2020 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2020 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 68th in the National Football League and their 37th in Indianapolis. It was also their third season under head coach Frank Reich and fourth under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard. Long-time San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers signed a one-year contract worth $25 million on March 17, 2020, to take over as the team's starting quarterback, reuniting him with Frank Reich, who served as quarterbacks coach for the Chargers during the 2013 season.
2020 Indianapolis Colts season | |
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Owner | Jim Irsay |
General manager | Chris Ballard |
Head coach | Frank Reich |
Home field | Lucas Oil Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 11–5 |
Division place | 2nd AFC South |
Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Bills) 24–27 |
Pro Bowlers | G Quenton Nelson C Ryan Kelly OLB Shaquille Leonard |
AP All-Pros | LG Quenton Nelson (1st team) DT DeForest Buckner (1st team) LB Shaquille Leonard (1st team) ST George Odum (1st team) C Ryan Kelly (2nd team) LS Luke Rhodes (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
Despite giving the Jacksonville Jaguars their only win of the season in their season opener, the Colts improved upon their 7–9 season from the previous year with a Week 13 win over the Houston Texans and returned to the playoffs as a Wild Card as the 7th seed. The Colts finished tied with the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South division title, with an 11–5 record, but lost the tiebreaker based on record vs. division opponents (5–1 to 4–2). Before the season, the NFL decided to add a 7th team from each conference in the postseason. This proved to be a crucial decision, because had the NFL stuck with 6 teams per conference in the playoffs, the Colts would've joined the 1985 Broncos and 2008 Patriots as the only teams in NFL history to go 11-5 but fail to qualify for the playoffs. In the Wild Card, the Colts were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 27–24, marking the only time in his career Rivers lost in the Wild Card Round.
Following the season, Rivers announced his retirement on January 20, 2021, after 17 years in the league. After starting a total of 252 straight games and never missing a single start in his career, Rivers also retired as 2nd in the all-time consecutive starts list, only behind former long-time Packers quarterback Brett Favre. Rivers' retirement left Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks as the new longest active leader for consecutive starts by a quarterback.
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 34 | Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | USC | from Washington Redskins |
41 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | Wisconsin | from Cleveland Browns | |
3 | 85 | Julian Blackmon | S | Utah | from Philadelphia Eagles via Detroit Lions |
4 | 122 | Jacob Eason | QB | Washington | |
5 | 149 | Danny Pinter | G | Ball State | from Detroit Lions |
6 | 193 | Robert Windsor | DT | Penn State | |
211 | Isaiah Rodgers | CB | UMass | from New York Jets via Kansas City Chiefs | |
212 | Dezmon Patmon | WR | Washington State | from New England Patriots | |
213 | Jordan Glasgow | LB | Michigan | from New England Patriots |
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
Preseason
The Colts' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lucas Oil Stadium | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
2 | August 24 | Washington Football Team | Lucas Oil Stadium | |
3 | August 29 | at Buffalo Bills | New Era Field | |
4 | September 3 | at Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium |
Regular season
Schedule
The Colts' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[1]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 13 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 20–27 | 0–1 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap |
2 | September 20 | Minnesota Vikings | W 28–11 | 1–1 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 27 | New York Jets | W 36–7 | 2–1 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 4 | at Chicago Bears | W 19–11 | 3–1 | Soldier Field | Recap |
5 | October 11 | at Cleveland Browns | L 23–32 | 3–2 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 31–27 | 4–2 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
7 | Bye | |||||
8 | November 1 | at Detroit Lions | W 41–21 | 5–2 | Ford Field | Recap |
9 | November 8 | Baltimore Ravens | L 10–24 | 5–3 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | at Tennessee Titans | W 34–17 | 6–3 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 22 | Green Bay Packers | W 34–31 (OT) | 7–3 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 29 | Tennessee Titans | L 26–45 | 7–4 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 6 | at Houston Texans | W 26–20 | 8–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 13 | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 44–27 | 9–4 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 20 | Houston Texans | W 27–20 | 10–4 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 27 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 24–28 | 10–5 | Heinz Field | Recap |
17 | January 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 28–14 | 11–5 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
Jaguars | 0 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: September 13
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 80 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 14,100
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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The Colts failed to win in Week 1 for the seventh consecutive season, dating back to 2014. In addition, they also suffered their sixth consecutive road loss to the Jaguars. This was the Jaguars only win of the season.
Week 2: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
Colts | 0 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 28 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 20
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 2,500
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando, Robert Smith and Sarah Kustok
- Preview, Game Book
Game information | ||
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This game marked the team's 300th home win in franchise history. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins struggled immensely, throwing 3 interceptions, just 113 yards and 11 completions on 26 attempts, and a passer rating of 15.9
Week 3: vs. New York Jets
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Colts | 7 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 36 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 27
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 79 °F (26 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 7,480
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Philip Rivers reached 400 touchdowns and 60,000 passing yards for his career. Sam Darnold threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns by Colts defensive backs, and was sacked in the end zone for a safety.
Week 4: at Chicago Bears
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: October 4
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Partly cloudy, 52 °F (11 °C)
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon and Amanda Balionis
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 5: at Cleveland Browns
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
Browns | 3 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 32 |
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 11
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 11,759
- Referee: Scott Novak
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Colts | 0 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 18
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 12,453
- Referee: Land Clark
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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After trailing 0–21 in the second quarter, the Colts outscored the Bengals 31–6 to improve to 4–2 entering their bye week. The 21-point deficit is the largest comeback in a home regular season game in franchise history. It was also Philip Rivers' largest comeback win since 2006, coincidentally also against the Bengals, also Rivers' first year as a starting quarterback.
Week 8: at Detroit Lions
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 20 | 0 | 21 | 41 |
Lions | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: November 1
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 500
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Michael Grady
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 9: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
Colts | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 8
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 76 °F (24 °C) (retractable roof open)
- Game attendance: 12,200
- Referee: Adrian Hill
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 10: at Tennessee Titans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 3 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
Titans | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: November 12
- Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/7:20 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Clear, 56 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 13,949
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Amazon Prime): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 7 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
Colts | 7 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 34 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 22
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 12,495
- Referee: Shawn Hochuli
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 14 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 45 |
Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 26 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Game information | ||
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Week 13: at Houston Texans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 14 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
Texans | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Game information | ||
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Week 14: at Las Vegas Raiders
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 44 |
Raiders | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
- Date: December 13
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 15: vs. Houston Texans
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
Colts | 14 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: December 20
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 9,992
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon and Jay Feely
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Week 16: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: December 27
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 37 °F (3 °C)
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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Initially seeded within the AFC playoff race, the Week 16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers knocked the Colts to the first seed outside looking in.[2]
Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Colts | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 28 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: January 3, 2021
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
- Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 9,976
- Referee: Shawn Smith
- TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Sherree Burruss
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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As one of five AFC teams with a 10–5 record entering Week 17, the Colts were on the outside of the playoff picture until the Miami Dolphins fell to the Buffalo Bills earlier in the afternoon. The Colts held on for a 28–14 win to avoid being swept by the otherwise winless Jaguars. With the win and the Houston Texans' loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Colts finished the season with an 11–5 record and were eliminated from contention for the division title, but clinched the seventh and final wild card slot in the expanded NFL playoffs.
Division
AFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Tennessee Titans | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 491 | 439 | W1 |
(7) Indianapolis Colts | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 451 | 362 | W1 |
Houston Texans | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 384 | 464 | L5 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–5 | 1–11 | 306 | 492 | L15 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 4–2 | 10–2 | .465 | .464 | L1 |
2 | Buffalo Bills | East | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .512 | .471 | W6 |
3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .475 | .448 | L1 |
4[lower-alpha 1] | Tennessee Titans | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .475 | .398 | W1 |
Wild Cards | |||||||||||
5[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] | Baltimore Ravens | North | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .494 | .401 | W5 |
6[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] | Cleveland Browns | North | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .451 | .406 | W1 |
7[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 4] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .443 | .384 | W1 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8 | Miami Dolphins | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .467 | .347 | L1 |
9 | Las Vegas Raiders | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .539 | .477 | W1 |
10[lower-alpha 5] | New England Patriots | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .527 | .429 | W1 |
11[lower-alpha 5] | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .482 | .344 | W4 |
12 | Denver Broncos | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .566 | .388 | L3 |
13 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .529 | .438 | L1 |
14 | Houston Texans | South | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .541 | .219 | L5 |
15 | New York Jets | East | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .594 | .656 | L1 |
16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .549 | .688 | L15 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 6] | |||||||||||
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Postseason
Schedule
Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | January 9, 2021 | at Buffalo Bills (2) | L 24–27 | 0–1 | Bills Stadium | Recap |
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (2) Buffalo Bills
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Bills | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Bills Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Date: January 9, 2021
- Game time: 1:05 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 34 °F (1 °C)
- Game attendance: 6,772
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
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In what would become quarterback Philip Rivers' last game in the NFL, the Colts fell to the Bills by a final score of 27–24 despite coming back from a 24–10 fourth-quarter deficit. Rivers threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and led another drive to the Bills' 47-yard line in the final two minutes, but the Colts were unable to score on the drive, sealing the win for the Bills.
References
- Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- "2020 NFL Playoff Picture, Scenarios, and Standings". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.