Andrew Luck has gotten off to a slow start for the Indianapolis Colts this season, but must come through with a breakout game against the Texans in Week 5.
Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Luck was forced to sit on the sidelines with a shoulder injury. Matt Hasselbeck was able to lead the Colts to a 16-13 overtime win, although there are a ton of concerns about the Colts once again after watching that game. Luck appears ready to play against the Texans on Thursday Night Football this week, which should help the Colts in a big way.
Throughout the first three weeks of the season, Luck struggled mightily with turnovers and simply couldn't find his groove. He looked much better late in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, but he has yet to show that he can consistently shred opposing secondaries like he did throughout his first three NFL seasons.
Luck has completed just 56.0 percent of his pass attempts so far this season for 753 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Those numbers aren't absolutely awful, but they show just how badly he has been struggling to take care of the football.
One of the only issues that Luck needed to fix from last season to this year was learning when to force the issue and when to take a sack or throw the football away. He has yet to make any improvement in that area in his first four seasons and it is what is keeping him away from the elite quarterback group.
At 26 years old, there are no more excuses for Luck and now it is time to be disappointed that he has not yet learned his lesson. Breaking out in Week 5 would help the Colts forget about the early season struggles. The Colts did start 0-2 last season as well and went on a big winning streak and they are looking to extend their current winning streak to three games this year.
Whether or not the Colts are still legitimate Super Bowl contenders or not is impossible to answer, but their hopes for a title this year hinge on the play of Luck.
Houston doesn't have the league's best secondary, but they are going to put pressure on Luck. J.J. Watt is going to be a nightmare for the Colts' porous offensive line and the Texans have other good pass rushers on the roster as well. If Luck can focus on taking what the defense gives him and not forcing the issue, there is a good chance that the Colts will come away with a big win.
Expect to see Luck break out with a big game and prove that he can turn his season around. After missing a game and having plenty of time to think about his struggles, there is a good chance that he will look much better moving forward. There is still plenty of work for him to do to reach the superstar status that many expected him to reach this season, but he can still turn things around.
