Best Indianapolis Colts Teams of All Time

This team was special in many ways. First, the Colts were seeking revenge for their 11-1-2 1967 record but were denied a playoff berth. Second, Johnny Unitas was sidelined throughout the season, but the Colts' Don Shula had Earl Morrall as their quarterback. Morrall led the Colts to their best record in team history (13-1) and was named NFL MVP, with Shula as NFL Coach of the Year.

Third, the Colts were more than just Morrall. They had all-pros in Tom Matte, John Mackey, Willie Richardson, and Bob Vogel. On defense, they had Fred Miller, Mike Curtis, and Bobby Boyd. What a Colts team that was.

The 2005 Colts started the season 13-0 en route to the best record in the NFL. They won 12 games in which they never trailed at any time, still an NFL record. Eight players made the Pro Bowl, including the famed duo of Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Also in the Pro Bowl were Edgerrin James, Tarik Glenn, Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, Cato June, and Bob Sanders. This team eventually paved the way for their amazing 2006 World Championship season.

It was the peak of the Colts' championship era that began in 1958 on a warm December day in New York. It ended on January 17, 1971, on a nice sunny day in Miami, with no threat of storms. Super Bowl V was called the Blooper Bowl by many of America's leading newspapers when the Super Bowl was played during the daytime.

At that time, the Colts were Baltimore's team. How ironic that their World Championship was three months after the Baltimore Orioles captured the only world championship Earl Weaver ever had. A Colts team frozen in time.

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Many thought this was a rebuilding Colts team with Jim Caldwell as the new head coach. However, some of the core from the 2006 World Championship team was still there. The Colts won their first 14 games of the season to secure the best record in the NFL that season.

In the postseason, Peyton Manning, along with Pro Bowlers Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney, and Antoine Bethea, led the Colts to convincing wins over the Ravens. They also gained revenge against the Jets, who ended the Colts' perfect season in Game 15, en route to Super Bowl XLIV. A great season.

The first Baltimore Sports World Championship team was led by the legendary coach Weeb Ewbank. It was like a dream team, including Lenny Moore, Raymond Berry, Jim Parker, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti, Don Joyce, Gene Lipscomb, Fuzzy Thurston, Johnny Sample, and some guy named Johnny Unitas.

The Colts' 9-3 record earned them the NFL Championship and a place in Colts history. When Alan Ameche scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime, the Colts were world champions.

The Colts were primed and ready for another championship. In this year, one man stands above the rest: Johnny Unitas. In this record-breaking season, Unitas threw for 32 touchdowns. This was the only time in the NFL's first 40 years that any passer threw for 30 or more touchdown passes in a 12-game season.

The Colts also led the league in offensive and defensive passer ratings en route to the Championship game rematch against the New York Giants. Trailing 9-7 in the fourth period, the Colts scored 24 unanswered points and cruised to a second straight world championship.

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If you want to learn more about the 1995 Colts team that surprised the football world, look for this team as one of the 10 best Cinderella NFL teams in the 90s on The Top Tens. In terms of honors for this team, Marshall Faulk rushed for 1,000 yards, while quarterback Jim Harbaugh earned honors as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and led the league in passer rating with 100.7.

Although they did not play on ABC's Monday Night Football that season, they did play once on ESPN's Sunday Night Football.

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It was a season no one saw coming. The Colts rebounded from a 2-12 season to a 10-4 record and a division title. They dropped four of their first five games and then won nine straight to end the season. It was called The Miracle on 33rd Street.

Led by QB Bert Jones along with Pro Bowlers George Kunz, Lydell Mitchell, and John Dutton, and Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year Ted Marchibroda, the Colts stampeded through the season. They beat the Miami Dolphins twice and, at home in week 14, beat the New England Patriots 34-21 to become the new AFC East Division Champions.

Appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the Pro Football Preview issue was a good sign, and that's what happened to Bert Jones and the Colts. For Jones, it was his best year ever as he walked away with the NFL MVP. The Colts won 11 games and the division title, and then they ran into the Steelers.

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It was the end of an era. Just one year after their third world championship, the Colts were an aging team while the Miami Dolphins were young, hungry, and ready for their future. The Colts had one more run in their hope for their fourth World Championship.

In week 13, they beat the Miami Dolphins 14-3 and thought they were ready for the AFC East Title. However, they lost one week later to the New England Patriots and settled for a wild card berth. Still, one last great moment for the Colts happened when they beat the Browns in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, 20-3.

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The 1977 team marked the beginning of the end of the Colts' dominance in the AFC East. General Manager Joe Thomas was fired before the season began, something that would haunt the team in the future.

On the field, Lydell Mitchell gained 1,159 yards, while Bert Jones continued to produce great numbers. His tight end Raymond Chester caught 31 passes. The Colts beat the Dolphins in Week 14 to capture their third straight AFC East Title. However, after losing to the Oakland Raiders in the Divisional Playoffs, the Colts went into a decline and did not have another playoff visit until 1987.

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