repaired right shoulder is being tested in ways even he couldn’t imagine.The Indianapolis Colts quarterback threw 121 passes during a five-day span last week — easily the highest total he’s ever accrued in consecutive games.Dropping back so frequently subjects Luck to more potential hits and more potential injuries as well.And it’s something the Colts know must change to keep Luck on the field for the final 11 games.“I think for us a big part of it is we need more success early Christine Michael Sr Jersey ,” said coach Frank Reich, a former NFL quarterback. “Let’s not get behind, let’s play good, sound football, let’s not beat ourselves in all three phases. Let’s stay in the game, don’t get behind, stay patient with the runs and then have some success early with the run game that gives you the confidence to keep going back to it.”Circumstances primarily dictated the Colts’ play-calls against Houston and New England.Luck had to throw on nearly every play after the Colts fell into an 18-point, third-quarter deficit against the Texans. He led the Colts to a late, tying score that forced overtime before Indy lost 37-34.On Thursday, Luck helped Indy cut a 21-point halftime deficit to seven in the fourth quarter before losing 38-24 at New England.It’s been a recurring theme this season.Luck also had the Colts (1-4) in position for go-ahead touchdowns in the final two minutes against Cincinnati in the season opener and at Philadelphia in Week 3, only to come up short both times.But the expanded workload has shown up in the numbers.Luck’s 245 attempts through five games lead the league and have him on pace to throw 784 times this season, a number that would shatter Matthew Stafford’s single-season record of 727 in 2012.100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj MehtaIn the past two games, Luck broke the franchise’s single-game record with 62 attempts against Houston and matched Jeff George’s previous mark (59) against the Patriots.It’s uncharted territory for Luck, who never threw more than 63 passes in back-to-back games at Stanford, never threw more than 99 passes in any previous two-game stretch in the NFL and can’t even remember a time in high school when he threw so frequently.So far, Luck’s arm seems to be just fine.“Physically, I feel better and better,” he said Wednesday. “I think there’s been a concerted effort in this locker room so guys continue to progress physically, stay strong, keep getting strong and not to plateau. I subscribe to that theory and I think it’s paying off in the recovery from games, the recovery from throwing a bunch of throws and I’m excited to keep rolling.”While game situations certainly have forced more throws than Reich scripted, injuries to Luck’s supporting cast haven’t helped Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , either.Starting running back Marlon Mack missed four of the first five games with a hamstring injury. He hopes to return Sunday against the New York Jets (2-3).Backup running back Robert Turbin, Indy’s short-yardage specialist, returned last week after missing the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton couldn’t finish the Houston game and sat out against New England with a hamstring injury, and Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle has missed three straight games with an injured hip.Indy’s starting offensive line also has been in flux. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo (hamstring) might make his season debut this weekend and the Colts already have used four different starters at right tackle.The good news is Denzelle Good returned to practice Wednesday after missing the last week following the death of his brother, Overton, in a drive-by shooting in South Carolina and could return Sunday.But right guard Matt Slauson, who started each of Indy’s first five games, will miss the rest of the season after breaking two vertebrae against New England. Rookie Braden Smith, who started last week at right tackle, could return to his more natural spot on the interior line in Slauson’s absence.“There are a couple of different options we’re looking at, and obviously we’re pretty geared into it,” Reich said. “We’ll evaluate that over the next few days.”But through it all, Luck has provided stability and continuity with an arm that appears to be getting stronger by the week.“You have that weekend off, which is sort of nice, especially in the one sense if you win — not so much if you lose,” he said. “We have to run the ball a little more effectively to give ourselves a consistent chance to win.NOTES: Indy has signed veteran safety Mike Mitchell, possibly to replace starting safety Clayton Geathers, who went down with a neck injury and entered the concussion protocol. Geathers returned late last season after having neck surgery. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t draft Patrick Mahomes merely to make the playoffs.Matt Cassel accomplished that, and quarterbacks Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green and Alex Smith went one better by making it to the divisional round. Smith even won a wild-card game https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , the first playoff victory by the long-suffering Chiefs since Joe Montana led them to the AFC title game in the 1993 season.No, the Chiefs didn’t trade up to select Mahomes just to make the playoffs.They did it to win in the playoffs.Now, Mahomes gets his first chance when the first-year starter leads the AFC West champions against the Colts — their longtime playoff nemesis — on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.Win and the young All-Pro quarterback has the Chiefs one game away from playing in the Super Bowl, lose and Mahomes has to wait a full year to get another crack at wiping away the stink of all those playoff failures.“A playoff run in general would mean a ton to everyone in this community, including us. I know the history,” Mahomes said, “but at the same time, we are a different generation.”That may be true, but he was on the sideline last season for the latest postseason letdown.Mahomes was given his freshman season to learn the ropes under Smith, who ended a streak of eight straight playoff defeats by beating Houston in the wild-card round in January 2016. But they lost the following week at New England to end their playoff run, then lost at home to the Steelers in the divisional round in 2017 and blew a big lead against the Titans in the wild-card round a year ago.Three defeats after that rarest of playoff wins.The sting has been even more brutal at home, where the Colts have won just as many playoff games as the Chiefs (two apiece) over the years. Both of the Chiefs’ wins were in the wild-card round.They’ve never won a home playoff game in the divisional round or beyond.Yet if there’s any reason to believe that stretch of futility will end Saturday, it just may be the optimistic kid with the big arm and curly Mohawk. Bono, Grbac and the rest never put up the kind of numbers that Mahomes has this season, nor did they engender the same kind of confidence in their teams.Mahomes exudes poise. And the rest of the Chiefs can feel it.“It’s the way he plays,” Chiefs center Mitch Morse said recently. “Not only his talent, which is uncanny, but the way he prepares, the way he conducts himself in the huddle, and then the guy has got a swagger about him that’s infectious.”There is no denying this is a new experience, though. Mahomes only played in one bowl game in three seasons at Texas Tech, much less an NFL playoff game with the entire football world watching.“So far I haven’t seen anything that’s too big for Pat. I’m not even worried about that Adam Vinatieri Jersey ,” coach Andy Reid said Monday, just before the Chiefs resumed practicing following a well-earned week off.“He’s going to get himself ready, just like he does every week, to play against a good football team,” Reid said. “But I don’t think he’s wired the other way. I’m not predicting anything, I’m just telling you, matter of fact, how he’s wired, how he goes about his business.”That doesn’t mean Reid hasn’t pulled him aside for a few extra chats.“Everything is a little faster in the playoffs. That’s how things go,” Reid said. “At the same time, he has to be himself and continue to lead and play like he has been doing. I don’t think he will have a problem with that. I think he understands that. He is wired the right way to handle all of it.”Mahomes said he’s chatted with Smith about his postseason experience, and he’s soaked up what he can from the veterans in his locker room. Defensive back Ron Parker, linebacker Justin Houston and fullback Anthony Sherman are among those who have been part of several postseason letdowns.As they take the field with Mahomes on Saturday, they have a chance to scribble over that history.“I mean, we are definitely ready. We know what it’s going to take,” Mahomes said. “It’s going to take a full effort from everyone, every single day, to the game and hopefully on. We know that you have to capitalize on every single play. You can’t let one play get you down for the next. The next play is the most important play. We are excited we get the chance to do that.”