Andrew Luck’s 2015 season continues to be fraught with adversity.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback will miss between two to six weeks due to an injury suffered in Sunday’s 27-24 win over the Denver Broncos, head coach Chuck Pagano announced Tuesday. Specifically, Luck sustained a lacerated kidney and an abdominal muscle tear.
Andrew Luck's roller coaster season takes turn for worse with lacerated kidneyhttps://t.co/qcopa5lFra
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 10, 2015
The injury occurred early in fourth quarter during a play in which Luck was forced to escape the pocket and scramble on second down. Upon being taken down, Luck appeared to take an inadvertent knee to the lower back from Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan. Luck would remain in the game and one play later threw a touchdown pass to running back Ahmad Bradshaw that would give the Colts a 24-17 lead.
ESPN’s Ed Werder reported later in the day that it remains uncertain whether the timetable for Luck’s return is on the low or high end of the reported recovery length. Ultimately, it will come down to when it can be ascertained with certainty by the team that he’s at full-strength.
#Colts source on Andrew Luck: "He'll be fine. Obviously we need to be certain he's 100 percent." Too early to know closer to 2 weeks or 6
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) November 10, 2015
Though the injury is reportedly not expected to require surgery, it must be said that we’ve already seen a similar injury in the league force a player onto season-ending injured reserve. San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen also suffered a lacerated kidney which occurred in his team’s 29-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in week eight. Though it’s clearly impossible at this point to compare the extent of Allen’s injury to that of Luck’s, the fact that both involve a crucial vital organ might lead some to speculate whether even six weeks might be too early a return date.
Matt Hasselbeck will start for the Colts in place of Luck. The 40-year-old has already done so earlier this year in both week four and week five while Luck recovered from a shoulder injury. Hasselbeck led the team to wins in both games over the Jaguars and Texans respectively.
The full statement from the Colts in regard to this situation can be viewed below.
Colts announce Andrew Luck will miss 2-6 weeks with a scary sounding abdominal injury … pic.twitter.com/wllIrhC0u3
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 10, 2015
Indianapolis is on a bye this coming week.
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