Indianapolis Colts · Franchise era 6 of 7

Andrew Luck's brilliant sprint: the Indianapolis Colts story

Franchise era

2012—2018

Andrew Luck's brilliant sprint

Indianapolis Colts

The story in one sentence

Luck reached the playoffs in each of his first three seasons and authored a massive comeback, but accumulated injuries led to his sudden retirement.

01

A generational successor carries immediate turnarounds

02

Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton and Robert Mathis gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for life after luck.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2012

    What came before

    Manning and a precisely constructed offense won at least twelve games seven straight times and captured Super Bowl XLI after a defining comeback against New England.

  2. After 2018

    What came next

    Indianapolis cycled through veteran and young quarterbacks while retaining a physical offensive identity and rebuilding around its line and skill talent.

The core

Faces of the chapter

← Previous eraThe Peyton Manning machine1998—2011Next era →Life after Luck2019—present