Colts' Andrew Luck's Retirement Announcement Hangs Over Bears Victory
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS/AP) -- Bears Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano made his return to Indianapolis Saturday, while every starter on the Bears' defense and offense sat the game out.
Early second quarter, the Bears were down 10-0 with the Indianapolis Colts driving. But Deon Bush was able to rip the ball out of the hands of Colts receiver Hale Hentges.
Bush got up and took off, making the final move before going 92 yards for a touchdown. That put the Bears on board 10-7.
In the third quarter, the Colts were up 17-10 when Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy decided to test Eddy Pineiro's leg. Pineiro successfully put a 58-yard field goal right down the middle.
He was two for two in field goal attempts for the game.
On the Colts' next possession, James Vaughters made another play, knocking the ball loose from the quarterback. Joel Iyiebuniwe scooped it up and returned the fumble 22 yards for a touchdown.
The Bears pulled away to win 27-17.
But before the game was over, some Colts fans found themselves distracted. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck watched the game from the sidelines –he announced that was it.
He said goodbye to the NFL.
Luck heard boos as he walked away from the field, then walked to the podium and made the surprise decision official. The oft-injured star is retiring at age 29.
"I'm in pain, I'm still in pain. It's been four years of this pain, rehab cycle," Luck said. "It's a myriad of issues -- calf strain, posterior ankle impingement, high ankle sprain. Part of my journey going forward will be figuring out how to feel better."
Luck wasn't planning to make the announcement following the Bears-Colts game Saturday. But when ESPN first reported the news during the fourth quarter, Luck changed the plan for a Sunday afternoon announcement.
Instead, he held a 25-minute impromptu news conference.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)