The 2012-13 NFL season brought about one of the most impressive classes of rookies quarterbacks in pro football history. With those record-breaking rookies putting their respective teams back on the map, it made the Rookie of the Year choice that much more difficult to decide. With all the successes of the top-three rookie quarterbacks in the league, also came a closely-contested race for which one of these young signal callers would be honored as the best in the league.
Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson became the first triad of rookies quarterbacks to all lead their teams to the NFL Playoffs in their first season. Wilson was the only one of the three to win a postseason game this year, but all three rookies had amazing statistics, and helped their teams improve in impressive fashion. In the end, Griffin went away with the award, but it could have easily went to either Wilson or Luck.
Andrew Luck not only took over the worst team in the league from the 2011-12 season, he was also asked to do more than the other two Rookie of the Year contending quarterbacks. Luck’s 18 interceptions were the most out of the three, but part of that was due to how much he had to throw the ball. Luck’s 4,374 passing yards were a rookie record, and his 433 yards in week 9 were also a record. His 23 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns were both rookie records for his team.
Not only did Andrew Luck help lead his team to an 11-5 record, but the nine-game win increase was one of the best single-season turnarounds in NFL history. All of the success came from Luck having to fill the shoes of Peyton Manning, as well as taking this Indianapolis franchise back to prominence. Robert Griffin III may have won the Rookie of the Year title for this season, but Andrew Luck certainly did nothing to lose it.