Despite Monday Night Rally, Andrew Luck's Early Struggles Cannot Be Ignored

Andrew Luck almost brought the Indianapolis Colts back from 17 points down to beat an undefeated Carolina Panthers on the road. In the end, he couldn't drag his team out of the hole he was mainly responsible for getting into Monday night.

The Colts ended Week 8 with a 29-26 overtime loss to the Panthers. In many cases, this would be a respectable defeat against an elite opponent, especially with the fight the Colts showed in the final quarter and overtime. The problem is this drops the team to 3-5 on the year, still with questionable quarterback play.

It's true Luck is not responsible for all of the Colts' issues this season or in the most recent loss. Considering he is apparently playing with broken ribs to go with an injured shoulder, it is understandable to see some form of a decline. The terrible weather conditions at the start of the game also contributed to poor first-half numbers.

That said, Luck was clearly a liability for much of the game against Carolina. He started off completing just five of his first 16 passes for 40 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Jason La Canfora pointed out the first interception really had nothing to do with injuries or the rain:

The second pick wasn't a mental error but was as bad of a throw as he had all night, as noted by ESPN's Matt Bowen:

This continued a poor trend that has been on display all year long. Luck has thrown at least two interceptions in five of six games this year, often limiting his team's chances to win. It's hard to imagine this at the start of the season, but the Colts' best player has been holding the squad back on numerous occasions.

The 26-year-old player took responsibility for his mistakes after the game:

Luck did finally find a way to turn things around with a strong fourth quarter. After his second interception, the quarterback completed 18 of his next 30 passes for 191 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero picks. This stretch included two eight-play touchdown drives, a 16-play drive to tie the game with a field goal and a six-play drive for the go-ahead field goal in overtime.

Of course, even this positive run featured a number of questionable decisions and fortunate moments for the Colts. 

With Indianapolis already in field-goal range to tie things up at the end of regulation, Luck nearly threw an interception on a lofted pass intended for T.Y. Hilton. Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus gave his thoughts on the poor pass:

Five plays later, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly almost sealed the game with an interception in the end zone but couldn't come up with the ball. 

Luck got away with these mistakes, and the Colts were able to send it to overtime on an Adam Vinatieri field goal. After taking the lead in OT, it seemed like this would be a season-changing victory for the Colts; a comeback road win over a great team that creates momentum going forward. The problem is the Panthers were persistent and the mistakes weren't finished.

After Carolina matched the Colts with a field goal in overtime, Luck needed only one pass attempt to give the ball away on a forced throw over the middle. This was the last time the offense would be on the field before the Panthers would win the game with a field goal.

Once again, there is no one to blame but the quarterback.

Obviously, there is still a lot to like about Indianapolis going forward. The defense played well against Cam Newton, while Luck did have a number of impressive throws when it mattered. Most importantly, the Colts are still tied for first place with the Houston Texans in an awful AFC South.

None of that excuses Luck's terrible mistakes, however. If health is an issue, he potentially needs to sit out until he is 100 percent. Otherwise he simply needs to play better with smarter decisions throughout all 60 minutes of a game and possibly beyond.

On talent alone this is one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL. Until he plays like it, though, the Colts will remain in trouble.

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