Straight from the horse’s mouth, we finally can confirm that Andrew Luck might miss regular-season games as he comes back from shoulder surgery.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, speaking with the press following the team’s first preseason game, admitted as much.
Irsay "I would say Andrew progression could not be better." #colts "No mystery, not one surprise. I can't say he will be ready for Rams game pic.twitter.com/CRpR3Mf1Je
— Chris Widlic (@Chris_Widlic) August 13, 2017
This statement was preceded by Colts general manager Chris Ballard saying Luck is stronger perhaps right now than he was all of last year. So clearly, the Colts are seeing some good things from their quarterback.
There had been rumblings that Luck could start the season on the PUP list, thus would be unable to play for at least six games. But that doesn’t appear to be in the cards at this point.
One of the reasons Indianapolis needs to be cautious about bringing Luck back slowly is the team’s offensive line. Center Ryan Kelly is out for a couple more weeks at least, and without him that line was awful on Sunday. Running backs averaged just 2.9 yards per carry, and the line allowed five sacks for 26 yards.
Throwing Luck back into the mix too early could seal his doom for the rest of the season. Better be safe than sorry, because without Luck, the Colts will have no chance of postseason play in 2017.