Indianapolis Colts Give Glimpse of Offensive Potential, but Issues Remain

For one quarter, Andrew Luck was Andrew Luck again.

Just when the Indianapolis Colts needed their quarterback most, he was back.

The Andrew Luck that we've seen for the last three years returned.

Through the first three games of the season, Luck had been, frankly, awful. No matter whether it was against tough Buffalo Bills or New York Jets defenses or a more porous Tennessee defense, Luck was simply off of his game.

But in the fourth quarter, the Colts got a little bit of rhythm and Luck was back.

Opponent	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	INT	Rate
BUF	26	49	53.1%	243	5.0	2	2	63.6
NYJ	21	37	56.8%	250	6.8	1	3	52.8
TEN Q1-3	7	17	41.2%	116	6.8	0	2	25.2
TEN Q4	11	13	84.6%	144	11.1	2	0	152.4

Down 27-14 heading into the fourth quarter, Luck hit Phillip Dorsett and Donte Moncrief for touchdown passes to take a one-point lead, then drove the Colts down the field so Frank Gore could score a final touchdown, which would be the winning margin.

Despite all of the previous issues, Luck was superb in the quarter, making quick decisions in the pocket, finding open receivers down the field and, most importantly, dumping the ball off to safety valves when nothing was open downfield.

When the Colts first started to get rolling in the quarter, after starting the drive from their own 2-yard line, it seemed like they were bound to self-implode eventually. After a false start and sack led to 3rd-and-20 from the Titans 35-yard line, it seemed like another drive was about to be stalled by penalties.

But Luck proved that he was back with a 35-yard fastball to rookie wide receiver Phillip Dorsett in the middle of the field for a touchdown, a play that head coach Chuck Pagano told media after the game was a turning point, per Colts.com.

After a crucial interception by safety Dwight Lowery on the ensuing Titans drive, Luck hit Donte Moncrief on a beautiful double move for another touchdown.

And just like that, the Colts were back in the lead. 

Of course, Luck didn't do it alone, and the next drive proved that. Frank Gore ripped off a 25-yard run to start the drive and finished the game off with a six-yard touchdown run to cap it off. He finished the game with 86 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries for a cool 6.1 yards-per-carry average.

While T.Y. Hilton didn't score a touchdown in the contest, he was the one that Luck went to when he needed a big play. Hilton caught just four passes, but gained 94 yards to lead the Colts in receiving yet again.

The defense came up with a few critical turnovers as well, of course, namely Lowery's two interceptions.

But the story here was the Colts' offensive resurrection in the fourth quarter, leading directly to one of the more improbable comebacks in Luck's career.

Take heed, however. This performance should not, in any way, make us assume that this means the Colts offense was fixed. The hope was that the Colts would come out and dominate the Titans, much like last season.

But the Colts did not.

While the team did not come out as flat as they did against the Bills or Jets, the Colts still struggled mightily with discipline in the first three quarters, with another day of double-digit penalties (11) and mental errors.

The Colts offensive line was tweaked to start this game, with Jack Mewhort moving back to left guard to replace Lance Louis, and Joe Reitz and Hugh Thornton replacing Mewhort and Todd Herremans, respectively. But the line didn't seem much improved, at least not until the fourth quarter, when the team went no-huddle for most of the quarter.

Thornton was especially bad Sunday, with four penalties killing Indianapolis. He had a few key blocks and may have been a slight upgrade from the horrific performance Herremans had last week, but the right guard position (and interior line in general) was still an issue. That probably won't go away.

Rookie running backs helped make the offensive line look even worse, as Josh Robinson and Tyler Varga continue blow blitz pickups that allow free rushers into the backfield. It's not a coincidence that Gore was picking up blitzes in the fourth quarter when the Colts had all of their success. I know the Colts want to keep him fresh, but they need him on the field.

Of course, there are still questions about Andrew Luck as well. Is this the sign of a turnaround for him this season, or will his inconsistencies be fully on display again next week?

The defense created big plays at times, with Lowery's interceptions and sacking Marcus Mariota three times. But at other times, the Titans moved the ball at will, and the Colts struggled to get even a hint of pass rush on the rookie quarterback. It's hard to judge the Colts secondary with three of the team's top four cornerbacks hurt, but the front seven still is a big weakness in the passing game.

Frankly, it was the fourth consecutive game, dating back to last season, in which the Colts have looked unprepared. Yes, they were able to recover thanks to a few timely turnovers and the offense's fourth-quarter resurgence, but they flirted heavily with an 0-3 start.

If the Colts play like that against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, the complaints about poor coaching and administrative disconnect, not to mention Luck's detractors, will seep back into the conversation.

But for one afternoon, for one quarter, all of that disappeared. For one quarter, the Colts showed what everybody had been anticipating on offense throughout the offseason. For one quarter, the Colts looked like they might have what it takes.

Because Andrew Luck, the real Andrew Luck, was back.

Now the question is if he's back for good.