Curt Cavin

curt.cavin@indystar.com

Colts%27 2.2 fumbles per game is the worst among all NFL teams

If the Indianapolis Colts fumble away their chance to win a Super Bowl, there will be logical culprits.

Slippery hands.

As with the NFL's No. 1 offense, this issue starts with Andrew Luck, who this season is far from the league's most sure-handed quarterback. In fact, he's No. 1 – or No. 32 depending how the category is analyzed – in holding onto the football.

Luck's 12 fumbles this season – six lost -- not only lead all players at his position, they are the most by any player on any team. Luck is averaging nearly one fumble a game, more than twice his average from last year. He has dropped the ball six times in the past three games.

It's become a recent epidemic with the Colts, who have lost the ball 12 times in consecutive wins over Jacksonville, Washington and Cleveland. Somehow, they have survived.

"Just careless," Luck said Wednesday. "(It's) attitude toward the football."

The Colts' 2.2 fumbles per game is the worst among all teams, with Oakland next at 1.8. Among the AFC teams the Colts likely must beat in the playoffs, New England is second at 0.9, Denver seventh at 1.0.

In theory, practice makes perfect, but the Colts seem to be at their sloppiest as the season has progressed. They had four in last week's 25-24 win in Cleveland and six in beating Jacksonville here Nov. 23.

Over the past three games the Colts are averaging a sheepish 4.3. That's not winning football, and they know it.

"Too many turnovers, (and) it starts with me," Luck said. "Interceptions, the fumbles -- can't do it. I don't know what else to say about it."

Luck's fumbling problem is becoming part of his lore: 10 as a rookie in 2012, now 28 for his three-year, 45-game pro career. Already, Luck's fumbling pace is on par with the NFL's all-time fumbler, Brett Favre, who had a record 166 in 302 games.

Favre literally dropped the ball once every 1.8 games; Luck is bumbling along at a 1.6 pace, with fumbles in each of the past three games and four in the aforementioned Jacksonville game.

Call it staggering. Colts coach Chuck Pagano seems to call it expected given how often Luck extends plays.

"There's a ton of plays over the course of the last two and three-quarter seasons that if he doesn't hang in there, if he doesn't do this, if he doesn't do that, if he doesn't take off and run and make three guys miss and get in the end zone to get our first touchdown," Pagano said with his voice trailing off. "So, there's a lot of great things that come out of trying to make plays, and he's a playmaker."

In other words, playmakers sometimes produce play breakers, which is what happened last weekend when Luck refused to tuck the ball at his own 1 and fumbled into the end zone for a Browns touchdown.

"Take a sack," Luck said of a better alternative.

In addition to the six lost fumbles, Luck has 13 interceptions, third-highest in the league. That means he's accounted for 19 of the Colts' 26 turnovers.

"There's a lot of times you say, 'No, no, no, oh great, nice job,'" Pagano said of Luck's never-give-up style. "But that's the competitive nature of that player, and we've got a lot of them like that."

Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was in pursuit of additional yards when he coughed the ball last weekend. Such aggression has caught the team's three running backs, too, accounting for a combined seven fumbles.

Two fumbles helped Griff Whalen lose his job returning punts and kicks, but his replacement, Josh Cribbs, has fallen victim, too, fumbling twice in Cleveland.

The Colts are 9-4 for several reasons, in part because theyhave lost fumbles at a lower rate (46.4 percent) than the league average (62.3 percent).

Plus, the defense has done its job to offset the damage, forcing 20 fumbles, second only to Philadelphia. Eleven of those became takeaways.

"Very fortunate," Pagano said of the Colts' ability to overcome offensive miscues. "I told (the team), think how good we'd be if we eliminated those."

Follow Curt Cavin on Twitter: @curtcavin

SLIPPERY FINGERS

NFL FUMBLE 'LEADERS'

Andrew Luck, Colts, 12

Jay Cutler, Bears, 11

Russell Wilson, Seahawks, 9

Cam Newton, Panthers, 8

Six players tied with 7

COLTS FUMBLES/LOST

Andrew Luck, 12/6

Ahmad Bradshaw, 3/2

T.Y. Hilton, 3/1

Boom Herron, 2/2

Trent Richardson, 2/1

Griff Whalen, 2/1

Josh Cribbs, 2/0

Dwayne Allen, 1/0