Make No Mistake, Andrew Luck Should Be An MVP Candidate

Following the Indianapolis Colts 41-10 blowout of the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, it’s time to call it the way it should be: Andrew Luck, MVP candidate.

Despite the Colts 6-6 record, Luck has been carrying the team on his back on a weekly basis–that is, when he’s not concussed.

He’s the highest paid player in NFL history, so it comes with the territory–and rightfully so.

That’s what superstar quarterbacks and Most Valuable Players do.

Luck’s Monday night primetime performance was no exception, as he completed 22 of 28 throws (78.6%) for 278 passing yards, 4 touchdown passes, 0 interceptions, and a sparkling passer rating of 147.6–which was a career high. That was with only playing 1 snap in the 4th quarter too.

It’s worth noting that he was a few inches from having 5 touchdown passes, as tight end Jack Doyle narrowly missed stretching for the pylon before losing control of the football for an unfortunate touchback to end the first half.

As it stands, Luck had his 2nd highest in-game career completion percentage and tied for 2nd for the most touchdown passes in a game during his career–along with the career high passer rating as mentioned.

Per Pro Football Focus, under pressure, Luck had a 108.3 quarterback rating in his 9 drop backs and was 7 of 7 for 151 passing yards and 2 touchdowns on passes that were “yards in air” of 10 yards or more on Monday night.

The Colts offensive line has struggled at times (although to their credit, they played well on Monday night–only allowing a sack), there’s been some receiver drops, and the defense still ranks among the bottom of the league.

However, Luck continues to be one of the few constants that gives the Colts a chance literally every week to win–no matter who the team plays.

The 5th-year quarterback has now thrown for 23 touchdown passes to just 8 interceptions and 3,105 passing yards in 11 games. It may not end up his most gaudy season stat-wise, but in terms of efficiency and what he’s had to play through–it could arguably be his most impressive.

Most importantly, he’s kept the Colts in the AFC playoff hunt despite the team’s shortcomings, as Indianapolis could take 1st place of the AFC South with a victory over the Houston Texans next weekend in a ‘must-win of all must-win’ regular season games.

I’m not saying Luck should be thee MVP, but he certainly should be right up there with some of the other big names being mentioned.