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          Is it worth the Colts' Andrew Luck playing against Jacksonville?

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          Andrew Luck questionable for Sunday (0:46)

          Bob Holtzman reports that he did not see Colts QB Andrew Luck throwing at practice on Thursday and his status for Sunday remains unknown. (0:46)

          • Mike Wells, ESPN Staff WriterOct 2, 2015, 11:00 AM
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            • Previously worked at Indianapolis Star, covering the Indiana Pacers for nine seasons
            • Also covered Vikings for St. Paul Pioneer Press
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          INDIANAPOLIS – Will Andrew Luck play against Jacksonville or will he miss his first NFL game?

          That’s the question around the Indianapolis Colts and their franchise quarterback the past couple of days.

          Eyes have been on Luck's every move since it was noticed he wasn't making throws during practice Wednesday because of an injured right shoulder.

          The Colts are optimistic that he’ll play, but things became even murkier when Luck was shut down after making some throws before practice Thursday, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Coach Chuck Pagano will give a rundown of the team’s injury situation when he addresses the media Friday afternoon. Don't be surprised if the Colts call Luck questionable for Sunday’s game.

          The Colts are in a tricky situation. Luck gives them their best chance to win, but their chances of winning the AFC South and making the playoffs would be severely hurt if Luck further injures his shoulder and is forced to miss multiple games.

          Here's why the Colts should play Luck against the Jaguars:

          • The Colts need him. Yes, Luck leads in the NFL with eight turnovers and has completed only 56 percent of his passes, but the Colts have a better chance of winning with dinged-up Luck than with 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck, who wasn’t impressive in the preseason. It's uncertain when Luck hurt his shoulder against the Titans, but he was still 11 of 13 for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. That's impressive.

          • No wiggle room. The Colts have won 14 straight games against AFC South opponents, but they can’t afford to drop to 1-3 because that would be a tough obstacle to overcome even if they do play in one of the weaker divisions in the NFL. The Colts have a short week next week because they go on the road to play at Houston on Oct. 8 before a five-game stretch where they play New England, New Orleans, Carolina, Denver and Atlanta, teams who are currently a combined 12-3. So Indianapolis needs to win as many games as possible before that rough stretch.

          Here's why the Colts should not play Luck against the Jaguars:

          • Big picture. The last thing the Colts want to do is further damage the shoulder of their franchise player. The offensive line has shown little ability to protect Luck from the constant blitzes he has faced this season. You don’t want a short-term injury to linger through the rest of the season. The Colts don’t have their bye until Nov. 15.

          • Rest. Sitting Luck would give him 11 days in between games since he injured his shoulder. The Colts don't want him to take a hit on his shoulder and then have to go out four days later to face J.J. Watt and the Houston defense. Facing Watt is a tough task when healthy. It’ll be a hundred times worse if Luck is still favoring his shoulder heading into that game. Remember that five-game stretch I mentioned? The Colts need Luck as healthy as possible for those games.

          • Confidence in the backup. Hasselbeck hasn’t started a game since November 2012. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton could simplify things by feeding the ball to running back Frank Gore as much as possible and putting Hasselbeck in the position to get rid of the ball quickly. Gore averaged 6.1 yards a carry on his 14 rushes against Tennessee last week.