Andrew Luck impresses in 2016 preseason debut with Colts

Before tonight, the last time fans saw Colts quarterback Andrew Luck on the field was November 8, 2015. On that afternoon, Luck played very well and led the Colts to a win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, but in doing so he suffered a lacerated kidney.

The injury ultimately ended his season, and though he practiced without limitations this offseason and in training camp, he was held out of the first preseason game a week ago. Tonight, Luck returned to the field at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens and had a very impressive debut.

Luck completed eight of eight passes for 69 yards, and he also rushed twice for 12 yards, putting up a passer rating of 102.6. The Colts moved the ball very well on both drives, as they made it to the red zone both times, facing a third down only once outside of the red zone.

The only negative of the night from the starting offense was that they didn’t finish in the red zone. On the first drive, penalties pushed the offense back before Luck ultimately scrambled and slid for only a few yards on third down. Adam Vinatieri hit the 24-yard field goal to put points on the board, but on the following possession Dwayne Allen fumbled and the Ravens recovered.

Luck had plenty of time to throw, and even though there wasn’t much open downfield he found the short passes and was willing to take them. He slid on his runs (which fans and the team both love), executed all of the passes he attempted, and seemed to be perfectly in control. He even showed off his tremendous hard count, drawing a Ravens defender offsides for a free first down.

It was only two drives in a preseason game, but it was the first time we’ve seen Andrew Luck on the field since last November and it was a very good debut from the Colts’ franchise quarterback.