The

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

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 pol ...

was the franchise's 63rd season 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 the 32nd in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, surpassing the 31 seasons they played in their original home city of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. It was also the fourth season under the trio of

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Chuck Pagano Charles David Pagano (born October 2, 1960) is a former American football coach and player. Pagano spent six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017. He also served as the defensiv ...

, general manager

Ryan Grigson Ryan Grigson (born February 23, 1972) is an American football executive who is the senior vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).. From 2012 to 2016, he served as the general manager of ...

and

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 ...

Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his c ...

. The Colts entered the 2015 season as the defending

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 2002 s ...

champions after compiling an 11–5 record before falling to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in a

controversial Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite ...

AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

matchup. After a week 8 loss to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

, the Colts fired offensive coordinator

Pep Hamilton Alfonza "Pep" Hamilton (born September 19, 1974) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Char ...

and elevated associate head coach

Rob Chudzinski Robert Matthew Chudzinski (born May 12, 1968) is an American football coach who is currently the special assistant to the head coach of the Boston College Eagles. Chudzinski was the offensive coordinator for several National Football League (N ...

to replace him. The Colts failed to improve from their three consecutive 11–5 records and finished the season at 8–8. They lost the division to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and only the fourth time since 1998. This was their first time to lose to the Houston Texans at home since the Texans entered the NFL in 2002.

2015 draft class

Source

/small> Draft trades * Indianapolis traded their second and fourth-round selections (No. 61 and 128, respectively) to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in exchange for Tampa's third and fourth-round selections (No. 65 and 109, respectively). * Indianapolis traded their fifth and seventh-round selections (No. 165 and 244, respectively) to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in exchange for San Francisco's fifth-round selection (No. 151). * Indianapolis acquired an additional sixth-round selection (No. 207 overall) in a trade that sent

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Marcus Burley Marcus Burley (born July 16, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Delaware. Early life Burley attended High ...

to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. * Indianapolis traded their original seventh-round selection (No. 246 overall) to the

in exchange for

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Cam Johnson Cameron Johnson (born May 24, 1990) is a former American football outside linebacker and defensive end. He was a two-sport star at Gonzaga College High School (basketball and football) in Washington, DC. He then played college football at Virg ...

. * Indianapolis acquired an additional seventh-round selection (No. 244 overall) in a trade that sent

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Caesar Rayford Caesar Rayford (born March 4, 1986) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the BC Lions, Spokane Shock, Utah Blaze, Jacksonville Sharks, Calgary Stampeders, Mont ...

to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

Undrafted free agents

Source

/small>

Roster moves

Free agents

Additions

Departures

Staff

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Buffalo Bills

With the loss, the Colts fell to 0–1.

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

With the upset loss, the Colts fell to 0–2 for the second straight year.

Week 3: at Tennessee Titans

After leading 14–0 in the first half, the Titans would score 27 unanswered points to take a 27–14 lead. However, the Colts would own the fourth quarter, as they outscored Tennessee 21–6. The Titans had a chance to tie the game after pulling within 35–33, but the 2-point attempt failed, and the Colts held on for the win. With the win, the Colts improved to 1–2 and picked up their 8th straight win over the Titans.

Week 4: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Due to an injured shoulder, Andrew Luck missed the first game of his career, and was replaced by 40-year-old veteran

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the sixth round ...

, who avoided any turnovers and led the Colts to a 16–13 win in overtime. Jacksonville kicker

Jason Myers Jason Myers (born May 12, 1991) is an American football placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marist. Professional career Arena Football League In the 2014 season, Myers spent ...

would miss 3 game-winning field goal attempts at the end of the fourth quarter and one in overtime.

Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kick ...

would nail the game winner in overtime to give Indianapolis the win. With the win, the Colts evened their record at 2–2.

Week 5: at Houston Texans

Despite a Hail Mary being thrown at the end of the first half, the Colts still managed to hold on for the win. With their 3rd straight win, the Colts improved to 3–2, and set a new NFL record for most consecutive wins against division opponents with 16.

Week 6: vs. New England Patriots

This game was notorious for a terrible playcall by the Colts, now known as the Colts Catastrophe. With the Colts trailing 27–21 late in the 3rd quarter, Pagano opted to run a scrimmage play using special teams on 4th and 3 on the Colts' 37-yard line. However, a bizarre formation resulted in a Patriots tackle for loss, Colts turnover, and a flag for illegal formation. The Patriots easily scored a touchdown on the next drive and went on to win the game by 7 points, 34–27. The playcall was universally criticized and was considered by many to be the worst play in NFL history.

Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints

In the Super Bowl rematch between the two teams, the Saints started the first half, dominating the Colts 20–0, which stunned Indy's home crowd. The Colts looked for answers in the second half, but Andrew Luck struggled to find open receivers and he was intercepted twice on defense.

Week 8: at Carolina Panthers

The Colts traveled to Charlotte to take on Cam Newton and his undefeated Carolina Panthers, looking to hang their first loss on them. After struggling much in the first half, the Colts answered back in the fourth quarter. However, it wasn't enough to stop the Panthers in overtime and the Colts would lose 29–26.

Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...

returned to Indianapolis for the final time. Late in the fourth quarter, with the Colts leading 27–24, they looked to extend the lead on a field goal by Adam Vinatieri, but it was overturned and the Colts still won 27–24. With the win, the Colts went to 4–5, while the Broncos suffered their first loss and dropped to 7–1. However, two days later, Andrew Luck was hospitalized with a lacerated kidney along with an abdominal injury. He ended up missing the rest of the season, putting more pressure on veteran backup

, who was 2–0 in 2 starts due to Luck's previous injury.

Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons

The Colts would trail 21–7 late in the third quarter, but they would fight back to tie the game at 21 after

D'Qwell Jackson D'Qwell Jackson (; born September 26, 1983) is a former American football inside linebacker who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the s ...

returned an interception at the Atlanta 6-yard line for a touchdown. The Colts would then later on march down the field to win it with an

field goal with 52 seconds left. With the win, the Colts improved to 5–5. They also improved to 14–2 all time against the Falcons.

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the win, the Colts improved to 6–5 and remained in the playoff hunt.

Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Colts would suffer an embarrassing loss on national television to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers would lead for the majority of the game, and the Colts could not get into any rhythm. With the loss, the Colts fell to 6–6.

Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts would lead 13–3, but Jacksonville would outscore Indianapolis 48–3 from then on. With the loss, the Colts fell to 6–7 and lost to a divisional opponent for the first time since

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, snapping their NFL record 16-game winning streak in division play.

Week 15: vs. Houston Texans

This, notably, is the Colts' first loss to the Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium since the latter team began play in 2002.

Week 16: at Miami Dolphins

With the win, the Colts improved to 7–8. This was

's final career game.

Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans

With the win, the Colts ended their season at 8–8 and won their 9th straight game against the Titans.