The
2021 season was 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 20 ...
' 69th 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 ma ...
(NFL) and their 38th in
Indianapolis. It was their fourth season under
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 Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich Jr. (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Maryland ...
and fifth under the leadership of general manager
Chris Ballard. Despite having 7
Pro Bowlers and 5 AP
All-Pro
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
s, the Colts failed to improve upon their 11–5 record from the previous season, after a Week 12 loss 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 ...
. The Colts were eliminated from the postseason in the final week of the season after a stunning loss to the 2–14
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
and the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...
beating the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
the same day.
Draft
Pre-draft trades
* The Colts traded their 3rd round pick in 2021 along with a conditional 2nd round pick in 2022 to the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
for quarterback
Carson Wentz
Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS n ...
.
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The Colts' preseason opponents and results are mentioned as below:
Regular season
Schedule
The Colts'
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
schedule was announced on May 12.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With their 8th straight season-opening defeat, the Colts started 0–1.
Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 3: at Tennessee Titans
With this loss, the Colts started 0-3 for the first time since
2011.
Week 4: at Miami Dolphins
Week 5: at Baltimore Ravens
Week 6: vs. Houston Texans
Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 9: vs. New York Jets
This was the first NFL game that ended in a 45–30 score, making a
scorigami.
Week 10: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
This was the Colts' second scorigami of the season, as a 41-15 score had never occurred in the NFL before.
Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 13: at Houston Texans
Week 15: vs. New England Patriots
With the win, the Colts improved to 8–6 and beat the Patriots for the first time since Week 10 of the
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
season.
Week 16: at Arizona Cardinals
Christmas Day games
Week 17: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 18: at Jacksonville Jaguars
In a shocking fashion, the Colts were upset by the 2-14 Jaguars thus ending their playoff hopes, as the Steelers won earlier that day.
Standings
Division
Conference
References
External links
*
{{2021 NFL season by team
Indianapolis
Indianapolis Colts seasons
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 20 ...