INDIANAPOLIS — It was the kind of start quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts would like to forget. The end result, however, was exactly what Luck and his team envisioned.

The AFC South-leading Colts turned the ball over on their first two possessions and three times during the first two quarters Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium but had more than enough to defeat the struggling Washington Redskins, 49-27.

Luck threw first-half touchdown passes of 30 yards to tight end Colby Fleener and 3 yards to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, and running back Daniel Herron ran 49 yards for a second-quarter TD as Indianapolis grabbed a 21-10 halftime lead. Luck finished 19 of 27 for 370 yards and a career-best five touchdowns, averaging 19.5 yards per completion.

Luck broke Peyton Manning’s franchise single-season record of nine 300-yard passing game with his 10th, and joined Manning and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks to pass for at least 4,000 yards in two of their first three seasons.

Fleener finished with four catches for 127 yards and two TDs, and wide recover Donte Moncrief had three receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Indianapolis ran only 49 plays but gained 487 yards, 9.9 yards per snap.

“I had too many mistakes out there again, a bunch of stupid mistakes,” Luck said of his fumble and interception during the game’s first four minutes. “But the guys trusted me to bounce back from those. We were able to make some big plays.

“We were confident today that we could get some chunk plays as we say. We did a great job of finding a rhythm. I think our tempo helped in those big plays. I wouldn’t say we have come to depend on big plays, but we have explosive players. When you see Fleener running by a defensive back, and when you see our wide receivers making monstrous plays, it happens. We have guys who are very explosive. We also are capable of methodical drives and moving the chains.”

Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy, who replaced Robert Griffin III as the team’s starter this week, was 31 for 47 for 392 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Coach Jay Gruden said McCoy will start again next week.

“I feel like he competed and did a good job out there,” Gruden said. “He came back and gave us a chance.”

What the Colts are saying:

“(Running back) Boom Herron is a talented, talented guy, and I think we have seen that out of him. He’s quick. He is fast to the hole, and once he gets outside, he’s got some long speed. I think we all found that out today. It’s always nice to be able to go outside and get those guys loose, get into the secondary and take it the distance. His (49-yard touchdown) was a nice run.” — coach Chuck Pagano

“I had a fumble and an interception, and we survived again. We did settle down, but we cannot continue to do this forever. That has to change, especially me. We have to get better.” — QB Andrew Luck.

What the Redskins are saying:

“Consistency is a big part of football. A lot of teams look good in a quarter, a drive or a half or maybe a couple of games even, but really good teams can do it week in and week out, and that is what we are trying to figure out. Our defense gave us a really good opportunity early in the game, and we could have even been up 14-0. But we blew it on offense, so we got out of the gate way too slow as an offensive unit. It looked like we were sleepwalking out of the huddle.” — coach Jay Gruden

What we learned about the Colts:

1. Indianapolis is one of the few NFL teams that has enough firepower to overcome three first-half turnovers and still win by 22 points despite having the ball for only 23 minutes and running only 49 plays while the Redskins were running 74.

2. The Colts are doing what most playoff bound teams do — they beat the teams on their schedule that they are supposed to beat, including the 3-9 Redskins. Indianapolis has lost to Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New England, but is 8-0 against everyone else, including lowly Jacksonville twice, Tennessee and the New York Giants.

–WR Donte Moncrief entered Sunday’s game with 256 total receiving yards but had 134 on three catches against the Redskins.

–QB Andrew Luck now has 34 touchdown passes in 12 games, an average of 2.83 per game.

–LB Jerrell Freeman led the team with 10 tackles, including one sack.

What we learned about the Redskins:

1. In replacing Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy posted decent numbers — 31 of 47 for 392 yards and three touchdowns — but who really is Washington’s quarterback of the future? Gruden said McCoy competed well enough to earn another start next week, but most of what he did Sunday was after the Colts had a sizable lead.

2. There is no other way to say it other than the Redskins secondary is poor. Luck threw a person-best five touchdown passes, including strikes of 30, 48, 73 and 79 against what Gruden said were basic calls. It is no wonder this team is 3-9.

–TE Jordan Reed had a big game with nine receptions for 123 yards.

–P Trent Way punted six times for a 46.5-yard average with three inside the 20-yard line.

–LB Ryan Kerrigan led the Redskins with five tackles, including one sack and a forced fumble before suffering a wrist injury in the third quarter.