The numbers don't show it due to a handful of drops, but Andrew Luck's performance in the Indianapolis Colts' Wild Card Round victory was his most impressive of a season in which he led the NFL in touchdowns.
In their wildest dreams, owner Jim Irsay and former president Bill Polian couldn't have foreseen a more natural successor to Peyton Manning, the NFL's lone five-time MVP.
Anything seems possible when the two quarterbacks meet Sunday for the opportunity to advance to the AFC Championship game.
Co-Hosting The Coaches Show on Tuesday, former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel suggested the Luck could even surpass Manning in NFL lore before it's all said and done.
"He'll go down as the greatest quarterback of all time," Fassel stated. "The numbers he has already put up as a young quarterback, far superior to anybody else that came in the league in their first four, five or six years the numbers he's put up. If he keeps at that pace ... Whoa!"
Fassel is not the first to express that lofty opinion.
Former Stanford teammate and current Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin went on record in October of 2013, asserting that Luck "can be the greatest quarterback who ever played the game of football."
Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has pointed out Luck's similarities to hoops hero Michael Jordan, while coach Chuck Pagano has insisted his "Meal Ticket" will go down as "probably one of the best, if not the best ever to play this game."
NFL Media's Charley Casserly recently anointed Luck the best young quarterback he has ever seen.
After Luck's rookie season, Around The NFL predicted that the precocious quarterback would be a surefire future Hall of Famer and a legend of the game. At that time, NFL Films guru Greg Cosell posited that Luck was already the NFL's most physically gifted quarterback.
Luck draws so much praise so early in his career because he has actually exceeded unreasonably lofty expectations as the best, most NFL-ready prospect since Manning or John Elway.
No other first-, second- or third-year quarterback has ever had so much responsibility placed on his shoulders.
Already a prodigy in the pocket and a fourth-quarter comeback artist, Luck combines ideal body type, uncommon athleticism, top-notch arm talent, a high football IQ and "off-the-charts" natural leadership with impeccable instincts.
To parlay those attributes into one of the greatest NFL careers, Luck will have to hoist several Lombardi Trophies over the next decade.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast previews the Divisional Round and ranks the eight remaining quarterbacks in the playoffs. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
