Colts: Why Andrew Luck struggled in debut

Andrew Luck in the season opener. (AP Images)

The Chicago Bears were unkind in welcoming Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to the NFL. Luck was hit and hurried all day by a swarming and aggressive Bears defense, which rattled the rookie into some uncharacteristic poor throws.

Chicago won easily at home 41-21.

Here's how Luck's career debut broke down:

Passing: 23 of 45, 309 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 52.9 QB rating

Rushing: 2 carries, 9 yards

Targets: Reggie Wayne (18), Coby Fleener (10), Donnie Avery (8), Kris Adams (4), Donald Brown (2), Mewelde Moore (1), Dominique Jones (1), LaVon Brazill (1)

Scores: 4-yard pass to Avery

Turnovers: 3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost

Obligatory Peyton Manning comparison: Manning in rookie season (1998), Week 1 -- vs. Miami (L, 24-15), 21 of 37, 302 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs, 58.6 QB rating

Pass-by-pass

First Drive (0-0, midfield: 3 plays, 6 yards, punt)

First-and-10: Complete, Jones, 8 yards -- Safe play-action to get Luck's feet wet.
Third-and-4: Incomplete (Wayne) -- Wide open on an out, but ball was way high as Luck was under pressure. A sign of things to come.

Second Drive (7-7, IND 20: 6 plays, 17 yards, punt)

First-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 8 yards -- Short cross, easy pass and catch.
Second-and-2: Incomplete (Wayne) -- Flushed, did well to elude pressure.
Second-and-14: Complete, Brazill, 10 yards -- Empty backfield, and Luck hits Brazill short.
Third-and-4: Incomplete (Wayne) -- Again Wayne was open but Luck was pressured and couldn't complete the pass.

Third Drive (7-7, IND 44: 3 plays, 9 yards, punt)

Third-and-1: Incomplete (Brown) -- Drop.

Fourth Drive (7-14, IND 20: 2 plays, 17 yards, INT)

First-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 17 yards -- Good pass deep middle.
First-and-10: Interception -- Tried to hit Avery deep sideline. Receiver was there, but the throw was short. Probably a throw he gets away with in college.

Fifth Drive (7-17, IND 23: 5 plays, 77 yards, TD)

First-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 23 yards -- Really tough catch by Wayne deep down the sideline. Good gain.
First-and-10: Incomplete (Wayne) -- Very nearly intercepted.
Second-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 12 yards -- Wayne grabs it with one hand for a good game. One of several one-handed grabs for Wayne on the day.

Sixth Drive (14-24, IND 22: 6 plays, 59 yards, missed FG)

First-and-10: Complete, Fleener, 7 yards -- Indy was trying to get some points at the end of the half, and Luck starts with an easy throw over the middle to his tight end.
Second-and-3: Complete, Wayne, 8 yards -- Again, Wayne makes a one-handed catch for the first down.
First-and-10: Complete, Fleener, 22 yards -- Colts run the hurry up and Luck finds Fleener deep middle.
First-and-10: Complete, Fleener, 22 yards -- It's no coincidence that once Luck gets into the hurry up he looks for his security blanket -- Fleener -- who has been with him since his Stanford days.
First-and-10: Incomplete (Avery) -- Final shot at the endzone.

Seventh Drive (14-24, IND 20: 3 plays, 1 yard, punt)

Second-and-9: Incomplete (Fleener)
Third-and-9: Incomplete (Adams) -- Slow start for Luck, as this was a bad pass behind Adams.

Eighth Drive (14-34, IND 20: 10 plays, 70 yards, INT)

First-and-10: Complete, Fleener, 5 yards -- Safe, short pass.
First-and-10: Incomplete (Brown) -- Second drop. Two targets for Brown, two drops.
Second-and-10: Complete, Adams, 13 yards -- Good catch by Adams for a good gain.
Second-and-10: Incomplete (Avery) -- Luck really hung Avery out to dry, and Avery got killed.
Third-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 19 yards -- Good feet by Luck to get free of the rush and he finds Wayne for a big third-down conversion.
First-and-10: Complete, Fleener, 24 yards -- Fleener wasn't much of a target for Luck in the preseason, but he made his presence known in the opener. A great throw by Luck here.
First-and-10: Incomplete (Wayne)
Third-and-3: Intercepted. Luck tried to find Wayne in the end zone and gets picked. He showed some frustration here; it looks like the pressure from the Bears' defense was starting to fluster him a bit.

Ninth Drive (14-34, IND 46: 3 plays, 13 yards, fumble)

First-and-10: Incomplete (Fleener)

Tenth Drive (14-34, IND 20: 12 plays, 80 yards, TD)

Second-and-4: Complete, Wayne, 20 yards -- The Bears were content to let Wayne catch the ball in front of them, and the Colts kept taking it. Here, again, Luck hits Wayne short.
Second-and-8: Complete, Wayne, 21 yards -- This was a deeper throw over the middle.
Second-and-10: Incomplete (Fleener) -- Drop.
Third-and-10: Incomplete (Avery)
Fourth-and-10: Complete, Adams, 13 yards -- Short middle for a fourth down conversion.
First-and-10: Complete, Wayne, 7 yards -- Quick out to get near the Chicago 10.
Second-and-3: Complete, Avery, 7 yards -- Quick hit.
First-and-goal: Incomplete (Wayne)
Second-and-goal: Complete, Avery, 4 yards, touchdown -- And the answer to the trivia question: Who caught Andrew Luck's first career NFL touchdown pass? Donnie Avery!

Eleventh Drive (21-41, IND 19: 5 plays, 2 yards, punt)

First-and-10: Incomplete (Wayne)
Second-and-10: Complete, Moore, 11 yards -- Short pass to Moore out of the backfield.
First-and-10: Incomplete (Wayne)
Second-and-10: Incomplete (Avery) -- Pass was tipped at the line, no chance for Avery.

Twelfth Drive (21-41, IND 43: 4 plays, 31 yards, INT)