2004 Indianapolis Colts season
OwnerJim Irsay
General managerBill Polian
Head coachTony Dungy
Home fieldRCA Dome
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Broncos) 49–24
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Patriots) 3–20
Pro BowlersQB Peyton Manning
RB Edgerrin James
WR Marvin Harrison
OT Tarik Glenn
DE Dwight Freeney
Uniform

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

Free Agency

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

Main article: 2004 NFL draft
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

2004 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Josh Thomas Defensive end Syracuse
Ben Utecht Tight end Minnesota

Roster

Indianapolis Colts 2004 final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 8 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

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

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

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
AFC[6]
# 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]
  1. ^ a b Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami).
  3. ^ a b c Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head.
  4. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City).
  5. ^ a b Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ a b Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory.
  8. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Game summaries

Week 1: at New England Patriots

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 17 0724
Patriots 3 10 14027

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

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 0 72131
Titans 7 3 7017

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny
  • Game attendance: 68,932

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 14 3 7731
Colts 21 14 01045

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,280
  • TV announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Sideline Reporter)

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 3 7724
Jaguars 0 3 31117

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Sunny and Clear
  • Game attendance: 73,114

Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders

Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 7 0714
Colts 7 14 01435

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,230

Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 10 31427
Colts 0 14 01024

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 12:00 pm EST/11:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 56,615

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 14735
Chiefs 7 24 01445

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), Clear
  • Game attendance: 78,312

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Period 1 2 34Total
Vikings 0 6 81428
Colts 7 7 71031

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,307
  • TV announcers: Al Michaels, John Madden

Week 10: vs. Houston Texans

Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 7714
Colts 7 14 21749

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 56,511

Week 11: at Chicago Bears

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 20 14041
Bears 3 0 0710

at Soldier Field, Chicago

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), Partly Cloudy
  • Game attendance: 61,908

Week 12: at Detroit Lions

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 13 14 14041
Lions 6 3 009

at Ford Field, Detroit

  • Game time: 12:30 pm EST/11:30 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 63,107

Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans

Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 24 0 0024
Colts 17 14 101051

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,278

Week 14: at Houston Texans

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 14 0 3623
Texans 0 7 7014

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Clear
  • Game attendance: 70,762

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 3 14020
Ravens 3 0 7010

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 8:30 pm EST/7:30 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,240
  • TV: ESPN

Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers

Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 7 10 77031
Colts 0 9 715334

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,330
  • TV: CBS

Week 17: at Denver Broncos

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 0014
Broncos 7 13 10333

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

Further information: 2004–05 NFL playoffs
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

AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos

Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 3 14724
Colts 14 21 01449

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

  • Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
  • Game weather: Game played indoors
  • Game attendance: 56,609
  • TV: CBS

AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots

Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 3 003
Patriots 0 6 7720

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Game time: 4:45 pm EST/4:45 pm CST
  • Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), Cloudy, Cold, Snow
  • Game attendance: 68,756
  • TV: CBS

Awards and records

See also

References

  1. ^ Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
  2. ^ Ferraro, Michael X.; Veneziano, John (2007). Numbelievable!. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0.
  3. ^ Football Outsiders: QUARTERBACKS 2004
  4. ^ Football Outsiders: Final 2011 DVOA Ratings Stats calculated from 1992–2011
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Maxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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