Andrew Luck just threw a football for the first time in 243 days

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has thrown a football for the first time since October 12, and it’s a very big deal.

Andrew Luck had a shoulder injury that required surgery last offseason. He ended up missing the entire season. The problem wasn’t the surgery, though, but how long it took him to come back.

Many people anticipated that Luck might end up missing the 2018-19 season. He hadn’t thrown a regulation football since October, and that got the media antsy. Many people were wondering if he’d even come back.

Then this happened today.

This isn’t just a good thing for Luck, but for the Colts, as well. Their options at quarterback without Luck are Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker, and Brad Kaaya, not exactly something to write home about.

Luck is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and he’s a franchise quarterback. Those aren’t exactly easy to find.

The next step was getting to throw a football, and seeing him do that is big. The AFC South is loaded with quarterback talent with Luck, the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson and the Tennessee Titans’ Marcus Mariota. So, Luck being there is very important.

With Luck playing, the Colts are instant contenders for not only the playoffs, but an AFC South title. Without Luck, they’re contenders for a top-10 pick in next year’s draft. That is the big difference Luck makes for this team.

The Colts finally put some pieces around Luck to help him. They gave him a protector in the middle, Quenton Nelson. He has a second option in Deon Cain to go along with T.Y. Hilton, and the defense is rounding into shape.

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So, with everything else finally falling into place, it’s perfect timing. The Colts need Luck back ASAP, and it looks like they might just get that.