Struggles against Pats continue for Luck

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Andrew Luck made no excuses after his worst game as a pro came in the biggest game of his young career.

“My play was not up to par for where it needs to be to give you a chance to beat a quality team like them,” Luck said after the New England Patriots ended the Indianapolis Colts’ season with a 45-7 win in the AFC championship Sunday.

Playing in steady rain from the start, the dome-team Colts (13-6) never got on track a week after upsetting Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on the road. Luck completed just 12 of 33 passes for 126 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating was a career-low 23.0.

A few of Luck’s passes were dropped early in the game and the slick conditions certainly made it tougher to throw the ball and catch it. But Luck wouldn’t blame the weather.

“I don’t think it had a negative effect on anything,” he said.

Losing to the Patriots (14-4) is nothing new for Luck.

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback is 0-4 against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and New England in three seasons. He has six TDs and 10 interceptions in those losses.

Overall, the Colts are 1-4 against the Patriots in the playoffs since 2003.

“It was a great run,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said. “We all believed we had a chance to run the table, but it was a great season and we improved.”

The Colts have advanced one game further in each of Luck’s three seasons. They lost in the first round in 2012 and in the divisional round to the Patriots last year.

While Luck struggled, the defense couldn’t stop Brady or LeGarrette Blount.

“Everybody had to play their best game of the year,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “It doesn’t all fall on the quarterback. I’m sure glad we got him. I wouldn’t be here talking to you if we didn’t.”

The Colts had a week full of distractions. The team placed backup linebacker Josh McNary on the commissioner’s exempt list Thursday, less than 24 hours after prosecutors filed criminal charges against him.

Reserve offensive tackle Xavier Nixon missed the team’s flight Saturday and was inactive. Running back Trent Richardson missed the walk-through Saturday and didn’t travel with the team.

“We’ve got too good of veteran leadership in that locker room, and we’re not going to use that as any excuse,” Pagano said. “It is what it is, it’s unfortunate, but it had nothing to do with the outcome of this game.”