Atlanta Falcons: How Luck’s Injury Impacts Week 11

The Atlanta Falcons will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, though Indy will not have not QB Andrew Luck. How does this impact the game for Atlanta?

The Atlanta Falcons not only get Week 10 off with their annual bye, but when they return to the gridiron on Week 11 versus the Indianapolis Colts at home, Indy will not have the services of their franchise quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck sustained a lacerated kidney in the Colts’ Week 9 victory over the Denver Broncos. The prognosis is that Luck will miss 2-6 weeks with his injury.

Supposedly Luck injured himself on a slide late in the ball game, yet continued to fight through the pain in the sliding Colts’ improbable win over the undefeated Denver Broncos. Luck had also been playing with broken ribs that the Indianapolis team doctors didn’t reveal until a few weeks ago. With the aggressive playing style of Andrew Luck, this was bound to happen at some point in his career.

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This is a major blow for the Colts as they cling on to their 4-5 record, leading the worst division in football. Luck could end up being out until after Christmas (Week 16 @Miami, December 27th). So what does this mean for the Atlanta Falcons?

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It seems as though even Indianapolis also has their bye in Week 10 that Luck will not play versus the Atlanta Falcons on November 22nd in the Georgia Dome. That would mean that back quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, 40, would start against the Atlanta Falcons.

Hasselbeck has started two games for the Colts this season, both Indianapolis victories. Sure, beating Houston and Jacksonville are part of the cultural identity of the Colts, as they never lose division games, but the former starter for the Seattle Seahawks is still a suitable passer for Indy.

He is completing 63.2% of his passes and has thrown for 495 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. In limited work, Hasselbeck’s actually had the better year than Luck in 2015. So should the Falcons game plan for solely Hasselbeck?

In all likelihood, Andrew Luck is not going to play, not with a lacerated kidney. Indy could still win the awful AFC South with Hasselbeck under center. Should Atlanta face Hasselbeck on the 22nd, he would become the 4th backup quarterback that has started a game for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015, joining Ryan Mallett, Zach Mettenberger, and Blaine Gabbert.

While Atlanta has been mostly of a pleasant surprise in 2015, Indianapolis is one of the bigger disappointments at the halfway point. Many wouldn’t have thought the Atlanta Falcons would sit at 6-3 entering their bye. It’s hard to fathom Indy at 4-5 at the same juncture, but here we are.

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Am I crazy to think that the Colts aren’t losing all that much with Hasselbeck as the starter against the Atlanta Falcons in two weeks? He does have the better record, 2-0 to Luck’s 2-5 in the first 9 games. While the 40-year-old Hasselbeck certainly has physical limitations that come with age, he’s certainly healthier than the 26-year-old Andrew Luck in mid-November.

Head Coach Chuck Pagano will, if the front office allows, design a game plan for Matt Hasselbeck to pick a part the weaknesses in the Atlanta defense. He’s an accurate enough of a passer to complete the 8 to 13 yard pass to madden DC Richard Smith and HC Dan Quinn in Atlanta.

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Since Pagano is more of a defensive mind, he’ll look for what would unravel Atlanta’s defense now that former OC Pep Hamilton is no longer employed by the Colts organization. While the Atlanta Falcons should get back many of their absent starters on defense by Week 11, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here, thinking we’ve successfully evaded Andrew Luck. The team will still have to play a complete game, something that isn’t happening anymore for some unbeknown reason, to beat Matt Hasselbeck and the Indianapolis Colts in two weeks. Rise Up!