At this point, do we honestly expect anything other than a second-half comeback from the Colts?
Andrew Luck ’12 led yet another Indianapolis Colts’ comeback victory on Thursday evening as the Colts rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to defeat the Titans 30-27 and improve to 7-3 on the season.
“At the end of the day, winning is what matters,” Luck told ESPN. “We were fortunate in this game to survive our mistakes and have a chance to win … But we know that’s got to be fixed.”
Luck finished 23 for 36 with 232 yards passing on the night, but his most important contribution to the game came way of his feet. In the third quarter, Luck scrambled and ran in a touchdown from 11 yards out to give the Colts their first lead at 17-14 — a lead that they would not surrender on their way to victory.
This season, Luck has shown improvement in nearly every facet of his game. He has thrown for 2,430 yards with a 59.4 percent completion rate, 14 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He has almost equaled last year’s rushing totals already this year as well, with 231 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns — Luck posted 255 yards rushing and five rushing touchdowns last year.
Luck’s most important stat, however, is his seven wins, including victories over Denver (one-loss team), Seattle (one-loss team) and San Francisco (defending NFC champion).
In addition, tight end Coby Fleener ‘11 played one of the best games of his young career, finishing with a career-high eight catches to go along with 107 yards receiving for the Colts.
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Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin ‘12 continues to take a leave of absence from the team after allegedly suffering bullying and harassment at the hands of fellow offensive lineman and teammate Richie Incognito. Martin reportedly no longer wants to be a part of the Dolphins organization after the poor treatment he received from both the team and the players.
Countless former teammates and coaches at Stanford have publicly stated their support for Martin, including current Stanford head coach David Shaw, former Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, former Stanford wide receiver Doug Baldwin ‘11 and many current Stanford players. Martin was on the Stanford sideline for the game against USC at the Coliseum and was seen in the locker room afterwards.
Martin’s situation has raised questions about the state of hazing and bullying not only in the NFL, but in all professional sports. The Dolphins continue to meet with NFL investigators about the situation and have indefinitely suspended Richie Incognito.
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In other news, Pittsburgh Steelers guard David DeCastro ‘12 played a major role in the Steelers 37-27 upset of the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. DeCastro matched up against All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and prevented him from putting anything on the stat sheet, as Suh finished without a tackle and without a sack in the game.
San Diego Chargers linebacker Thomas Keiser ‘11 continues to play a role for the team that signed him off of the practice squad in the middle of the season. Keiser recorded two tackles, including a sack, in the Chargers’ 20-16 loss against the Dolphins. Keiser now has 15 tackles and three sacks on the year since being activated by the Chargers before week five of the NFL season.
Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters ‘at’ stanford.edu.