The Indianapolis Colts are fresh off a Week 10 bye, but now they must adjust to a sans Andrew Luck offense for the foreseeable future.
Luck is sidelined for two to six weeks with a lacerated kidney and a partial tear of an abdominal muscle -- an injury he incurred early in the fourth quarter against the Broncos in Week 9. Luck took a hit to the midsection from Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan followed by a hit from behind by defensive lineman Vance Walker.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano says Luck's play style contributed to the injury.
"We're going to talk every day until he figures it out and we figure it out as a team," Pagano said, per The Indianapolis Star. "He knows full well that he can't do that. He can't put himself and this team in jeopardy. You love the grit, and you love the toughness and all that stuff. But playing the position like a linebacker? You can't."
Luck's decision not to slide on the second-and-9 play didn't surprise Pagano.
"That's his mentality," Pagano said. "That's how he is. There are some great plays that are made, some first downs that are made. We'll continue to obviously stress that availability is, obviously, huge -- especially at that position."
Pagano added that it is not in the Colts' plans to push Luck into resuming physical activity too soon.
"As he starts to heal, I'm sure they'll get him back out there doing whatever he can from a conditioning standpoint," Pagano said.
