Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck had a 300-yard passing game in his NFL debut, but that’s not to say things went well.
The Bears’ defense beat Luck up on Sunday in Chicago, intercepting him three times, sacking him three times and forcing him to lose a fumble as the Bears won decisively, 41-21. Luck showed flashes of the great talent that led him to be the most sought-after prospect to enter the NFL draft in years, but he also struggled under pressure, and there was a lot of pressure.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, however, recovered from an ugly early interception to have a very good game, completing 21 of 35 passes for 333 yards, with two touchdowns. Cutler’s favorite receiver, Brandon Marshall, had nine catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, and he could have had more if not for multiple dropped passes.
Chicago looked like a good team on offense, defense and special teams, and although it’s far too early to say whether their Super Bowl bravado is justified, they’re clearly going to be playoff contenders as long as Cutler stays healthy.
And the Colts clearly have a lot of rebuilding to do, even with Luck in the fold. But they shouldn’t despair about Luck’s three-interception outing. Peyton Manning threw three interceptions in a Colts loss in his NFL debut, too.