The 1991Indianapolis Coltsseason was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and eighth in Indianapolis. The team was looking to improve on the 7–9 record they had recorded in 1990. Instead, the Colts put together a campaign that ranked as one of the worst in NFL history.[1]
The Colts only recorded one victory in sixteen games, becoming the fourth team since the extension of the NFL’s regular season to sixteen games to suffer this ignominy. To date it is their worst full season record in the entire history of the franchise, and the second worst overall record in team history, beaten only by the 1982 Baltimore Colts squad, where the team failed to record a victory in the strike-shortened season and finished at 0–8–1.
The Colts’ poor performance cost sixth-year head coach Ron Meyer his job after the Colts’ fifth consecutive loss to open the season. Meyer had been with the Colts since Week 14 in 1986, when he replaced the fired Rod Dowhower after the Colts had lost their first thirteen games of the season. Defensive coordinator Rick Venturi was promoted to interim head coach; he would lead the team to its only win, a one-point victory over the New York Jetson the road. The 1991 Colts are one of three 1–15 teams to win their lone game by one point; the others are the 1980 New Orleans Saints and 2000 San Diego Chargers.
The Colts scored the fewest points up to that point (143)[note 1] of any team in NFL history in a sixteen-game schedule,[note 2] scoring in the single digits in 11 games. The Colts never scored more than 28 points in any game (doing so in their lone victory), scored less than ten points eleven times, were shut out twice, and failed to score one single touchdown in nine of their sixteen games, which remains the largest proportion of games without scoring a touchdown since the 1977 “Zero Gang” Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not score a touchdown in eight of fourteen games.[2] Statistics site Football Outsiders said of the Colts 1991 season:
It’s the flipside of [Super Bowl champion] Washington; the Colts were the worst offense and defense in the league in the second half of close games, and the worst offense in the league in the first quarter.[3]
Their futility was mentioned in a Thanksgiving edition of Bill Swerski's Superfans, a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch. The four characters, all Chicago Bears fans, commented on how some cities aren't as fortunate as Chicago to have a good football team, citing Indianapolis as an example. Coincidentally, six days before the skit aired, the Bears defeated the Colts 31–17 at Indianapolis.[4] Ironically, however, the Colts would defeat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, 15 years later.
The Colts were victorious only once in the regular season, finishing last in the AFC East, and their fifteen losses tied an NFL record that was initially set by the 1980 New Orleans Saints and tied by the 1989 Dallas Cowboys and 1990 New England Patriots in the previous two NFL seasons. The 1991 Colts had a much weaker schedule to play than either the 1990 Patriots or 1989 Cowboys, playing eleven games against teams with non-winning records,[6] as against only five for the 1990 Patriots and four for the 1989 Cowboys.[7] The Colts lost nine consecutive games to start the season before rallying to defeat the playoff-bound New York Jets by a single point in Week 11. The win against their division rivals came at Giants Stadium; the Colts went 0–8 in the Hoosier Dome. (Incidentally, the Jets would become the next team to finish 1–15, doing so five years later.)
Since the Colts finished with the worst record in the NFL, they won the right to draftSteve Emtman, a defensive lineman from Washington whose career was derailed by injuries. It would take them until 1995 to reach the playoffs again, and the Colts did not become consistently successful until Peyton Manning joined the team near the end of the 1990s.
Jim Kelly and Frank Reich managed just thirteen completions, but four of them were touchdowns as the Bills romped in 35–7. Jeff George was benched after completing just 83 yards and Mark Herrmann was even worse, throwing three interceptions. The win secured the #1 playoff seed for the Bills.
Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneersedit
Week Seventeen: Indianapolis Colts (1–14) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2–13)
^"In a single season, from 1940 to 2017, in the Regular Season, requiring Touchdowns = 0, sorted by most games in season matching criteria". Pro Football Reference.
^Schatz, Aaron. . Football Outsiders. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023.
^Bill Swerski's Super Fans: Thanksgiving - SNL (Video). Saturday Night Live. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
^"1991 Indianapolis Colts (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
^1991 Indianapolis Colts against opponent with non-winning record
^1989 Dallas Cowboys against opponent with non-winning record
^"Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts — November 17th, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^"Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers — November 24th, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^"Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts — December 1st, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^"Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots — December 8th, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
^"Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts — December 15th, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
^"Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — December 22nd, 1991". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
January 01, 1970
1991, indianapolis, colts, season, 39th, season, team, national, football, league, eighth, indianapolis, team, looking, improve, record, they, recorded, 1990, instead, colts, together, campaign, that, ranked, worst, history, ownerjim, irsaygeneral, managerjim,. The 1991 Indianapolis Colts season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League NFL and eighth in Indianapolis The team was looking to improve on the 7 9 record they had recorded in 1990 Instead the Colts put together a campaign that ranked as one of the worst in NFL history 1 1991 Indianapolis Colts seasonOwnerJim IrsayGeneral managerJim IrsayHead coachRon MeyerRick Venturi interim Home fieldHoosier DomeResultsRecord1 15Division place5th AFC EastPlayoff finishDid not qualifyPro BowlersNone 1990 Colts seasons 1992 The Colts only recorded one victory in sixteen games becoming the fourth team since the extension of the NFL s regular season to sixteen games to suffer this ignominy To date it is their worst full season record in the entire history of the franchise and the second worst overall record in team history beaten only by the 1982 Baltimore Colts squad where the team failed to record a victory in the strike shortened season and finished at 0 8 1 The Colts poor performance cost sixth year head coach Ron Meyer his job after the Colts fifth consecutive loss to open the season Meyer had been with the Colts since Week 14 in 1986 when he replaced the fired Rod Dowhower after the Colts had lost their first thirteen games of the season Defensive coordinator Rick Venturi was promoted to interim head coach he would lead the team to its only win a one point victory over the New York Jets on the road The 1991 Colts are one of three 1 15 teams to win their lone game by one point the others are the 1980 New Orleans Saints and 2000 San Diego Chargers The Colts scored the fewest points up to that point 143 note 1 of any team in NFL history in a sixteen game schedule note 2 scoring in the single digits in 11 games The Colts never scored more than 28 points in any game doing so in their lone victory scored less than ten points eleven times were shut out twice and failed to score one single touchdown in nine of their sixteen games which remains the largest proportion of games without scoring a touchdown since the 1977 Zero Gang Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not score a touchdown in eight of fourteen games 2 Statistics site Football Outsiders said of the Colts 1991 season It s the flipside of Super Bowl champion Washington the Colts were the worst offense and defense in the league in the second half of close games and the worst offense in the league in the first quarter 3 Their futility was mentioned in a Thanksgiving edition of Bill Swerski s Superfans a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch The four characters all Chicago Bears fans commented on how some cities aren t as fortunate as Chicago to have a good football team citing Indianapolis as an example Coincidentally six days before the skit aired the Bears defeated the Colts 31 17 at Indianapolis 4 Ironically however the Colts would defeat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI 15 years later Contents 1 Offseason 1 1 NFL Draft 2 Personnel 2 1 Staff 2 2 Roster 3 Preseason 4 Regular season 4 1 Schedule 4 2 Game summaries 4 2 1 Week 1 vs New England Patriots 4 2 2 Week 2 at Miami Dolphins 4 2 3 Week 3 at Los Angeles Raiders 4 2 4 Week 4 vs Detroit Lions 4 2 5 Week 5 at Seattle Seahawks 4 2 6 Week 6 vs Pittsburgh Steelers 4 2 7 Week 7 at Buffalo Bills 4 2 8 Week 8 vs New York Jets 4 2 9 Week 10 vs Miami Dolphins 4 2 10 Week 11 at New York Jets 4 2 11 Week 12 vs Chicago Bears 4 2 12 Week 13 at Green Bay Packers 4 2 13 Week 14 vs Cleveland Browns 4 2 14 Week 15 at New England Patriots 4 2 15 Week 16 vs Buffalo Bills 4 2 16 Week 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 3 Standings 5 See also 6 Notes 7 ReferencesOffseason editNFL Draft edit Main article 1991 NFL Draft Round Pick Player Position School Club Team 2 40 Shane Curry Defensive end Miami FL 3 69 Dave McCloughan Defensive back Colorado 4 96 Mark Vander Poel Offensive tackle Colorado 5 125 Kerry Cash Tight end Texas 6 152 Mel Agee Defensive end Illinois 7 181 James Bradley Wide receiver Michigan State 8 208 Tim Bruton Tight end Missouri 9 236 Howard Griffith Running back Illinois 10 263 Frank Giannetti Nose tackle Penn State 11 292 Jerry Crafts Offensive tackle Louisville 12 319 Rob Luedeke Center Penn StatePersonnel editStaff edit 1991 Indianapolis Colts staff Front office President treasurer Robert Irsay Vice president general manager Jim Irsay Assistant general manager Bob Terpening Director of player personnel Jack Bushofsky Head coaches Head coach Ron Meyer Rick Venturi Assistant head coach offensive line Bill Muir Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator quarterbacks Leon Burtnett Running backs Sylvester Croom Receivers Milt Jackson Tight ends Brad Seely Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator linebackers Rick Venturi Defensive line Steve Furness Secondary George Catavolos Special teams coaches Special teams Brad Seely Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning Tom Zupancic Roster edit 1991 Indianapolis Colts final roster Quarterbacks 11 Jeff George 9 Mark Herrmann 12 Rusty Hilger Running backs 32 Ken Clark 29 Eric Dickerson 44 Tim Manoa FB 34 Bruce Perkins Wide receivers 80 Bill Brooks 84 Jessie Hester 85 Darvell Huffman 86 Sammy Martin KR 83 Clarence Verdin KR PR Tight ends 81 Pat Beach LS 88 Bob Mrosko Offensive linemen 62 Brian Baldinger C G 63 Brian Blados G T 71 Kevin Call T 66 Chris Conlin G 69 Randy Dixon G 75 Irv Pankey T 64 Darin Shoulders T 72 Mark Vander Poel G Defensive linemen 90 Mel Agee DE NT 76 Sam Clancy DE 91 Shane Curry DE 95 Travis Davis NT 78 Jon Hand DE 98 Tony Siragusa NT Linebackers 51 Chip Banks OLB 50 Duane Bickett OLB 54 Jeff Herrod ILB 59 Matt Jaworski ILB 56 Brian Jones ILB 96 Quintus McDonald OLB ILB 97 Scott Radecic ILB 92 Tony Walker OLB Defensive backs 31 Michael Ball SS 36 John Baylor SS 38 Eugene Daniel CB 37 Chris Goode CB 26 Alan Grant CB 25 Cornell Holloway CB 42 Dave McCloughan CB 39 Mike Prior FS 27 Keith Taylor FS Special teams 4 Dean Biasucci K 3 Rohn Stark P Reserve lists 20 Albert Bentley FB IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 48 Tim Bruton TE IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 88 Kerry Cash TE IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 53 Ray Donaldson C IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp Mark Garalczyk DE IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 23 Anthony Johnson FB IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 73 Zefross Moss T G IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 74 Bill Schultz G IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 99 Donnell Thompson DE IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 68 Pat Tomberlin G IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 10 Jack Trudeau QB IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp 58 Matt Vanderbeek OLB IRTooltip Injured reserve nbsp Practice squad 18 Eddie Britton WR 21 Brian Lattimore RB 89 Reggie Thornton WR Rookies in italics 47 active 12 inactive 3 practice squadPreseason editWeek Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 2 at Denver Broncos L 3 10 0 1 Mile High Stadium 75 375 2 August 10 Seattle Seahawks L 7 17 0 2 Hoosier Dome 47 943 3 August 17 New Orleans Saints W 34 28 1 2 Hoosier Dome 45 963 4 August 23 at Philadelphia Eagles L 21 23 1 3 Veterans Stadium 52 687 5 Regular season editThe Colts were victorious only once in the regular season finishing last in the AFC East and their fifteen losses tied an NFL record that was initially set by the 1980 New Orleans Saints and tied by the 1989 Dallas Cowboys and 1990 New England Patriots in the previous two NFL seasons The 1991 Colts had a much weaker schedule to play than either the 1990 Patriots or 1989 Cowboys playing eleven games against teams with non winning records 6 as against only five for the 1990 Patriots and four for the 1989 Cowboys 7 The Colts lost nine consecutive games to start the season before rallying to defeat the playoff bound New York Jets by a single point in Week 11 The win against their division rivals came at Giants Stadium the Colts went 0 8 in the Hoosier Dome Incidentally the Jets would become the next team to finish 1 15 doing so five years later Since the Colts finished with the worst record in the NFL they won the right to draft Steve Emtman a defensive lineman from Washington whose career was derailed by injuries It would take them until 1995 to reach the playoffs again and the Colts did not become consistently successful until Peyton Manning joined the team near the end of the 1990s Schedule edit Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1 New England Patriots L 7 16 0 1 Hoosier Dome 49 961 2 September 8 at Miami Dolphins L 6 17 0 2 Joe Robbie Stadium 51 155 3 September 15 at Los Angeles Raiders L 0 16 0 3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 40 287 4 September 22 Detroit Lions L 24 33 0 4 Hoosier Dome 53 396 5 September 29 at Seattle Seahawks L 3 31 0 5 Kingdome 56 656 6 October 6 Pittsburgh Steelers L 3 21 0 6 Hoosier Dome 55 383 7 October 13 at Buffalo Bills L 6 42 0 7 Rich Stadium 79 015 8 October 20 New York Jets L 6 17 0 8 Hoosier Dome 53 025 9 Bye 10 November 3 Miami Dolphins L 6 10 0 9 Hoosier Dome 55 899 11 November 10 at New York Jets W 28 27 1 9 Giants Stadium 44 792 12 November 17 Chicago Bears L 17 31 1 10 Hoosier Dome 60 519 13 November 24 at Green Bay Packers L 10 14 1 11 Milwaukee County Stadium 42 132 14 December 1 Cleveland Browns L 0 31 1 12 Hoosier Dome 57 539 15 December 8 at New England Patriots L 17 23 OT 1 13 Foxboro Stadium 20 131 16 December 15 Buffalo Bills L 7 35 1 14 Hoosier Dome 48 286 17 December 22 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 3 17 1 15 Tampa Stadium 28 043 Note Intra division opponents are in bold text Game summaries edit Week 1 vs New England Patriots edit Week One New England Patriots 0 0 at Indianapolis Colts 0 0 Period 1 2 34TotalPatriots 7 3 3316Colts 7 0 007 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday September 1 1991Game time 4 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome Referee Dale Hamer 8 Team Category Player Statistics NWE Passing Tommy Hodson 13 18 136 yards TD Rushing Leonard Russell 24 rushes 72 yards Receiving Irving Fryar 4 receptions 57 yards IND Passing Jeff George 27 42 301 yards TD 2 INT Rushing Eric Dickerson 15 rushes 64 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 4 receptions 89 yards TD Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NWE IND 1 Patriots Marv Cook 23 yard touchdown reception from Tommy Hodson Jason Staurovsky kick good 7 0 1 Colts Bill Brooks 24 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 7 7 2 Patriots 35 yard field goal by Jason Staurovsky 10 7 3 Patriots 39 yard field goal by Jason Staurovsky 13 7 4 Patriots 36 yard field goal by Jason Staurovsky 16 7 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 16 7 Week 2 at Miami Dolphins edit Week Two Indianapolis Colts 0 1 at Miami Dolphins 0 1 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 3 036Dolphins 3 0 7717 at Joe Robbie Stadium Date Sunday September 8 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 82 F 27 8 C relative humidity 77 wind 9 miles per hour 14 km h 7 8 kn 9 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 17 31 98 yards Rushing Eric Dickerson 19 rushes 60 yards Receiving Albert Bentley 7 receptions 42 yards MIA Passing Dan Marino 14 25 147 yards TD INT Rushing Mark Higgs 27 rushes 111 yards Receiving Tony Paige 5 receptions 53 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP IND MIA 1 Dolphins 48 yard field goal by Charlie Baumann 0 3 2 Colts 48 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 3 3 3 Dolphins Aaron Craver 7 yard touchdown run Charlie Baumann kick good 3 10 4 Colts 21 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 6 10 4 Dolphins Jim Jensen 9 yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino Charlie Baumann kick good 6 17 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 6 17 Week 3 at Los Angeles Raiders edit Week Three Indianapolis Colts 0 2 at Los Angeles Raiders 1 1 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 0 000Raiders 0 13 3016 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Date Sunday September 15 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 66 F 18 9 C relative humidity 77 wind 9 miles per hour 14 km h 7 8 kn 10 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 21 32 220 yards Rushing Eric Dickerson 20 rushes 77 yards Receiving Anthony Johnson 10 receptions 89 yards RAI Passing Jay Schroeder 13 22 181 yards TD Rushing Roger Craig 19 rushes 57 yards Receiving Mervyn Fernandez 7 receptions 90 yards TD Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP TB NYJ 2 Raiders Mervyn Fernandez 16 yard touchdown reception from Jay Schroeder Jeff Jaeger kick good 0 7 2 Raiders 33 yard field goal by Jeff Jaeger 0 10 2 Raiders 41 yard field goal by Jeff Jaeger 0 13 3 Raiders 33 yard field goal by Jeff Jaeger 0 16 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 0 16 Week 4 vs Detroit Lions edit Week Four Detroit Lions 2 1 at Indianapolis Colts 0 3 Period 1 2 34TotalLions 0 7 161033Colts 10 0 01424 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday September 22 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 11 Team Category Player Statistics DET Passing Rodney Peete 17 23 167 yards 2 INT Rushing Barry Sanders 30 rushes 179 yards 2 TD Receiving Brett Perriman 6 receptions 63 yards IND Passing Jeff George 29 40 348 yards 2 TD INT Rushing Eric Dickerson 13 rushes 17 yards TD Receiving Anthony Johnson 9 receptions 105 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DET IND 1 Colts Eric Dickerson 2 yard rush yard touchdown run Dean Biasucci kick good 0 7 1 Colts 20 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 0 10 2 Lions Rodney Peete 7 yard rush yard touchdown run Eddie Murray kick good 7 10 3 Lions Barry Sanders 2 yard touchdown run Eddie Murray kick good 14 10 3 Lions Eric Dickerson tackled in end zone for a safety by Jerry Ball 16 10 3 Lions Willie Green 11 yard touchdown reception from Erik Kramer Eddie Murray kick good 23 10 4 Lions 19 yard field goal by Eddie Murray 26 10 4 Colts Eric Dickerson 2 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 26 17 4 Lions Barry Sanders 23 yard touchdown run Eddie Murray kick good 33 17 4 Colts Jessie Hester 12 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 33 24 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 33 24 Week 5 at Seattle Seahawks edit Week Five Indianapolis Colts 0 4 at Seattle Seahawks 1 3 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 3 003Seahawks 7 10 7731 at Kingdome Date Sunday September 29 1991Game time 4 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 12 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 17 31 144 yards 2 INT Rushing Eric Dickerson 13 rushes 42 yards Receiving Clarence Verdin 4 receptions 44 yards SEA Passing Jeff Kemp 7 10 56 yards TD Rushing John L Williams 17 rushes 80 yards TD Receiving John L Williams 5 receptions 41 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP IND SEA 1 Seahawks John L Williams 6 yard touchdown run John Kasay kick good 0 7 2 Seahawks 41 yard field goal by John Kasay 0 10 2 Seahawks Punt returned 59 yards for touchdown by Chris Warren John Kasay kick good 0 17 2 Colts 54 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 3 17 3 Seahawks Tommy Kane 7 yard touchdown reception from Jeff Kemp John Kasay kick good 3 24 4 Seahawks Derrick Fenner 10 yard touchdown run John Kasay kick good 3 31 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 3 31 Week 6 vs Pittsburgh Steelers edit Week Six Pittsburgh Steelers 2 2 at Indianapolis Colts 0 5 Period 1 2 34TotalSteelers 0 0 71421Colts 0 3 003 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday October 6 1991Game time 8 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 13 Team Category Player Statistics PIT Passing Bubby Brister 13 16 181 yards 2 TD 2 INT Rushing Barry Foster 12 rushes 49 yards Receiving Chris Calloway 3 receptions 71 yards IND Passing Jeff George 22 28 191 yards Rushing Eric Dickerson 13 rushes 24 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 6 receptions 79 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PIT IND 2 Colts 19 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 0 3 3 Steelers Eric Green 21 yard touchdown reception from Bubby Brister Gary Anderson kick good 7 3 4 Steelers Barry Foster 24 yard touchdown reception from Bubby Brister Gary Anderson kick good 14 3 4 Steelers Merril Hoge 1 yard touchdown run Gary Anderson kick good 21 3 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 21 3 Week 7 at Buffalo Bills edit Week Seven Indianapolis Colts 0 6 at Buffalo Bills 5 1 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 6 006Bills 14 14 7742 at Rich Stadium Date Sunday October 13 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 44 F 6 7 C relative humidity 78 wind 10 miles per hour 16 km h 8 7 kn 14 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 22 33 168 yards INT Rushing Ken Clark 19 rushes 44 yards Receiving Jessie Hester 5 receptions 59 yards BUF Passing Frank Reich 6 7 76 yards 2 TD INT Rushing Thurman Thomas 20 rushes 117 yards 2 TD Receiving Keith McKeller 3 rushes 34 yards TD Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP IND BUF 1 Bills Thurman Thomas 14 yard touchdown run Scott Norwood kick good 0 7 1 Bills Carwell Gardner 3 yard touchdown run Scott Norwood kick good 0 14 2 Colts 26 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 3 14 2 Colts 29 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 6 14 2 Bills Thurman Thomas 7 yard touchdown run Scott Norwood kick good 6 21 2 Bills Keith McKeller 5 yard touchdown reception from Frank Reich Scott Norwood kick good 6 28 3 Bills James Lofton 11 yard touchdown reception from Frank Reich Scott Norwood kick good 6 35 4 Bills Kenneth Davis 78 yard touchdown run Scott Norwood kick good 6 42 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 6 42 Week 8 vs New York Jets edit Week Eight New York Jets 3 4 at Indianapolis Colts 0 7 Period 1 2 34TotalJets 7 7 3017Colts 0 6 006 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday October 20 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 15 Team Category Player Statistics NYJ Passing Ken O Brien 14 19 205 yards TD INT Rushing Brad Baxter 20 rushes 59 yards TD Receiving Rob Moore 4 receptions 96 yards TD IND Passing Jeff George 14 22 107 yards Rushing Anthony Johnson 10 rushes 51 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 4 receptions 31 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NYJ IND 1 Jets Rob Moore 47 yard touchdown reception from Ken O Brien Pat Leahy kick good 7 0 2 Colts 42 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 7 3 2 Jets Brad Baxter 1 yard touchdown run Pat Leahy kick good 14 3 2 Colts 34 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 14 6 3 Jets 19 yard field goal by Pat Leahy 17 6 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 17 6 Week 10 vs Miami Dolphins edit Week Ten Miami Dolphins 3 5 at Indianapolis Colts 0 8 Period 1 2 34TotalDolphins 10 0 0010Colts 0 3 306 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday November 3 1991Game time 4 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 16 Team Category Player Statistics MIA Passing Dan Marino 21 37 231 yards TD Rushing Sammie Smith 14 rushes 49 yards Receiving Mark Duper 3 receptions 64 yards TD IND Passing Jeff George 18 34 189 yards INT Rushing Eric Dickerson 17 rushes 63 yards Receiving Jessie Hester 7 receptions 90 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIA IND 1 Dolphins Mark Duper 12 yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino Pete Stoyanovich kick good 7 0 1 Dolphins 35 yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich 10 0 2 Colts 47 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 10 3 3 Colts 25 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 10 6 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 10 6 Week 11 at New York Jets edit Week Eleven Indianapolis Colts 0 9 at New York Jets 5 4 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 7 21028Jets 7 7 7627 at Giants Stadium East Rutherford New Jersey Date Sunday November 10 1991Game time 1 00 p m Game weather Rain 40 F 4 4 C wind 22 miles per hour 35 km h 19 kn wind chill 31 F or 0 6 C 17 Game information First quarter Jets Brad Baxter 4 yard run Pat Leahy kick Jets 7 0 Second quarter Jets Chris Burkett 15 yard pass from Ken O Brien Pat Leahy kick Jets 14 0 Colts Jessie Hester 49 yard pass from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick Jets 14 7 Third quarter Colts Clarence Verdin 88 yard kickoff return Dean Biasucci kick 14 14 Jets Brad Baxter 1 yard run Pat Leahy kick Jets 21 14 Colts Jessie Hester 7 yard pass from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick 21 21 Colts Bill Brooks 7 yard pass from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick Colts 28 21 Fourth quarter Jets Pat Leahy 22 yard field goal Colts 28 24 Jets Pat Leahy 25 yard field goal Colts 28 27 Colts Jeff George 16 26 296 yards 3 TD 2 INT Ken Clark 20 rushes 50 yards Jessie Hester 5 receptions 100 yards 2 TD Jets Ken O Brien 23 36 329 yards TD Blair Thomas 11 rushes 58 yards Al Toon 6 receptions 93 yards Week 12 vs Chicago Bears edit Chicago Bears 8 2 at Indianapolis Colts 1 9 Period 1 2 34TotalBears 7 3 14731Colts 7 3 0717 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday November 17 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 18 Team Category Player Statistics CHI Passing Jim Harbaugh 18 32 287 yards 2 TD INT Rushing Brad Muster 15 receptions 101 yards TD Receiving Anthony Morgan 1 reception 84 yards TD IND Passing Jeff George 16 33 176 yards 2 TD Rushing Ken Clark 11 rushes 67 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 7 rushes 106 yards TD Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CHI IND 1 Colts Jessie Hester 4 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 0 7 1 Bears Jim Harbaugh 6 yard touchdown run Kevin Butler kick good 7 7 2 Bears 21 yard field goal by Kevin Butler 10 7 2 Colts 56 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 10 10 3 Bears Brad Muster 13 yard touchdown reception from Jim Harbaugh Kevin Butler kick good 17 10 3 Bears Anthony Morgan 84 yard touchdown reception from Jim Harbaugh Kevin Butler kick good 24 10 4 Colts Bill Brooks 9 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 24 17 4 Bears Brad Muster 9 yard touchdown run Kevin Butler kick good 31 17 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 31 17 Week 13 at Green Bay Packers edit Week Thirteen Indianapolis Colts 1 10 at Green Bay Packers 2 9 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 3 0710Packers 7 0 7014 at Milwaukee County Stadium Date November 24 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 28 F 2 2 C relative humidity 80 wind 18 miles per hour 29 km h 16 kn wind chill 16 F 8 9 C 19 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 21 40 184 yards TD INT Rushing Ken Clark 19 rushes 51 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 10 receptions 70 yards TD GNB Passing Mike Tomczak 5 17 50 yards Rushing Darrell Thompson 15 rushes 63 yards Receiving Jackie Harris 1 reception 19 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP IND GNB 1 Packers Vince Workman 1 yard touchdown run Chris Jacke kick good 0 7 2 Colts 35 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 3 7 3 Packers Mike Tomczak 2 yard touchdown run Chris Jacke kick good 3 14 4 Colts Bill Brooks 6 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 10 14 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 10 14 Week 14 vs Cleveland Browns edit Week Fourteen Cleveland Browns 5 7 at Indianapolis Colts 1 11 Period 1 2 34TotalBrowns 3 28 0031Colts 0 0 000 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday December 1 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome 20 Team Category Player Statistics CLE Passing Bernie Kosar 18 23 189 yards TD Rushing Kevin Mack 9 rushes 69 yards TD Receiving Leroy Hoard 6 receptions 74 yards IND Passing Jeff George 10 21 100 yards 2 INT Rushing Eric Dickerson 16 rushes 117 yards Receiving Jessie Hester 4 receptions 66 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CLE IND 1 Browns 41 yard field goal by Matt Stover 3 0 2 Browns Kevin Mack 3 yard touchdown reception from Bernie Kosar Matt Stover kick good 10 0 2 Browns Kevin Mack 51 yard touchdown run Matt Stover kick good 17 0 2 Browns Leroy Hoard 2 yard touchdown run Matt Stover kick good 24 0 2 Browns Interception returned 20 yards for touchdown by James Jones Matt Stover kick good 31 0 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 31 0 Week 15 at New England Patriots edit Week Fifteen Indianapolis Colts 1 12 at New England Patriots 4 9 Period 1 2 34OTTotalColts 0 14 30017Patriots 3 0 014623 at Foxboro Stadium Date Sunday December 8 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 44 F 6 7 C relative humidity 66 wind 14 miles per hour 23 km h 12 kn 21 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 15 24 159 yards TD Rushing Eric Dickerson 30 rushes 53 yards TD Receiving Bill Brooks 6 receptions 85 yards NWE Passing Hugh Millen 21 40 330 yards 2 TD 2 INT Rushing Leonard Russell 20 rushes 82 yards Receiving Greg McMurtry 8 receptions 119 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP TB NYJ 1 Patriots 24 yard field goal by Charlie Baumann 0 3 2 Colts Jessie Hester 13 yard touchdown reception from Jeff George Dean Biasucci kick good 7 3 2 Colts Eric Dickerson 1 yard touchdown run Dean Biasucci kick good 14 3 3 Colts 40 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 17 3 4 Patriots John Stephens 1 yard touchdown run Charlie Baumann kick good 17 10 4 Patriots Ben Coates 2 yard touchdown reception from Hugh Millen Charlie Baumann kick good 17 17 OT Patriots Michael Timpson 45 yard touchdown reception from Hugh Millen Charlie Baumann kick not attempted end of game 17 23 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 17 23 Week 16 vs Buffalo Bills edit Week 16 Buffalo Bills 12 2 at Indianapolis Colts 1 13 Period 1 2 34TotalBills 21 7 0735Colts 0 0 077 at Hoosier Dome Date Sunday December 15 1991Game time 8 00 p m ESTGame weather Indoors dome Game attendance 48 286Referee Dale HamerTV announcers ESPN Sunday Night Football Mike Patrick and Joe Theisman 22 Team Category Player Statistics BUF Passing Jim Kelly 9 11 119 yards 3 TD Rushing Kenneth Davis 22 rushes 90 yards TD Receiving Andre Reed 4 receptions 65 yards TD IND Passing Mark Herrmann 11 19 137 yards 3 INT Rushing Ken Clark 21 rushes 74 yards Receiving Jessie Hester 5 receptions 77 yards Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BUF IND 1 Bills Kenneth Davis 1 yard touchdown run Scott Norwood kick good 7 0 1 Bills James Lofton 11 yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly Scott Norwood kick good 14 0 1 Bills Kenneth Davis 14 yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly Scott Norwood kick good 21 0 2 Bills Andre Reed 23 yard touchdown reception from Jim Kelly Scott Norwood kick good 28 0 4 Colts Tim Manoa 1 yard touchdown run Dean Biasucci kick good 28 7 4 Bills Pete Metzelaars 4 yard touchdown reception from Frank Reich Scott Norwood kick good 35 7 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 35 7 Jim Kelly and Frank Reich managed just thirteen completions but four of them were touchdowns as the Bills romped in 35 7 Jeff George was benched after completing just 83 yards and Mark Herrmann was even worse throwing three interceptions The win secured the 1 playoff seed for the Bills Week 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit Week Seventeen Indianapolis Colts 1 14 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 13 Period 1 2 34TotalColts 0 3 003Buccaneers 0 7 7317 at Tampa Stadium Date Sunday December 22 1991Game time 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 63 F 17 2 C relative humidity 72 wind 5 miles per hour 8 0 km h 4 3 kn 23 Team Category Player Statistics IND Passing Jeff George 20 37 203 yards Rushing Tim Manoa 4 rushes 30 yards Receiving Bill Brooks 7 receptions 76 yards TB Passing Vinny Testaverde 15 31 168 yards TD 3 INT Rushing Reggie Cobb 24 rushes 87 yards Receiving Mark Carrier 3 receptions 60 yards TD Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP IND TB 2 Colts 39 yard field goal by Dean Biasucci 3 0 2 Buccaneers Mark Carrier 29 yard touchdown reception from Vinny Testaverde Steve Christie kick good 3 7 3 Buccaneers Lawrence Dawsey 9 yard touchdown run Steve Christie kick good 3 14 4 Buccaneers 28 yard field goal by Steve Christie 3 17 TOP time of possession For other American football terms see Glossary of American football 3 17 Standings edit AFC East viewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK 1 Buffalo Bills 13 3 0 813 7 1 10 2 458 318 L1 6 New York Jets 8 8 0 500 4 4 6 6 314 293 W1 Miami Dolphins 8 8 0 500 4 4 5 7 343 349 L2 New England Patriots 6 10 0 375 4 4 5 9 211 305 L1 Indianapolis Colts 1 15 0 063 1 7 1 11 143 381 L6See also editHistory of the Indianapolis Colts List of Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts Patriots rivalryNotes edit The 1991 Colts total is now second lowest of all time behind the 140 points the Seattle Seahawks put up in 1992 The league switched from a 14 to a 16 game schedule in 1978 References edit The 25 Worst NFL Teams of All Time Complex Networks In a single season from 1940 to 2017 in the Regular Season requiring Touchdowns 0 sorted by most games in season matching criteria Pro Football Reference Schatz Aaron 1991 DVOA Ratings and Commentary Football Outsiders Archived from the original on June 3 2023 Bill Swerski s Super Fans Thanksgiving SNL Video Saturday Night Live September 25 2013 Archived from the original on December 21 2021 Retrieved June 12 2020 1991 Indianapolis Colts NFL Pro Football Archives Retrieved November 3 2023 1991 Indianapolis Colts against opponent with non winning record 1989 Dallas Cowboys against opponent with non winning record New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts September 1st 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins September 8th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Raiders September 15th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts September 22nd 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks September 29th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts October 6th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills October 13th 1991 Pro Football Reference com New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts October 20th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts November 3rd 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets November 10th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts November 17th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers November 24th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts December 1st 1991 Pro Football Reference com Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots December 8th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts December 15th 1991 Pro Football Reference com Retrieved July 29 2020 Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers December 22nd 1991 Pro Football Reference com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1991 Indianapolis Colts season amp oldid 1223027024, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
