National Football League

Suck for Luck: Week 8

Published Oct. 25, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

Peter Schrager

All of the current "leaders" in the "Suck For Luck" sweepstakes held serve over the weekend, with the NFL's three winless squads all dropping games in different — but equally embarrassing — fashions on Sunday. Mr. Luck, himself, didn't put up gaudy numbers in Saturday's 65-21 blowout of No. 25 Washington, but didn't need to. Here's the Suck For Luck Outlook for Week 8:

Suck for Luck, Week 8

Andrew Luck's weekend:

16-21, 169 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 INT in a 65-21 win over Washington

The punishing Stanford defense and dominant ground game deserved all the accolades in this one, as the Cardinal rolled up 446 yards rushing on 44 carries, and the D forced three Washington turnovers. The bulk of Luck's 16 completions were on short-yardage plays, though he showed incredible mobility and touch in a second-quarter goal line touchdown pass to tight end Colby Fleener. Luck lined up at wide receiver three different times during the game, but didn't have any circus catches like the one he had against UCLA. He stood strong in the pocket, let the offensive line dominate the line of scrimmage, and didn't make any mistakes. Of his five incomplete passes, just one — a miscommunication on a route with his receiver in the end zone — was even close to being intercepted. Luck was pretty much perfect, yet again. Yes, folks, He's the real deal.

Up next: Home vs. USC, Saturday night

The Suitors

1. Indianapolis Colts: 0-7

Week 7 performance: Lost 62-7 to New Orleans: The Colts looked absolutely hapless on national TV on Sunday night, surrendering the most points ever seen in an NFL regular-season game since the AFL-NFL merger in a 62-7 loss. Jim Caldwell's troops are guaranteed to have fewer than 10 victories in a season for the first time in nine years. The way they played on Sunday night, it's not absurd to think they won't win one this season.

The Quarterbacks:
The Guy: Curtis Painter: 9-17, 67 yards, 1 interception
On the Shelf: Peyton Manning (injured), Kerry Collins (injured), Dan Orlovsky

Would they take Luck? Last week, I said "absolutely," but after seeing how horrendous this team is at the 21 positions other than quarterback on Sunday night, you can't help but wonder if the Colts might be better off trading the first pick for a couple of first-round draft picks and a slew of later-round selections. Manning, Freeney and Bethea are still great talents, but Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis are free agents after this season. Outside of those five players, center Jeff Saturday, linebacker Pat Angerer and injured defender Gary Brackett, there's not much top-level talent on the roster. They'll take Luck because you don't pass on a talent like that when your quarterback is nearing 40, but they'll probably listen to some trade offers, too.

2. Miami Dolphins: 0-6

Week 7 performance: Lost 18-15 in overtime to Denver: For 57 minutes on Sunday, the Dolphins appeared to be in line for their first win of the season. And then they were Tebow-ed. With their 18-15 overtime loss, the Dolphins lost their ninth straight game dating back to last year, and for the 12th time in their last 13 home games. The Dolphins became the first team since 1983 to surrender a 15-point lead with less than four minutes remaining. Ex-Dolphins star Ricky Williams, now a running back on the 4-2 Ravens, tweeted Sunday, "My Fins almost had it. All that Suck For Luck chatter can't be good for morale."

The Quarterbacks:
The Guy: Matt Moore, 22-33, 197 yards, 1 TD
On the Shelf: Chad Henne (injured), Sage Rosenfels

Would they take Luck? Is the Earth round? They'd have their pick into Commissioner Goodell by Super Bowl weekend.

3. St. Louis Rams: 0-6

Week 7 performance: Lost 34-7 to Dallas: The Rams defense looked like a JV high school squad in Sunday's 34-7 loss, surrendering 294 rushing yards to a Cowboys offense featuring a sixth-round rookie running back and an off-the-street waiver wire signing at left guard. The offense played from behind throughout and didn't look terrible with A.J. Feeley under center. What's next? The Saints, fresh off a 62-point outburst Sunday night.

The Quarterbacks:
The Guy: A.J. Feeley 20-33, 196 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
On the Shelf: Sam Bradford (injured), Tom Brandstater

Would they take Luck? Whether Luck is the better future pro or not, Bradford is probably untradeable, currently in the second year of a massive $78-million contract. Bradford missed his first NFL start on Sunday, out with an ankle injury, but should return to the lineup relatively soon. Look for the Rams to give Bradford an elite playmaker (Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, perhaps) or a defensive line (Michigan State's Jerel Worthy) or offensive line (USC's Matt Kalil) prospect. Another possibility? A megadeal, swapping the top pick for two to three first-round selections. Luck is that good.

4. Arizona Cardinals: 1-5

Week 7 performance: Lost 32-20 to Pittsburgh

The Quarterbacks:
The Guy: Kevin Kolb: 18-34, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
On the Shelf: John Skelton, Richard Bartel, Max Hall

Would they take Luck? This one would be interesting. Kolb's got $21 million guaranteed coming his way, but hasn't been the quarterback Cardinals fans had hoped for. He showed improvement on Sunday, but Arizona has now lost five consecutive games and he continues to struggle with accuracy far too much for a "franchise" quarterback. It doesn't get much better for Kolb and the Cards. Starting with a trip to Baltimore this weekend, four of the next five games are on the road. If Arizona is bad enough to "earn" the first pick, they could take Luck, regardless of the money they've already committed to Kolb.

5. Minnesota Vikings: 1-6

Week 7 performance: Lost 33-26 to Green Bay: There's finally a glimpse of hope in the Twin Cities, after rookie Christian Ponder nearly led the Vikings to an upset over the undefeated Packers. If not for a few defensive miscues, the Vikings could have delivered the biggest upset of the year. The bright side? Ponder looked solid in his NFL debut.

The Quarterbacks:
The Guy: Christian Ponder: 13-32, 218 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
On the Shelf: Donovan McNabb, Joe Webb

Would they take Luck? No. Ponder showed promise on Sunday and the Vikings used the 12th pick in April's Draft to take him. He's the future. If the Vikings had the first pick in the draft, I could see Minnesota grabbing Matt Kalil — an elite left tackle — to protect their investment in Ponder.

Also in the running:

6. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-5
7. Seattle Seahawks: 2-4
8. Denver Broncos: 2-4

The Other Guys

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th ranked quarterbacks on my "Big Board:"

2. Landry Jones, Oklahoma: 30-for-55, 412 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT in a 41-38 loss to Texas Tech
3. Matt Barkley, USC: 24-for-35, 224 yards, 3 TDs in a 31-17 win over Notre Dame
4. Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State: 33-for-49, 338 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT in a 45-24 win over Missouri