Andrew Luck passed for 370 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a 49-27 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Our takeaways:
- Undeterred by a lost fumble and interception on his first two drives, Luck was masterful the rest of the way, carving up an overwhelmed Redskins secondary with big plays down the field. He finished with the most yards per attempt (13.7) and second-highest passer rating (137.0) of his career. He would have added another 52-yard touchdown if not for an egregious drop by a wide open Coby Fleener. Luck is now on pace for 5,348 passing yards and 45 touchdowns.
- It's no coincidence that Luck's big game came on the same day that Donte Moncrief finally pushed pastHakeem Nicks on the depth chart. With Reggie Wayne losing a step, the Colts need Moncrief's playmaking ability as an alternative to T.Y. Hilton. The third-round rookie has the size and athleticism to become a star with Luck as his quarterback.
- Coach Jay Gruden confirmed after the game that Colt McCoy will start next week against the Rams. McCoy wasn't quite as good as the box score suggests. He failed to take advantage of Luck's early turnovers, but bounced back to lead four scoring drives in the game's final 32 minutes. He's a clear upgrade on the 2014 version of Robert Griffin III. The same could be said of Kirk Cousins.
- Fleener would have finished with 179 yards and three scores if not for the dropped pass. Playing the best ball of his career over the last month, the speedy tight end has bypassed Wayne as Luck's second-best option in the aerial attack.
- Dan Herron is averaging 7.65 yards per carry compared to Trent Richardson's 2.57 since the two started rotating series following Ahmad Bradshaw's season-ending foot injury. It's abundantly clear that Herron is the superior option, but he hasn't done himself any favors by putting the ball on the carpet three times in the past two games.
- DeSean Jackson was forced from the game in the third quarter with a fibula contusion. Although he escaped serious injury, he never returned to the game.
- Josh Cribbs is a major upgrade on Griff Whalen in the return game. Cribbs has looked better in his first two games with the Colts than he has since his 2012 Pro Bowl season in Cleveland.
- Rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland has emerged as one of the Redskins' best defensive players, but Raheem Morris' secondary still blows too many coverages. The Colts had receivers running free all afternoon.
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