EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Andrew Luck certainly didn't have any fun when he sat out the Indianapolis Colts' Thanksgiving night loss with a concussion. He made up for it very nicely Monday night in a 41-10 romp past the New York Jets.
"To get back out there and do some decent things, that's fun," said Luck, who threw four touchdown passes, three to Dwayne Allen. "Sitting out is no fun."
Not that Luck had to work very hard against the hosts, who were booed by a much-less-than-filled MetLife Stadium almost from the outset.
Luck missed last week's loss to Pittsburgh, cleared the NFL's concussion protocol on the weekend and came back in style with a prime-time performance. He lifted Indianapolis (6-6) into a tie for the lead in the AFC South with Tennessee and Houston.
"The quarterback was outstanding," Colts Coach Chuck Pagano said. "It's always great to have your starting quarterback under center."
Allen and T.Y. Hilton were Luck's main targets as he went 22 of 28 for 278 yards, and they received little opposition from the Jets (3-9).
"It was a great night for everyone," Allen said. "You hope that every night you go to play, it's a night like that. It's not realistic in the National Football League."
This one couldn't have come much easier for Indianapolis. The Colts toyed with the lifeless Jets from the beginning, when New York's Jeremy Ross got to only his 11 with the opening kickoff return. A three-and-out gave Luck the ball, and seven plays later, he hit a wide-open Allen for a a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Indianapolis needed only four plays on its next series, with Allen even more open for a 21-yard reception to make it 14-0. At that juncture, the Colts had gained 120 yards to the Jets' 6.
"I can't put my finger on it, but it has made a big difference," Luck said of quickly getting a lead. "To be up 7-0 [immediately] means a lot."
The Colts outgained the Jets 421 yards to 250. Indianapolis scored its most points since Week 13 of 2014. The Jets allowed their most since Week 8 of that season.
The Jets (3-9) finally found some spark after Pat McAfee's punt was downed at their 3. Matt Forte turned a short pass into a 40-yard gain, but that drive stalled and Nick Folk made a 38-yard field goal.
That temporarily quieted the boobirds in the stadium. But Luck hit Hilton for 23 yards on Indianapolis' next play, Frank Gore ran for 19 and Adam Vinatieri kicked a 53-yard field goal to make it 17-3.
And when Allen set a career best with this third touchdown reception on a 23-yard throw from Luck, the rout was on.
"It's never easy and you can't ever take your foot off the gas and relax and say, 'We got this,' " Pagano said.
Donte Moncrief added a 3-yard touchdown reception, the sixth consecutive game he has caught one. Hilton continually victimized cornerback Darrelle Revis and other Jets defensive backs, making nine catches for 146 yards. Hilton went over 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his five pro seasons.
New York has lost four in a row and is 1-5 at home. Its performance Monday night can't be of any help to Coach Todd Bowles, who led the Jets to a 10-6 mark a year ago in his first season.
"I thought for the first time this year, we got our [butt] handed to us," Bowles said.
Sports on 12/06/2016