Andrew Luck and RGIII: Bold Predictions for Rookie 2012 NFL Schedules

The 2012 NFL season will mark the professional debuts of two highly heralded signal-callers, as Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III will take the field as professionals for the first time, presumably for the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins respectively.

While the 2012 schedule won't be released until next week (despite the best efforts of one intrepid blogger with way too much free time on his hands), we do know who each team's 2012 opponents will be, and that's enough information to make a few bold (if ultimately completely wrong) predictions about the fortunes of this year's most talked about rookies.

Andrew Luck and the Colts will win two home games

After a nightmarish 2011 campaign that saw the Colts win only two games en route to procuring the first overall pick in the NFL draft, just about anything would be a step up for Indianapolis, whose 2012 regular-season opponents had a combined .500 winning percentage last year.

However, with a home slate that includes matchups with the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers, the Colts aren't going to have an especially easy go of things at Lucas Oil Stadium. That said, the Colts have a few winnable home games on the schedule, and with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins all traveling to the Hoosier state, Andrew Luck and the Colts will at least be able to make the home crowd happy a couple of times.

Robert Griffin will make his NFL debut against the Carolina Panthers

The Redskins traded three first-round picks and a second rounder to move up in the 2012 draft, presumably for the purpose of selecting Griffin. Given that huge investment, it likely won't be long until the Heisman Trophy winner is thrown into the proverbial fire, although Washington head coach Mike Shanahan has stated that it won't necessarily happen right away.

This prediction takes a bit of a leap of faith since we don't yet know who will play who or when if Griffin becomes the opening day starter. However, the Carolina Panthers ranked 28th in the National Football League in total defense, so a midseason matchup in Washington against the Panthers would be an excellent opportunity for Shanahan to get Griffin his first NFL start.

The prospect of a Cam Newton vs. Robert Griffin showdown is just the icing on the cake.

Andrew Luck will break Cam Newton's single game rookie passing record

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had the best statistical season ever by a rookie quarterback in 2011, setting NFL records for passing yards by a rookie in both a season and a single game.

Andrew Luck may be hard pressed to match Newton's 4,051 passing yards, and he almost certainly isn't going to break Newton's record 14 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. However, in a matchup with a Minnesota Vikings squad that was 26th in the NFL in pass defense and allowed the most passing touchdowns in the league last year, Luck will make some rookie magic of his own, topping Newton's single-game mark of 432 yards in a battle of young quarterbacks and horrid defenses.

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