Andrew Luck’s 20 Interceptions in 2014

Interception 15

Situation: 2nd and 22, ball on DAL 22

Description: (Shotgun) A.Luck pass deep middle intended for C.Fleener INTERCEPTED by J.Wilcox at DAL -9. J.Wilcox to DAL 37 for 46 yards (A.Luck).

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 2 TEs Bunch Right

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Nickel Cover 2 Zone

This interception is pretty forgivable. Not much time left on the clock, down by 28 points before halftime and Luck tries to find his receiver in the endzone. This ball isn’t placed well enough for a catch, and Wilcox makes a good play on the ball. Had the Colts not used their 3rd timeout Luck had a wide open Jack Doyle to his right. Doyle had the opportunity to make it to the sideline as well to possibly set up a better play, but it was clear the objective was to score a touchdown before halftime.

Interception 16

Situation: 2nd and 6, ball on IND 24

Description: (No Huddle, Shotgun) A.Luck pass short right intended for R.Wayne INTERCEPTED by A.Hitchens (N.Hayden) at IND 27. A.Hitchens to IND 19 for 8 yards (A.Luck). Hitchens intercepted pass after ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Nick Hayden.

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 3 WRs

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Nickel Cover 1

This is a good deflection at the line by Hayden. He does a great job of timing his swat and gets a hand on the pass. As I said earlier, I find it very hard to blame the QB in situations like this. Great defensive play and a bit of bad luck for Luck.

Interception 17

Situation: 3rd and 12, ball on IND 12

Description: (Shotgun) A.Luck pass deep middle intended for D.Moncrief INTERCEPTED by B.Roby at DEN 47. B.Roby to DEN 49 for 2 yards (D.Moncrief).

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 3 WRs

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Nickel Cover 1

Luck essentially makes what’s known as an “arm punt” on this play. Luck has a wide open Coby Fleener to his left and his running back is also open on the opposite side of the field. Instead of taking the safe throw on 3rd and long Luck goes for the homerun ball and throws it short. Luck doesn’t get his feet set properly and is throwing against his momentum so there is just no way he can get the ball as far as he wants to on this play. Not a good decision from Luck, and definitely an avoidable interception.

Interception 18

Situation: 3rd and 13, ball on IND 39

Description: (Shotgun) A.Luck pass deep right intended for D.Moncrief INTERCEPTED by R.Moore at DEN 24. R.Moore to DEN 24 for no gain (D.Moncrief).

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 3 WRs Trips Right

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Sub Package Man Cover 2

Luck rolls out and throws off his back foot into triple coverage. There’s just no way he was completing this throw. No one was open on this play, and in a 3rd down situation Luck once again “arm punts” this ball to Denver.

Interception 19

Situation: 3rd and 5, ball on IND 40

Description: (Shotgun) A.Luck pass short right intended for T.Hilton INTERCEPTED by D.Revis at IND 43. D.Revis to IND 13 for 30 yards (A.Luck; L.Louis).

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 3 WRs TE Trips Right

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Nickel Wide 9 Cover 1

This play is mostly just a great play by Revis. Luck makes the correct read and spots Hilton wide open on the sideline, but he puts touch on this throw instead of just rifling it to Hilton. I’m not completely certain a bullet pass would have gotten past Revis in this situation, but it would definitely have a better chance than the touch pass he threw.

Interception 20

Situation: 3rd and 6, ball on NE 38

Description: (Shotgun) A.Luck pass short left intended for Z.Tipton INTERCEPTED by J.Collins at NE 35. J.Collins to IND 40 for 25 yards (A.Luck).

Offensive Formation: Shotgun 3 WRs

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Nickel Wide 9 Cover 1

Luck makes a very poor decision on this throw. He tries to throw a bullet pass to Tipton when he needs to throw this ball up and let Tipton chase it down. Luck failed to recognize the linebacker’s coverage on the play and the bullet pass was an easy throw to jump the route on. If Luck puts some touch on the throw and goes over Tipton then he can easily complete this pass.

Overall, I think Luck needs to work on his decision making as a whole. I’d put about 15 of these interceptions squarely on him making a poor throw or a bad decision. He still needs to learn when to put touch on the ball and when to rifle it in. He needs to get better at identifying coverages and making the correct throws into them. And I think most importantly, he needs to stop staring down his receivers.

I think Luck is still trying to figure out what throws work against certain defenses. His ability to identify coverages is still better than most QBs at his age, but his decision making needs to improve. He’s still trying to force throws when he doesn’t need to, and he’s still having trouble seeing the whole field when he drops back. While Luck puts up the TD numbers to counter his INT totals, he still needs to cut down on the interceptions. I think Luck will improve upon this season going into 2015, and we’ll likely see a reduced INT total as he continues to learn and grow in the NFL.