2006 Indianapolis Colts season
2006 Indianapolis Colts season | |
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AFC South | |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Chiefs) 23–8 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Ravens) 15–6 Won AFC Championship (vs. Patriots) 38–34 Won Super Bowl XLI (vs. Bears) 29–17 |
Pro Bowlers | |
AP All-Pros | 3
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Uniform | |
The
For the fourth consecutive season, the Colts had won 12 or more games. They also won the
The 2006 Colts surrendered 5.33 rushing yards per attempt, by far the worst since the merger, and seventh-worst in NFL history.[4] Still, the Colts won the championship with the help of the most statistically efficient offense in the league.[5][6][7][8][9] During this season, the Colts, who were very successful in the 2000s despite being impacted by the Patriots dynasty,[10][11][12][13] made history by becoming the first team that played in an indoor stadium to win a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium and for helping Tony Dungy to become the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl.[14][15][16][17] In 2019, the NFL ranked the 2006 Colts as the 37th-best NFL team of all time.[18]
Offseason
The offseason marked the dissolution of the trio of Edgerrin James, Peyton Manning, and Marvin Harrison, affectionately nicknamed the "Triplets" by Colts fans. While the latter two signed long-term contracts, James' contract expired at the end of the 2005 season. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the off-season as a free-agent. Other key losses included Larry Tripplett (Buffalo Bills, free-agent) and David Thornton (Tennessee Titans, free-agent). The Colts opted not to re-sign kicker Mike Vanderjagt, instead inking ex-New England Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri to a lucrative deal. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Shaun King was signed to compete with Jim Sorgi for the backup quarterback position, but was later cut and replaced with Josh Betts.
2006 NFL draft
2006 Indianapolis Colts draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
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1 | 30 | Joseph Addai * | RB | LSU | |
2 | 62 | Tim Jennings * | CB | Georgia | |
3 | 94 | Freddy Keiaho | LB | San Diego State | |
5 | 162 | Michael Toudouze | OG | TCU | |
6 | 199 | Charlie Johnson | OT
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Oklahoma State | |
6 | 207 | Antoine Bethea * | S | Howard | Compensatory selection |
7 | 238 | T. J. Rushing | CB | Stanford | from Tennessee via Indianapolis |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Undrafted free agents
Player | Position | College |
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Josh Betts | Quarterback | Miami |
Daniel Federkeil | Tackle | Calgary |
Roster
Indianapolis Colts 2006 final roster | ||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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1 | August 10 | at St. Louis Rams | L 17–19 | 0–1 | Edward Jones Dome
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Recap |
2 | August 20 | Seattle Seahawks | L 17–30 | 0–2 | RCA Dome | Recap |
3 | August 26 | at New Orleans Saints | W 27–14 | 1–2 | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium | Recap |
4 | September 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 3–20 | 1–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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1 | September 10 | at New York Giants | W 26–21 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 17 | Houston Texans | W 43–24 | 2–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
3 | September 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–14 | 3–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
4 | October 1 | at New York Jets | W 31–28 | 4–0 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 8 | Tennessee Titans | W 14–13 | 5–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
6 | Bye | |||||
7 | October 22 | Washington Redskins | W 36–22 | 6–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
8 | October 29 | at Denver Broncos | W 34–31 | 7–0 | Invesco Field at Mile High
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Recap |
9 | November 5 | at New England Patriots | W 27–20 | 8–0 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | Buffalo Bills | W 17–16 | 9–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
11 | November 19 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–21 | 9–1 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 45–21 | 10–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
13 | December 3 | at Tennessee Titans | L 17–20 | 10–2 | LP Field
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Recap |
14 | December 10 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 17–44 | 10–3 | Alltel Stadium
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Recap |
15 | December 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–16 | 11–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
16 | December 24 | at Houston Texans | L 24–27 | 11–4 | Reliant Stadium
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Recap |
17 | December 31 | Miami Dolphins | W 27–22 | 12–4 | RCA Dome | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at New York Giants
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 3 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 26 |
Giants | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: September 10
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 71 °F (22 °C)
- Game attendance: 78,622
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels and John Madden
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Indianapolis opened the regular season on the road against the New York Giants on September 10, 2006. In a much-hyped and highly anticipated matchup dubbed "The Manning Bowl", Colts QB Peyton Manning led the Colts against the Giants and QB Eli Manning, who is his younger brother. This contest marked the first time in NFL history that two brothers started at QB opposite one another. On an opening drive that lasted nearly nine minutes, the Colts went 58 yards on 17 plays, only to be held to a 26-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal in his first regular-season appearance as a Colt. Indianapolis scored again on another Vinatieri field goal, this one a 32-yarder, before finally finding the endzone on a 2-yard pass from Peyton Manning to TE Dallas Clark. The Giants trimmed the Colts' lead on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to WR Plaxico Burress, though the Colts responded promptly with another field goal before the half expired. The Giants struck first in the third quarter with another touchdown pass from Eli Manning, this time 15 yards to TE Jeremy Shockey. It proved to be too little too late, however, as the Colts increased their lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Dominic Rhodes. A 1-yard touchdown run by Giants RB Brandon Jacobs made the game interesting in the final minutes, but Indianapolis responded with one last field goal and timely defensive plays down the stretch, and were able to seal the victory.
Week 2: vs. Houston Texans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Texans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
Colts | 14 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 43 |
at
- Date: September 17
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 56,614
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
- Box score
Game information | ||
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In their Week 2 home-opener against
Peyton Manning finished the game 26 of 38 with 400 yards passing and three touchdowns. David Carr finished with 219 passing yards on 22 of 26 passes completed and also had three touchdown passes as well. Neither quarterback threw an interception, but Carr did fumble the football three times. Colts RB Joseph Addai finished the game with a career-high 82 rushing yards, and also had a touchdown reception. Peyton Manning was sacked twice in this game, and David Carr was sacked four times.
Week 3: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Colts | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,041
- Referee: Pete Morelli
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Playing again in front of the home crowd, the
Quarterback Peyton Manning finished the game 14 of 31 with 219 passing yards for one touchdown pass, while Byron Leftwich finished 16 of 28 with 107 passing yards for one touchdown pass. Leftwich also threw two interceptions. RB Maurice Jones-Drew had 103 rushing yards for Jacksonville, and Marvin Harrison had 6 catches for 94 yards receiving. Jacksonville Kicker Josh Scobee missed both of his field goals, and they proved crucial in the game in the late stages.
Week 4: at New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
Jets | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 1
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 77,190
- Referee:
Game information | ||
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The Colts traveled to
Quarterback Peyton Manning finished the game 21 of 30 for 217 passing yards and one touchdown, Chad Pennington was 17 of 23 for 207 yards passing and had one touchdown pass and one interception. Manning was sacked twice while Pennington was sacked three times. Colts rookie running back Joseph Addai had a career-high 84 yards rushing as the Colts improved their record to 4–0.
Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Colts | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 8
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,021
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Rich Baldinger
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Following their close win against the Jets, the Colts returned home for a Week 5 matchup with AFC South rival Tennessee. The Titans took the lead early as rookie QB Vince Young ran 19 yards for a touchdown in what would be the first quarter's only score. In the second quarter, Tennessee expanded its lead to 10–0 on a 22-yard Rob Bironas field goal. Indianapolis cut the deficit with six minutes left in the third quarter on QB Peyton Manning's 13-yard touchdown strike to WR Marvin Harrison. However, Tennessee countered on Rob Bironas' 47-yard field goal, which gave the Titans a 13–7 lead going into the fourth quarter. Showing the resolve that allowed them to come from behind in their two previous games, the Indianapolis offense delivered what turned out to be the game-clinching score with only five minutes left in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to WR Reggie Wayne to give the Colts a 14–13 lead. That ended up being the final score after Vince Young could not convert on a hail mary pass in the end zone. With the win, the Colts stayed undefeated and expanded their lead in the AFC South to two games over second place Jacksonville.
Peyton Manning finished the game 20 of 31 for 166 passing yards with 2 touchdown passes and one interception, and Vince Young finished with 63 passing yards on 10 of 21 pass attempts and threw one interception also. Tennessee running back Travis Henry had 123 rushing yards in the loss.
Week 7: vs. Washington Redskins
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Redskins | 0 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 22 |
Colts | 7 | 6 | 20 | 3 | 36 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 22
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,274
- Referee: Scott Green
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Troy Aikman
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Coming off their bye week, the
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning finished the game 25 of 35 for 342 yards passing and four touchdowns, while Washington quarterback Mark Brunell completed 27 of his 37 pass attempts for 226 yards passing and two touchdowns. Colts rookie RB Joseph Addai had a career-high 85 yards rushing on 11 carries, and Redskins RB Ladell Betts carried the football 10 times for 52 yards. Colts WR Reggie Wayne had his first big game of the season, as he had 7 catches for 122 yards receiving and one touchdown. In 2011, Tony Dungy speculated that the hard hits Peyton Manning suffered in the first half of the game were the start of the neck issues that would ultimately lead to Peyton Manning leaving the Colts in 2012.[20][21]
Week 8: at Denver Broncos
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 3 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 34 |
Broncos | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
at
- Date: October 29
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/2:15 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Partly sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 76,767
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Box score
Game information | ||
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After a convincing win over a struggling
Manning ended the game with three touchdown passes, all of them to Reggie Wayne. Rookie RB Joseph Addai had a career-high 93 yards rushing on only 17 carries. DE Dwight Freeney was credited with half a sack, his first of the season.
Week 9: at New England Patriots
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
Patriots | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
at
- Date: November 5
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Clear, 31 °F (−1 °C)
- Game attendance: 68,756
- Referee: Ron Winter
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels and John Madden
- Box score
Game information | ||
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The Colts headed to Gillette Stadium for a highly anticipated Sunday Night Football matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 9. In the first quarter, an interception in the end zone by Colts rookie FS Antoine Bethea set up the Colts' first scoring drive, a 68-yard march that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Marvin Harrison for the only score of the quarter. Already banged up on defense, the Patriots lost SS Rodney Harrison to a shoulder injury in the first quarter, and he never returned to the game. The second quarter was a lot more eventful after two scores by Patriots RB Corey Dillon, a TD run by Colts rookie RB Joseph Addai, and a field goal by Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.
The Patriots played from behind for the rest of the game and could not catch up to the Colts. Patriots QB Tom Brady was intercepted four times in the defeat, and Colts LB Cato June intercepted two of those passes. Also of note, Colts WR Marvin Harrison had 8 catches in the game for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The victory marked the Colts' second straight versus the Patriots after having lost the previous six. With the win, the Colts became just the second team in NFL history to begin consecutive seasons 8–0 (the Green Bay Packers began three consecutive seasons 8–0 from 1929 to 1931). Also, with 326 yards passing QB Peyton Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Bills | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Colts | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,306
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg and Randy Cross
- Box score
Game information | ||
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The Colts defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 10, 17–16, becoming the first team in NFL history to start consecutive seasons 9–0. The game's scoring consisted of four touchdowns and three field goals. Buffalo struck first, as they converted a field goal attempt by K Rian Lindell. The Colts then followed with a score of their own, a 1-yard TD pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Reggie Wayne to take the lead with 11:14 left in the half. The Colts had a 7-point lead near the end of the half, but Buffalo swung the momentum their way as Terrence McGee returned a fumble 68-yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10.
On the opening possession of the third quarter, the drive ended in a 5-yard touchdown run by Colts rookie RB Joseph Addai. Terrence McGee then took Adam Vinatieri's kickoff 88 yards to the Colts 12-yard line. Buffalo could not come up with anything on the rest of the drive and had to settle for another field goal. On the opening drive of the fourth quarter, Lindell made another field goal for the Bills to reduce the Colts' lead to 1 point. When the Bills drove down the field on their next possession, they had a chance to take the lead, but Rian Lindell missed his field goal, and the Colts ran out the clock to move to 9–0. With the Colts' win and a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 13–10 to the Houston Texans, the Colts are now four games ahead in the AFC South.
Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
- Date: November 19
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear, 63 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,706
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Box score
Game information | ||
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The
Colts QB Peyton Manning went 20 of 39 for 254 passing yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions, Cowboys QB Tony Romo was 19 of 23 with 226 passing yards and had one interception. Colts WR
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Colts | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 26
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,296
- Referee: Bill Carollo
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels and John Madden
- Box score
Game information | ||
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This Week 12 showdown between the
On the ensuing possession for the Eagles, Garcia found Reggie Brown in the end zone for a 3-yard score. But with less than 11 minutes left in the game, the Eagles scored once more and reduced the Colts' lead to 10 points. On the following possession, the Colts ran the ball 13 times with no passes and Joseph Addai had the last 8 carries on that drive including another 4-yard scamper, his fourth touchdown of the game. That touchdown also tied the Colts franchise record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game.
With less than four minutes to go in the game, the Eagles were desperate to score some points, but while Jeff Garcia was deep in his own territory, he dropped back to pass and was hit by both DE Robert Mathis and DE Dwight Freeney. Mathis knocked the ball out of Garcia's hand right before his arm started going forwards and CB Kelvin Hayden picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown. The Colts were up by 24 points after that last score. On the next possession, the Eagles put in backup QB A. J. Feeley in place of Garcia, and Feeley ended up getting the football knocked out of his hand by Robert Mathis (his second forced fumble of the game) and the Colts recovered and ended up running out the clock to conclude the game.
Joseph Addai tied the NFL record for most touchdowns in a game by a rookie, with 4 touchdowns in this game. During this game, the Colts lost
Week 13: at Tennessee Titans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
Titans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at
- Date: December 3
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Partly sunny, 40 °F (4 °C)
- Game attendance: 69,143
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
- Box score
Game information | ||
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This game at the
The third quarter did not yield a score, but Vince Young ran wild. The Colts' rushing defense was at its worst towards the end of the regular season. Three minutes into the last quarter, Vince Young hooked up with WR Brandon Jones for a touchdown to give Tennessee its first lead of the game. Ten minutes later, the Colts tied the game with a Vinatieri field goal from 20 yards out. On what ended up being the last possession of the game, the Titans were trying to defeat the Colts for the first time since the 2002 NFL season. After two first downs, the Titans had the ball at the Colts' 41-yard line with 31 seconds to go. After a short pass for 4 yards and an incomplete pass, the Titans had one last shot at a field goal to win the game. Kicker Rob Bironas had very high winds at his back and he made the 60-yard field goal with a lot of help from wind. He cleared the crossbar by almost 3 yards, and made the game-winning field goal for the Titans for the second straight week. With the brutal loss, the Colts went to 10–2 on the season.
Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Jaguars | 7 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 44 |
at
- Date: December 10
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 67,164
- Referee: Jerome Boger
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
- Box score
Game information | ||
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The Colts came into this game three games ahead of the Jaguars in the AFC South standings, and with a win in this game, the Colts can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South Championship for the fourth straight year.
On the Jaguars' first play from scrimmage, RB Fred Taylor ran up the middle for 76 yards down to the Colts' 18-yard line. On the following play rookie RB Maurice Jones-Drew rushed 18 yards for the first score of the game. The Colts led the Jaguars at one point in the game, 10–7, but after Jacksonville scored six times before the Colts scored again, there was no way to catch up.
The Colts allowed 375 rushing yards in this game, the second-highest total since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 166 yards and RB Fred Taylor ran for 131 yards. Third-string RB Alvin Pearman also ran for 71 yards. To further emphasize how effective the Jacksonville running game was, Jaguars QB David Garrard was only 8 for 14 with 79 yards passing. While he only threw the ball 14 times, Colts QB Peyton Manning threw the ball 50 times, completing 25 of those passes for 313 passing yards. Neither quarterback threw a touchdown pass, but both of them threw one interception each. The Colts WR tandem of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne did well in this game. Harrison had 8 catches for 110 yards receiving, and Wayne had 6 catches for 101 yards. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew did not just succeed on offense—he ran back an Adam Vinatieri kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown also.
The Colts lost SS Antoine Bethea to a shoulder injury, and he would not return. As a consequence, the Colts fell to 10–3, losing first place in the AFC, while the Jaguars improved to 8–5, with the embarrassing loss.
Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Colts | 3 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: December 18
- Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,292
- Referee:
Game information | ||
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Hoping to rebound from their blowout road loss to the Jaguars, the Colts went home for a Monday Night Football matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. In the first quarter, Indianapolis struck first with K Adam Vinatieri nailing a 30-yard field goal. The Bengals would respond with K Shayne Graham converting a 27-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Colts began their breakout with QB Peyton Manning completing a 4-yard touchdown pass to WR Marvin Harrison. Harrison would end up catching three touchdown passes in this game. Even though Cincinnati responded with 12-yard touchdown run by RB Rudi Johnson, Indianapolis responded with Manning completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Harrison. In the third quarter, the Bengals converted another field goal, and the Colts continued their power with Manning completing another touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison. Afterwards, Manning would complete another touchdown pass, this one an 18-yarder to WR Reggie Wayne. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals' only response was another field goal. After that last field goal by Shayne Graham, Adam Vinatieri responded with a 44-yard field goal to close out the game. With the win, the Colts improved to 11–3.
Colts QB Peyton Manning finished the game 29 of 36 for 282 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Bengals QB Carson Palmer was 14 of 28 for 176 passing yards. Palmer also fumbled the football four times in this game. Colts DE Dwight Freeney forced three fumbles in the game and also had three sacks on Carson Palmer.
Week 16: at Houston Texans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
Texans | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
at
- Date: December 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 70,132
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Coming off a primetime victory over
In the first quarter, the Colts got an early shock as RB Ron Dayne ran for a 3-yard touchdown and a 6-yard touchdown run. Indianapolis would respond with 37-yard touchdown pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Marvin Harrison. In the second quarter, the Colts tied the game with Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to WR Aaron Moorehead. However, Houston reclaimed its lead with QB David Carr's 3-yard touchdown pass to RB Vonta Leach. In the third quarter, Indianapolis crept closer with K Adam Vinatieri making a 33-yard field goal for the only score of the period.
In the fourth quarter, the Texans responded with kicker Kris Brown's 42-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Colts tied the game with Manning hooking up with Harrison again on a 7-yard touchdown pass, Harrison's second of the game. However, Houston managed to pull off a huge upset with Kris Brown's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving Indianapolis their first ever loss against them. With the loss, the Colts fell to 11–4. Colts QB Peyton Manning finished the game 21 of 27 for 205 yards passing with three touchdowns and Texans QB David Carr finished with 163 passing yards on completing 16 of 23 passes with one touchdown. Rookie RB Joseph Addai ran the ball 15 times for 100 yards and former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne finished the game with 153 rushing yards on 32 carries.
After this game, the Colts were now 11–4, having lost 4 of 6 after a 9–0 start and dropped to 4–4 on the road.
Week 17: vs. Miami Dolphins
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 22 |
Colts | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: December 31
- Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,310
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Box score
Game information | ||
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Following their first-ever loss to the Texans, the Colts wrapped up the regular season at home against the Miami Dolphins. So far, the Colts were 7–0 at the RCA Dome during the regular season. In the first quarter, the Dolphins scored first with K Olindo Mare's 28-yard field goal for the only score of the quarter. In the second quarter, Indianapolis took the lead with QB Peyton Manning completing a 2-yard touchdown pass to DT Dan Klecko. The Dolphins would follow Indianapolis' touchdown with a 38-yard Olindo Mare field goal. The Colts struck right back with Peyton Manning's 11-yard scamper into the end zone. After Dolphins QB Cleo Lemon was intercepted on his first pass of the possession by LB Cato June, Indianapolis had the ball on the Dolphins' 37-yard line. Kicker Adam Vinatieri would come out and convert a 46-yard field goal to close out the half.
In the third quarter, the Dolphins managed to get another field goal from Mare, and Indianapolis answered back with Adam Vinatieri making a 34-yard field goal. Mare would kick yet another field goal for Miami to reduce the Indianapolis lead to 8 points, but to keep up with the Colts, they needed to score a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins sent out Mare to kick another field goal, his fifth of the game, yet the Colts managed to score another touchdown with Peyton Manning completing a 27-yard touchdown pass to WR Marvin Harrison.
With less than ten minutes remaining in the last game of the season for Miami, they finally found the end zone when Cleo Lemon completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to TE Randy McMichael. The Colts ran out the clock and closed the season with a win at home, to improve their record to 8–0 in the RCA Dome. With the win, Indianapolis wrapped up the regular season at 12–4 and the AFC's No. 3 seed.
Standings
AFC South | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(3) Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 3–3 | 9–3 | 427 | 360 | W1 |
Tennessee Titans | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 5–7 | 324 | 400 | L1 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 371 | 274 | L3 |
Houston Texans | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 267 | 366 | W2 |
Postseason
Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | January 6 | Kansas City Chiefs (6) | W 23–8 | 1–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
Divisional | January 13 | at Baltimore Ravens (2) | W 15–6 | 2–0 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
AFC Championship | January 21 | New England Patriots (4) | W 38–34 | 3–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
Super Bowl XLI | February 4 | Chicago Bears (N1) | W 29–17 | 4–0 | Dolphin Stadium
|
Recap |
Game summaries
AFC Wild Card: vs. (6) Kansas City Chiefs
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Colts | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
at
- Date: January 6, 2007
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,215
- Referee: Jeff Triplette
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth
- Box score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Entering the
The Colts' rush defense held Chiefs RB Larry Johnson to just 32 yards on 13 carries and 29 receiving yards on 5 receptions. The Colts also outgained the Chiefs in total yards 435 to 126 and in first downs 28 to 7. Both teams committed three turnovers, Peyton Manning threw a season-high three interceptions, two of them picked up by former Patriot Ty Law. Manning finished the game 30 of 38 for 268 passing yards with 1 touchdown. Trent Green completed 14 of his 24 passes for 107 total passing yards with one touchdown also. RB Joseph Addai had 25 carries for 122 rushing yards with 1 touchdown. The Colts defense also forced two fumbles by Trent Green and also sacked him four times.
With the win, the Colts advanced to the AFC Divisional Round to face the second-seeded
AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Baltimore Ravens
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
Ravens | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
at
- Date: January 13, 2007
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,162
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
- Box score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Making their first playoff appearance in
Colts QB Peyton Manning finished the game 15 of 30 with 170 passing yards and two interceptions, while Ravens QB Steve McNair completed 18 of his 29 passes for 173 total passing yards and also had two interceptions. The Colts' 32nd-ranked rushing defense allowed only 83 total rushing yards this game, and proved that their defense had dramatically improved from the regular season.
AFC Championship: vs. (4) New England Patriots
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
Colts | 3 | 3 | 15 | 17 | 38 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: January 21, 2007
- Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (played indoors)
- Game attendance: 57,433
- Referee: Bill Carollo
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Box score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Coming off their Divisional road win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Colts came back to the dome for the AFC Championship Game against the fourth-seeded New England Patriots, who were fresh off of their win over the top-seeded San Diego Chargers.
After a pair of punts, the Patriots scored on their second drive of the game. However, the play did not happen the way they planned it. Patriots
The first possession of the third quarter belonged to the Colts, and they spent almost seven minutes on that drive, which ended with a 1-yard
With the win, Indianapolis improved their overall record to 15–4 that season and would move on to face the
Super Bowl XLI: vs. (N1) Chicago Bears
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 6 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
Bears | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at
- Date: February 4, 2007
- Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance: 74,512
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
- Box score
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Two weeks after their record-breaking comeback in the
In the second quarter, the Colts' next possession resulted in a touchdown by RB Dominic Rhodes and gave the Colts the lead for the first time in the game, 16–14. In the second half, the Colts got right back to work as Adam Vinatieri made another field goal, this one from 24-yards out, to make the score 19–14 in their favor. On the following Colts possession, Vinatieri came through yet again and converted a 20-yard field goal to put the Colts up by 8 points. The Bears immediately responded with a field goal of their own, but they would not score any more points in the half. QB Rex Grossman threw two crucial interceptions in the second half, the first was returned 56-yards for a touchdown by DB Kelvin Hayden. Four plays after Grossman's first interception, he was intercepted again, this time by FS Bob Sanders. Both interceptions thrown by Grossman were deep passes that were not thrown accurately.
The Colts defeated the Bears 29–17, and finished the season with an overall record of 16–4 and Colts Head Coach
References
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- ^ "Cold Hard Football Facts: The 5.0 Club: run defense in '11 lit up like hippies in '69". Archived from the original on May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
- ^ Outsiders, Football. "FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis - Final 2006 DVOA Ratings". www.footballoutsiders.com.
- ^ Flaherty, Dan (January 17, 2014). "The 2006 Indianapolis Colts & How They Survived A Stacked AFC Playoffs". thesportsnotebook.com. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
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- ^ Schatz, Aaron (September 4, 2007). "Why You'll Never See Another Team Like the 2006 Colts". Slate Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
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- ^ Parente, Michael. "Colts, Patriots a victim of past success". GoLocalProv. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Indianapolis Colts | NFL Football Operations". operations.nfl.com. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "The Game That Changed the Brady-Manning Rivalry Forever". www.boston.com. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Wells, Brad (December 21, 2009). "Great Colts of the Decade: 2000-2009". Stampede Blue. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Byrne, Kerry. "Kerry J. Byrne: Why dome teams struggle in playoffs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Tony Dungy reflects on making history as first Black NFL coach to win Super Bowl". WFLA. January 23, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Dungy becomes first black coach to win Super Bowl". ESPN.com. February 5, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ Lamers, Ben (July 9, 2015). "Throwback Thursday: Colts Coaches in the 2000s". Stampede Blue. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- NFL.com. Archived from the originalon July 13, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
- ^ "Is a Redskins 'bounty hit' responsible for the demise of Peyton Manning's career?". pilotonline.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "Tony Dungy traces Peyton Manning's neck problems to hit in 2006 game against Redskins". Washington Post. September 12, 2011. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011.
- ^ "Super Bowl News - SuperBowl.com - Official website of Super Bowl XLI". Archived from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
See also
- History of the Indianapolis Colts
- Indianapolis Colts seasons
- Colts-Patriots rivalry