Blue
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- Mar 19, 2019
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What aided the Colts in their decision to move on at quarterback after the Manning era was the fact that they held the first-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and Luck — dubbed by many as the best quarterback prospect since John Elway in 1983 or Manning himself in 1998 — was there for the picking. After going 2-14 the season before in 2011, expectations were initially tempered for the rookie Luck and his rebuilding team. The Colts took those tempered expectations and went 11-5 and earned a playoff berth. They copied those results in the next two seasons as well, advancing a round in the playoffs each year.
The Colts went through some rocky times between 2015-17, going a combined 20-28, with Luck dealing with various injuries before he ultimately needed surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Recovery from the injury forced him to miss all of the 2017 season. However, when Luck returned to the field in 2018, he was as good as new and paired with a fresh, offensive-minded head coach in Frank Reich.
The Colts bounced back into their winning ways, going 10-6 with a largely rebuilt roster en route to their first playoff appearance since the 2014 season. After advancing to the Divisional Round against frequent playoff foe, Kansas City Chiefs, their season ended much farther than many outsiders thought when the season began.