With September now upon us, it now appears that we are actually going to have an NFL season this year.  Or at least a start of the season.  Although I remain skeptical about the NFL’s ability to successfully pull off the entire season without coronavirus shutting it down at some point, I’m also hopeful that they can.  My thoughts on this can be found on a previous blog post here.

During recent weeks, one of the local TV stations has been showing some of the best Indianapolis Colts games from previous years.  As a Colts fan myself, this has inspired me to compile a list of the best Colts games of all time.  Since I enjoy top ten lists (as evidenced by a previous post here), I would like to devote this post to giving you my list of the top ten Colts games of all time.

For the purpose of this list, we are considering the Indianapolis Colts’ history to have started in 1984, when the team moved from Baltimore.  This means that “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, featuring the Baltimore Colts’ NFL championship victory in 1958, does not qualify to be on this list, nor does Baltimore’s Super Bowl victory in 1971.  This list really only goes back to 1995, as the Indianapolis Colts’ history from 1984-1994 was mostly trash.  Even if there were any worthy games from those years, I might have been too young then to remember them now.  Also, to qualify for this list, the Colts had to have actually won the game.  Even if the game itself was great, if the Colts came up on the short end of the stick, I’m not including it here.  I want this to be a happy list.

When making this list, there were twelve games that I wanted to put on here, but I had a difficult time narrowing it down to ten.  So, I will give two honorable mentions before we move on to the “official” list.

Honorable Mention:  October 8, 1995, in Miami.  Captain Comeback.  Colts 27, Dolphins 24 (OT).  For many Colts fans, the team’s history started with the arrival of Peyton Manning in 1998, and anything before that was a mistake.  For the most part, that’s true, but the magical 1995-96 season was one giant exception.  That season featured numerous close games and several comeback wins, led by quarterback Jim Harbaugh, thus earning him the nickname Captain Comeback.  This game most exemplified their entire season, as the Colts fell behind 24-3 to the Dolphins at halftime.  Harbaugh led an improbable 2^nd half comeback and tied the game at 24 with a spectacular touchdown pass to Aaron Bailey with a minute left in the game.  In overtime, Cary Blanchard, who had just been signed to the team that week, kicked the game-winning field goal to complete the comeback.

Honorable Mention:  January 11, 2004, in Kansas City.  The No-Punt Game.  Colts 38, Kansas City Chiefs 31.  Colts punter Hunter Smith had a great view of this second-round playoff victory without even having to play.  Both offenses were on full display, as for the first time in NFL history, neither team punted the ball the entire game.  The difference was, the Chiefs missed a field goal and lost a fumble, while Peyton Manning carved up the Chiefs defense for 38 points.  In a scene reminiscent of eight years earlier, the Colts would leave Kansas City having earned a trip to the AFC Championship game.

And now on to our top ten…

10.  January 7, 1996, in Kansas City.  The Upset.  Colts 10, Kansas City Chiefs 7.  The Colts have several fond memories of playoff games against the Chiefs.  The 1995-96 Colts managed to squeak into the playoffs with a 9-7 record, thanks to their aforementioned 21-point comeback win against the Dolphins earlier in the season.  Not satisfied with simply making the playoffs, a remarkable achievement for a team that had been bad until that season, they went on a magical run with an upset win against San Diego, followed by a huge upset against the #1 Kansas City Chiefs in a game played in -15-degree wind chill.  With star running back Marshall Faulk out for the playoffs due to injury, the Colts defense carried the day in this one and held the Chiefs to 7 points.  When Chiefs kicker Lin Elliott missed his third field goal of the game in the final seconds, the Colts had shocked the world, and were on their way to the AFC Championship game.  This one makes the list over the No-Punt Game due to the magnitude of the upset.  (The Chiefs will make yet another appearance later on this list.)

As a footnote, the following week against the Steelers, the Colts would come within one play from going to the Super Bowl.  Had the final play against the Steelers turned out differently, that one would have made this list, likely in the top three.

9.  December 26, 2004, in Indianapolis.  Manning Breaks the Record.  Colts 34, San Diego Chargers 31 (OT).  Entering the final home game of the regular season, Peyton Manning was chasing a prestigious NFL record held by Dan Marino.  Meanwhile, the Colts and Chargers were battling it out for playoff position to see which team would be the #3 seed in the playoffs.  Late in the game, Manning had already tied Marino’s record of 48 touchdown passes in one season, but the Colts trailed the Chargers, 31-23.  With a minute remaining, Manning fired a touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley to break the record.  The crowd at the RCA Dome went nuts, but the Colts still trailed 31-29 and needed to go for a two-point conversion.  My favorite part about this is Manning frantically waving his arms to tell 60,000 people to shut up so that he could call a play, and that the crowd actually did.  When Edgerrin James ran the next play in for two points to tie the game, the crowd then had permission to go crazy again.  A Mike Vanderjagt field goal in overtime gave the Colts the win to cap the historic day.

Fun fact:  Current Colts quarterback Philip Rivers was a backup quarterback in his rookie year with the Chargers in this game.  Also, this game might have been the original Manning Bowl if the Chargers had not traded Eli Manning to the Giants for Rivers.

8. January 24, 2010, in Indianapolis.  AFC Championship #2.  Colts 30, New York Jets 17.  I feel like people generally want to forget this game because the Colts would lose in the Super Bowl two weeks later.  And while I would like to forget the Super Bowl itself from that year, let’s appreciate the fact that they did win the AFC during the 2009-10 season and make it to the Super Bowl.  And while this game was not quite as dramatic as another AFC Championship Game you will see later on, it’s good enough and noteworthy enough to belong on this list.  With the Colts as heavy favorites, the Jets stunned the crowd early with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Braylon Edwards, and eventually led 17-6 late in the second quarter before the Colts finally woke up.  Led by Peyton Manning’s 377 passing yards and three touchdowns, the Colts went on a 24-0 run to close the game and win their second AFC Championship in four years.

7.  October 20, 2013, in Indianapolis.  Manning’s Homecoming.  Colts 39, Denver Broncos 33.  This game is famous for Peyton Manning, having spent 14 years as the quarterback of the Colts, coming in to Lucas Oil Stadium to face his former team for the first time as the quarterback of the Denver Broncos.  This brought lots of mixed emotions for fans who still wanted the Colts to win but still wanted to see Manning do well.  Manning was (and still is) so beloved in Indianapolis that some Colts fans even decided to switch allegiances to the Broncos during the years he played in Denver.  After a loud pre-game standing ovation left an emotional Manning appreciative of the reception, a high-scoring shootout followed.  Both Manning and his Colts successor Andrew Luck each threw for three touchdowns, and Luck ran for another.  The most memorable play of the game is probably Colts’ Robert Mathis sacking former teammate Manning for a safety.  A Broncos field goal with 17 seconds left in the game cut the Colts’ lead to six at 39-33, but the Colts recovered the onside kick to clinch the victory.

6.  October 7, 2012, in Indianapolis.  The ChuckStrong Game.  Colts 30, Green Bay Packers 27.  With Colts’ first-year head coach Chuck Pagano in the hospital after suddenly being diagnosed with leukemia early in the season, the team rallied together to win one for their coach.  Behind acting head coach Bruce Arians and rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, the Colts, who had gone 2-14 the previous year, faced a daunting task in facing the Packers, who were coming off a 15-1 season the year before.  After falling behind 21-3, Luck led the Colts all the way back to take a 22-21 lead in the fourth quarter.  After the Packers re-took the lead at 27-22, and with less than a minute remaining, Reggie Wayne caught a pass from Luck and stretched the ball just across the goal line for the winning touchdown.  After a 2-point conversion made the score 30-27, the Packers had one last chance to tie the game with a long field goal.  The kick missed, and the Colts won an emotional game that became about more than just football.  Using the motto #ChuckStrong as inspiration throughout the rest of the season to honor their coach and raise cancer awareness, the team would qualify for the playoffs as Pagano recovered in time to coach the team at the very end of the season.

5. November 15, 2009, in Indianapolis.  4^th and 2.  Colts 35, New England Patriots 34.  This game is certainly special because it came against that team out east.  The best regular season showdown between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady featured the 8-0 Colts against the 6-2 Patriots.  The Patriots were ahead 31-14 in the fourth quarter before the Colts mounted their comeback.  After a Joseph Addai touchdown cut the lead to 34-28, the Patriots were faced with 4^th down with 2 yards to go at their own 28-yard line with 2 minutes remaining.  Given the field position, every coach always decides to punt in these situations.  Only a madman would actually try to go for the first down and risk giving their opponent the ball inside the 30-yard line.  However, Patriots coach Bill Belichick did just that, and the Patriots gained 1 yard and about 35 inches.  The Colts got the ball back, and Manning fired a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 13 seconds to go to tie the game.  Matt Stover’s extra point provided the winning margin, and Belichick’s decision is still being talked about 11 years later.

4.  October 6, 2003, in Tampa.  The Monday Night Miracle.  Colts 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35 (OT).  This is the game in which the Colts trailed the defending Super Bowl champions and undefeated Buccaneers, 35-14, with five minutes left in the game.  The game was shown on Monday Night Football back when those games were on ABC and considered the premier game of the week.  Colts coach Tony Dungy, on his birthday, was facing his former team who had fired him two years earlier.  With TV sets across the nation turned off as people gave up and went to bed, the Colts scored a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, and scored again on a beautiful 4^th down pass to Marvin Harrison to cut the lead to 35-28.  The Colts managed to get the ball back one last time and scored again to tie the game at 35, sending the game to overtime.  When the Colts defense forced Tampa Bay to punt, Peyton Manning drove the Colts down the field to set up Mike Vanderjagt’s game-winning field goal attempt.  Although the kick missed, a penalty was called against the Bucs on the kick, giving Vanderjagt another chance.  On his second try, the ball hit the upright and amazingly bounced in anyway, completing the improbable comeback and giving Dungy a birthday present he will never forget.

3.  January 4, 2014, in Indianapolis.  The 28-Point Comeback.  Colts 45, Kansas City Chiefs 44.  Comeback victories are certainly a theme on this list, and this game was no exception.  In this first-round playoff game against the Chiefs, the Colts found themselves behind 38-10 in the third quarter.  Despite having thrown three interceptions already, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck turned it on in the second half to orchestrate the largest comeback in team history and the second-largest playoff comeback in NFL history.  Luck threw for a whopping 443 yards and four touchdowns in the game to bring the Colts back.  With the Colts down 41-31 in the fourth quarter, Luck recovered a teammate’s fumble and dove into the end zone for a touchdown to cut the lead to 41-38.  After a Chiefs field goal made it 44-38, Luck’s 64-yard touchdown bomb to T.Y. Hilton tied the game, and Adam Vinatieri’s extra point gave them the lead, 45-44.  The Chiefs had one more chance, but after Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe’s 4^th down catch was ruled out of bounds, the Colts were able to run out the clock, giving Luck his first career playoff win in dramatic fashion.

2.  February 4, 2007, in Miami.  Colts win Super Bowl XLI.  Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17.  The Colts’ 2006-07 Super Bowl season has to go down as the most special one of all.  After years of awful teams in the pre-Manning era, followed by years of good teams with Manning that fell just short, the Colts finally made it to the Super Bowl to face the Bears on a rainy night in Miami.  Things did not look good early as the Bears’ Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.  After a beautiful touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne cut the lead to 7-6, another Bears score made it 14-6.  A field goal by Adam Vinatieri and a touchdown run by Dominic Rhodes gave the Colts a 16-14 halftime lead.  After the halftime show performed by Prince, and after an exchange of second-half field goals made the score 22-17 Colts in the fourth quarter, Colts defensive back Kelvin Hayden put the game away by intercepting a pass from Bears quarterback Rex Grossman and returning it 56 yards for a touchdown and a 29-17 lead.  After another Colts interception, this time by Bob Sanders, they were able to chew up most of the clock.  The Bears, now needing two touchdowns to win anyway, ran out of time when they got the ball back, and the Colts finally had their Super Bowl victory.

Following the game, Peyton Manning was named Super Bowl MVP.  Meanwhile, Tony Dungy, who exemplified quiet but strong leadership as coach of the Colts, became the first African-American coach to win the Super Bowl and was able to use the moment as a platform to speak about his faith and about the right way to lead a team.  It was a special moment for a special team that Colts fans could be proud of.

To be honest, the game itself was a bit sloppy, with a heavy rain causing several turnovers by both teams.  But it was the Super Bowl, so not only does it belong on this list, it belongs toward the top of the list.  But there’s one game I have to rank ahead of this one…

1.  January 21, 2007, in Indianapolis.  THE GAME.  Colts 38, New England Patriots 34.  As special as the Super Bowl victory was, it would not have happened without their greatest victory of all time in the AFC Championship Game two weeks earlier against that team out east.  As every Colts fan knows, this game was the real Super Bowl that year.  Whichever team won this game would be favored to beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.  And it was only appropriate that the game to get them there was at home, against their hated rivals, against a team who had beaten them twice in the past three playoffs.  And, on a personal note, this was the first Colts game I ever attended.  May as well start big.

Things did not start off well.  After the Colts fell behind 21-3 in the second quarter, I was wondering what had possessed me to go to that game.  After an Adam Vinatieri field goal just before halftime made it 21-6, the events of the second half unfolded in true storybook fashion.  A quarterback sneak by Peyton Manning for a touchdown made it 21-13.  A touchdown pass to defensive lineman Dan Klecko, who was in the game as a receiver for some reason, made it 21-19.  A two-point conversion to Marvin Harrison tied the game at 21 in the third quarter.  After a controversial call gave the Patriots a touchdown they didn’t deserve because their receiver was out of bounds, the Colts tied the game again on a bizarre play in which center Jeff Saturday recovered his teammate’s fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.  After both teams traded field goals, another Patriots field goal gave them a 34-31 lead.  With two minutes left in the game, the Colts got the ball back with the game hanging in the balance.  Peyton Manning quickly led the team down the field in a career-defining drive, including a heart-stopping play in which Reggie Wayne had to recover his own fumble.  On third down from the 3-yard line with one minute remaining, Joseph Addai ran the ball in for the go-ahead touchdown as the crowd went absolutely crazy.  Vinatieri’s extra point made it 38-34, but now the Colts had to play defense.  With 24 seconds left and the Patriots at the 45-yard line, the Colts’ Marlin Jackson made the most memorable play in Colts history as he intercepted a pass from Tom Brady to cap the historic victory and spark celebrations all over Indiana.  Two weeks later, the victory was made even more complete with the Super Bowl win.

I hope you enjoyed this list.  If you’d like to know more about these games, feel free to do some research on them online.  If you’re a fellow Colts fan, I hope this brought back some good memories.  In fact, if you need some football to watch if and when the season eventually gets shut down, you can actually pull up most (if not all) of these games on YouTube and re-live the excitement.

Did I leave out any games that belong on this list?  Would you have ranked these games differently?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know.  Although, if you say I have #1 and #2 reversed, you’re wrong.  In the meantime, for all the bad that 2020 has given us, let’s at least hope it gives us a great season this year, and for Colts fans, necessitates a reason to update this list.