weeks:
Wow... Huge Colts news.... Luck has lacerated kidney and abdominal injury.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 10, 2015
Most experts and fans agreed that Luck had simply not looked like his true self at any point so far this season. The first red flag came in a game all the way back on Monday Night Football against the Jets during Week 2 where the Colts struggled mounting any sort of offense. It was first alluded to then that there could be a real health issue for Luck holding him back.
As the season progressed, most continued to speculate what type of injury Luck was battling through — possibly a rib or shoulder injury. The news that the Colts received was far worse than they could have imagined.
The Colts through nine weeks were a pedestrian 4-5. Entering Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis was 3-5; 3-0 in a weak AFC South and 0-5 against everybody else. Sunday’s 27-24 victory over Peyton Manning and the previously undefeated 7-0 Broncos perhaps signaled that Indy’s season was finally ready to turn in the other direction.
Now, Indy has been dealt another setback. The good news is: Indianapolis is on a bye this week. Their next two games are Nov. 22 against the struggling Atlanta Falcons and then Nov. 29 against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. Luck already missed a start this season — Week 5 on Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans. Backup Matt Hasselback started that game and won for the Colts.
The Colts have been dealt yet another terrible hand, but the AFC South remains a winnable division, and the team has the benefit of having their bye week this week.
It couldn’t have come at a better time.