Andrew Luck: Going Up Against Robert Griffin Will Present Toughest Test Yet

Andrew Luck has looked fine during the preseason thus far. By all indications, the scouts and the pundits were right: Of all the quarterbacks available in this draft class, he was the one with the best chance of becoming a star in the NFL.

Unless, of course, Robert Griffin III proves everyone wrong this weekend.

The two marquee selections in this year's draft will square off on Saturday afternoon in a game that has been hyped as much as any regular-season matchup. This may be an exhibition game, but it has huge implications for Luck.

This is his chance to say to his new employers: Yes, you made the right choice.

It's been so far, so good for Luck. In his Colts debut against the Rams, he got the world buzzing when he went 10-of-16 for 188 yards with two touchdowns, no sacks and no picks. Pretty good for a first crack at an NFL defense.

The next week, in a 26-24 loss to the Steelers, he wasn't quite as prolific: 16-of-25, 175 yards, no touchdowns, two picks and a sack. But all he needs to do to make the world forget about that lackluster performance is put everything he has on the line on Saturday.

It's not fair to compare Luck to someone like Peyton Manning—yet. But it is fair to compare him to RG3, and that is precisely what every football fan in the universe will be doing on Saturday.

The Redskins are far from the toughest opponents Luck will face this season. Their defense certainly isn’t the Steelers’ defense. But nevertheless, the implications of this game are bigger.

There aren't many who believe the Colts made the wrong choice. Luck and Griffin are very different players, both of whom present big positives and one of whom is a lot riskier—and potentially packs a lot more payoff—than the other.

In the Colts' eyes, Griffin may have been too much of a risk. Running quarterbacks always are.

Often due to injury, so few of them are able to achieve long-term success that it's easy to see why the team with the No. 1 overall draft selection would opt for a player like Luck instead, who is just about as much of a sure thing as a team can get.

So here is Luck's opportunity to play the best game of his young professional career thus far. Here is his chance to upstage Griffin once and for all, because that's what this is truly about: one quarterback upstaging the other. Griffin and Luck aren't lining up against each other. They're not even playing against each other, really.

This matchup is going to be all about who can show off the most, and even though it doesn't technically count, Griffin and Luck are still playing to prove their worth to the world.

And if Luck really wants to put an end to the debate, it all starts—and, for the time being, ends—on Saturday.