Luck's struggles in Week 3 raise questions about arm strength
After an encouraging preseason and start to the 2018 regular season, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck appeared to lack arm strength in Week 3.
Luck, whose Colts fell to 1-2 after losing 20-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles, averaged a career single-game low 4.1 yards per pass attempt on Sunday. His throws lacked zip and fell short of intended targets several times.
Luck attempted 40 passes, but he still finished the afternoon with only 164 yards through the air. The 29-year-old was replaced by Jacoby Brissett at the end of the fourth quarter when the Colts needed to attempt a Hail Mary pass.
"He can throw it a mile," Colts head coach Frank Reich said postgame when asked about his decision to insert Brissett for the Hail Mary, according to Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan. " ... We knew Jacoby had the arm to throw it into the end zone."
Andrew Luck says he doesn’t know if he could make the Hail Mary throw of running around, planting his foot and chucking it 50-some yards.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) September 23, 2018
Fully supports the decision for Brissett to throw it.
Luck's per-attempt average has decreased each week, a potentially concerning trend for the pivot who was sidelined for over a year while recovering from major shoulder surgery.
| Week | YPA |
|---|---|
| 1 | 6.02 |
| 2 | 5.77 |
| 3 | 4.10 |
Through three weeks, Luck is averaging 5.5 intended air yards per pass, the second-lowest mark in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. For perspective, the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL with 11.6 intended air yards per pass.
Luck hasn't recorded a 30-plus yard completion in any of his three outings.