After the departure of Peyton Manning and finishing 2-14 during the 2011 season, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Indianapolis Colts as they adjusted to life with Andrew Luck at quarterback–who was selected with the No. 1 pick last April. Instead, the Colts have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2012 season as a playoff contender and Luck is even making a name for himself in the NFC record books by making history during this magical run.

Not only did Luck lead Indianapolis to their fifth win of the year on a fourth quarter game-winning drive during their 35-33 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, but he became the first rookie quarterback in history selected first overall to win eight games in the season. With the win, the Colts are guaranteed to finish with at least a .500 record as they sit at 8-4 heading into Week 14 and appear to be on their way to earning the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Luck’s performance against the Lions (24 of 54 passes for 391 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions) is just one small example as far as the type of season the rookie has been having in 2012. There were plenty of questions surrounding whether Indianapolis made the right move by moving on from Manning to let the Luck era begin and it may be early on his career–but the No. 1 pick looks like he’s the next big thing when it comes to being a franchise quarterback in the NFL.

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