2004 Indianapolis Colts season | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Owner | Jim Irsay |
General manager | Bill Polian |
Head coach | Tony Dungy |
Home field | RCA Dome |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st AFC South |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Broncos) 49–24 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Patriots) 3–20 |
Pro Bowlers | QB Peyton Manning RB Edgerrin James WR Marvin Harrison OT Tarik Glenn DE Dwight Freeney |
Uniform | |
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The 2004 Indianapolis Colts season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and 21st in Indianapolis. The 2004 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their 12–4 record from 2003, and advance further into the playoffs. The Colts finished the season 12–4, and defeated the Denver Broncos for the second straight time in the playoffs, but they were halted in the Divisional round by the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, their second straight loss in the playoffs to them.
Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback (and the best season of his Indianapolis career), throwing 49 touchdown passes and breaking the previous record of 48 held by Dan Marino. At season's end, Peyton Manning was named the NFL MVP. For the season the Colts set an NFL record with 51 total touchdown passes. The Colts led the NFL with 522 points scored. The Colts tallied more points in the first half of each of their games of the 2004 season (277 points) than seven other NFL teams managed in the entire season.[1]
Despite throwing 49 touchdown passes, Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career.[2] Sports statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that Manning had the best-ever season by a quarterback, play-for-play, in 2004.[3][4]
The 2004 Colts are the only team in NFL history to convert five or more passing touchdowns in a game four different times during the regular season.[5]
Offseason
[edit]Free Agency
[edit]During Free Agency, the Colts failed to re-sign linebacker Marcus Washington and cornerback Walt Harris. Both signed with the Washington Redskins in free agency.
NFL Draft
[edit]2004 Indianapolis Colts draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 44 | Bob Sanders * | Safety | Iowa | from Pittsburgh |
3 | 68 | Ben Hartsock | Tight end | Ohio State | from Cleveland |
3 | 69 | Gilbert Gardner | Linebacker | Purdue | from Atlanta |
4 | 107 | Kendyll Pope | Linebacker | Florida State | from Pittsburgh |
4 | 125 | Jason David | Cornerback | Washington State | from Philadelphia via Atlanta |
5 | 141 | Jake Scott | Guard | Idaho | from Cleveland |
6 | 173 | Von Hutchins | Cornerback | Mississippi | from Cleveland |
6 | 193 | Jim Sorgi | Quarterback | Wisconsin | |
7 | 229 | David Kimball | Kicker | Penn State | from St Louis |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Undrafted free agents
[edit]Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|
Josh Thomas | Defensive end | Syracuse |
Ben Utecht | Tight end | Minnesota |
Roster
[edit]Preseason
[edit]Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | NFL Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 14, 2004 | at San Diego Chargers | W 21–17 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
August 21, 2004 | New York Jets | L 7–31 | RCA Dome | Recap |
August 28, 2004 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–17 | RCA Dome | Recap |
September 3, 2004 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–16 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
Schedule
[edit]Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | NFL Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | at New England Patriots | L 24–27 | 0–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 19 | at Tennessee Titans | W 31–17 | 1–1 | The Coliseum | Recap |
3 | September 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 45–31 | 2–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
4 | October 3 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–17 | 3–1 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 10 | Oakland Raiders | W 35–14 | 4–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
6 | Bye | |||||
7 | October 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24–27 | 4–2 | RCA Dome | Recap |
8 | October 31 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 35–45 | 4–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 8 | Minnesota Vikings | W 31–28 | 5–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
10 | November 14 | Houston Texans | W 49–14 | 6–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
11 | November 21 | at Chicago Bears | W 41–10 | 7–3 | Soldier Field | Recap |
12 | November 25 | at Detroit Lions | W 41–9 | 8–3 | Ford Field | Recap |
13 | December 5 | Tennessee Titans | W 51–24 | 9–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
14 | December 12 | at Houston Texans | W 23–14 | 10–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 19 | Baltimore Ravens | W 20–10 | 11–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
16 | December 26 | San Diego Chargers | W 34–31 (OT) | 12–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
17 | January 2 | at Denver Broncos | L 14–33 | 12–4 | Invesco Field | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Standings
[edit]AFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 522 | 351 | L1 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 261 | 280 | W1 |
Houston Texans | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 309 | 339 | L1 |
Tennessee Titans | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 344 | 439 | W1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .484 | .479 | W14 |
2 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .478 | W2 |
3[a] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .500 | .458 | L1 |
4[a] | San Diego Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .411 | W1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5[b] | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .523 | .406 | L2 |
6[b] | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .484 | .450 | W2 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7[c][d] | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .479 | W1 |
8[c][d] | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .472 | W1 |
9[c] | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .382 | L1 |
10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .543 | .453 | W2 |
11[e] | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .504 | .402 | L1 |
12[e] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .509 | L1 |
13[f] | Oakland Raiders | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .450 | L2 |
14[f] | Tennessee Titans | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .463 | W1 |
15[g] | Miami Dolphins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .555 | .438 | L1 |
16[g] | Cleveland Browns | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .590 | .469 | W1 |
Tiebreakers[h] | |||||||||||
|
Game summaries
[edit]Week 1: at New England Patriots
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
Patriots | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
- Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), Cloudy, warm, and humid
- Game attendance: 68,756
- TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels, John Madden
Week 2: at Tennessee Titans
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
Titans | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
Colts | 21 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 45 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Colts | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
Colts | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
Chiefs | 7 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 45 |
Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 28 |
Colts | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 10: vs. Houston Texans
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Colts | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 11: at Chicago Bears
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago
Week 12: at Detroit Lions
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 13 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
Lions | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at Ford Field, Detroit
Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Colts | 17 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 51 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 14: at Houston Texans
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 14 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
Ravens | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Colts | 0 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 34 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
Week 17: at Denver Broncos
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Broncos | 7 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 33 |
at Invesco Field, Denver
- Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
- Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), Cloudy
- Game attendance: 75,149
- TV announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
Postseason schedule
[edit]Playoff round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Host stadium | NFL recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | January 9 | Denver Broncos (6) | W 49–24 | 1–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
Divisional | January 16 | at New England Patriots (2) | L 3–20 | 1–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
Postseason results
[edit]AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
Colts | 14 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 49 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots
[edit]Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Patriots | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
Awards and records
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
- ^ Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
- ^ Football Outsiders: QUARTERBACKS 2004
- ^ Football Outsiders: Final 2011 DVOA Ratings Stats calculated from 1992–2011
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the NFL, in the regular season, requiring Passing TD >= 5, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
- ^ "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Maxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine