The
2004 Indianapolis Colts season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
was the 52nd season for the team in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
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
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
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.
Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons ever by an NFL
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
(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
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award (NFL MVP) is an award given by various entities to the American football player who is considered the most valuable in the National Football League (NFL) during the regular season. Organizati ...
. 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.
Despite throwing 49 touchdown passes, Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career. Sports statistics site ''
Football Outsiders'' calculates that Manning had the best-ever season by a quarterback, play-for-play, in 2004.
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.
Offseason
Free Agency
During Free Agency, the Colts failed to re-sign linebacker
Marcus Washington
Marcus Cornelius Washington (born October 17, 1977) is a former American football linebacker. After completing his college career with Auburn he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was later sign ...
and cornerback
Walt Harris. Both signed with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in free agency.
NFL Draft
Undrafted free agents
Roster
Preseason
Schedule
Standings
Game summaries
Week 1: at New England Patriots
Week 2: at Tennessee Titans
Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week 10: vs. Houston Texans
Week 11: at Chicago Bears
Week 12: at Detroit Lions
Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 14: at Houston Texans
Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 17: at Denver Broncos
Postseason schedule
Postseason results
AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos
AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots
Awards and records
*
Peyton Manning,
Bert Bell AwardMaxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients
See also
* History of the Indianapolis Colts
*Indianapolis Colts seasons
The Indianapolis Colts, formerly the Baltimore Colts, are an American football team playing in the National Football League (NFL). This list documents the season-by-season records of the Colts franchise from to present, including postseason recor ...
*Colts–Patriots rivalry
The Colts–Patriots rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) National Football League rivalries, rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. It is considered one of the most famous rivalries in the NFL from the 2000s ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2004 Indianapolis Colts Season
Indianapolis Colts seasons
Indianapolis Colts
AFC South championship seasons
Colts