Andrew Luck's Legacy Can Take Next Step with Win over Peyton Manning, Broncos

The Indianapolis Colts have come a long way since arriving on the Mayflower trucks over 30 years ago. From the dark days of the beginning to the selection of Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998, the state of Indiana went from a basketball state to a football one, with the quarterback from Tennessee leading the Colts to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears.

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Now, there's a new quarterback in town in Andrew Luck. The third-year signal-caller quickly turned a 2-14 franchise into one that has made the playoffs each season he's been under center.

Fans will never forget the 28-point comeback he led against the Kansas City Chiefs in last year's Wild Card Game, but now Luck has a chance to add to his already impressive legacy with the Colts on Sunday as the team takes on the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.

Sunday's game against the Broncos may, in fact, be the biggest playoff game in Colts history. They've played in huge games, including those two Super Bowls and the 38-34 win against the New England Patriots in the 2006 AFC Championship Game, but never before have they had to take on Manning.

What more can fans ask for? It's Luck vs. Peyton. The Apprentice vs. The Master. The Prophet vs. The Messiah.

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This isn't the first time the Colts have played Manning though. The Colts are 1-1 against the Broncos since Peyton took over in Denver, most recently losing 31-24 back in Week 1. Not only would a win give Luck and the Colts the edge in this head-to-head matchup, but it would also take Indianapolis to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since they selected the Stanford quarterback No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft.

While the Colts may have lost their most recent matchup against the Broncos, Luck developed into one of the league's best quarterbacks this season. It was a career-best season for Luck, completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 4,761 yards, 40 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, giving him a 96.5 passer rating. That regular-season success has translated to the postseason, at least through the Wild Card Game.

So far, Luck has slowly improved in the playoffs. In four postseason games, he's gone 2-2, and while the numbers aren't spectacular, he looked more than capable this past week. Going against a very underrated pass defense in the Cincinnati Bengals, Luck went 31-for-44 with 376 yards and a touchdown, missing very rarely in what might have been the best performance of his career.

Game	Comp.	Att.	Yds	TD	INT	RAT
2012 @ Ravens	28	54	288	0	1	59.8
2013 vs. Chiefs	29	45	443	4	3	98.7
2013 @ Patriots	20	41	331	2	4	53.0
2014 vs. Bengals	31	44	376	1	0	104.0

Turnovers had been an issue in the playoffs prior to this past week's win, but Luck has still been able to overcome those. Luck also broke the record for most passing yards in a quarterback's first four postseason games following last week's win, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Obviously, the Manning-Luck matchup is the big storyline heading into this game, but as usual, Luck is doing what he can to put things in perspective.

"It's not the quarterback-versus-quarterback thing," Luck told Mike Wells of ESPN.com. "We're not on the field at the same time. I have a lot of respect for him, what he does, what he still does is amazing. He's a stud. I'll worry about the Denver defense. That's what I'll worry about." 

Regardless of how Luck feels, the quarterback matchup will dominate the headlines. Colts fans have already fallen in love with the 25-year-old, but this is his chance to prove yet again that the franchise made the right decision for their future by letting Manning go. 

Luck has already established a legacy in Indianapolis, but Sunday's game will give him a chance to cement himself as an all-time great in the city despite playing just three years in the league. Bleacher Report's Kyle Rodriguez spoke with me about the impact Luck has made with the Colts, saying:

"

It's hard to have a legacy less than three seasons into one's career, but somehow Luck already does. It will change, certainly, as he grows, matures and develops throughout his career, but right now he already has one. It's a good thing, too, because it felt like he needed to cement his legacy in Indianapolis early in order to ever be able to overcome Peyton Manning's shadow, especially with how Manning has played in the last three years. 

"

Luck's legacy has been created due to his ability to put the Colts on his back and lead them to spectacular comebacks or game-winning drives. While there have been personnel questions on the Colts roster since he was drafted, no one has been able to overlook this team because of Luck's ability to pull out wins regardless of the circumstances.

A win against Denver and Manning would symbolize the official passing of the torch in Indianapolis, and it would finally let Luck establish his own legacy without always being compared to the quarterback before him.

It might sound crazy, but if Luck can pull off the upset Sunday, Colts fans might start to forget about the quarterback that came before him.

Or not.

All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated. 

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