1996 Indianapolis Colts: A Playoff Berth Amidst Change

After a surprise run to the AFC Championship Game in 1995, the Colts had to find a new coach. Ted Marchibroda, who had led this franchise to the postseason in both its Baltimore and Indianapolis iterations, called it a career. The front office tapped offensive coordinator Lindy Infante. While Infante had flamed out in a previous head coaching opportunity in Green Bay, he was also one of the game’s most respected offensive minds. And he got the 1996 Indianapolis Colts back to the playoffs.

A veteran quarterback named Jim Harbaugh was back under center. Harbaugh’s 57 percent completion rate was subpar, and his 6.5 yards-per-attempt was meager. But he stayed away from mistakes. While a 13-11 TD/INT ratio doesn’t sound like much to a modern audience, Harbaugh’s 2.7 interception rate ranked ninth among NFL starting quarterbacks.

Indy had a rising star at running back in Marshall Faulk, but nagging injuries kept him to 587 yards rushing at just three a pop. Faulk did catch 56 passes, showcasing the versatility that eventually made him an MVP with the St. Louis Rams in 2000. Another future Hall of Fame player in the early days of his career was wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who caught 64 balls for over 800 yards. Sean Dawkins added 54 catches and tight end Ken Dilger caught 42 more.

But Faulk and Harrison were both still too young, and there was no Pro Bowl talent anywhere else. The same was true on defense, where defensive end Tony Bennett (6 sacks) and free safety Jason Belcher (5 interceptions) were the only ones who came remotely close to being playmakers. The end result was an offense and defense that finished modestly below average. In a 30-team league they ranked 16^th and 18^th respectively in points scored/allowed.

Indianapolis opened the season at home with a so-so Arizona Cardinals team. Holding on to a 13-6 lead in the fourth quarter, Harbaugh hit Harrison with a 35-yard touchdown pass to put away the 20-6 win. A week later they went to the Meadowlands to play the woeful New York Jets. There was no running game to speak of, but Harbaugh was sharp—15/20 for 242 yards. Dilger caught seven balls for 156 yards. The Colts won 21-7.

That set up a trip to Dallas. The Cowboys were the defending champs and had won three of the prior four Super Bowls. To no one’s surprise, the day didn’t start out well. Indianapolis fell behind 21-3 and Harbaugh was sacked five times. To everyone’s surprise, the day ended dramatically. Harbaugh finished 19/28 for 244 yards. With the score 21-9, he hit tight end Marcus Pollard on a 48-yard touchdown strike, then found Dilger on an eight-yard scoring toss. The Colts shocked the NFL world with a 25-24 win.

Indianapolis came home to play the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The Dolphins were in their first year transitioning from Don Shula to Jimmy Johnson on the sidelines and would be on the playoff fringe. The Colts dominated up front, winning rush yardage 171-28 behind a balanced attack. They won a tough defensive battle, 10-6.

An early bye week arrived, and Indianapolis was soaring at 4-0. They looked the part of team ready to do what last year’s squad had come so close to pulling off—getting to a Super Bowl.

The AFC East that the Colts inhabited prior to the realignment of 2002 was stacked with contenders this year and the Buffalo Bills were one of them. Indianapolis went to Buffalo for a late afternoon kickoff. The offensive line was woeful, with no running game and Harbaugh getting sacked six times. The defense kept Indy in it, but they eventually dropped a 16-13 overtime decision for their first loss.

The 1996 season was the year pro football returned to Baltimore for the first time since the Colts left the city twelve years earlier. Thus, even though the Ravens were a bad team, their visit to Indianapolis got the Sunday Night stage. The Colts clung to a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter when linebacker Jeff Herrod sealed the deal with a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown. The final was 26-14.

New England was another AFC East contender, and they came to town next. The game started well enough with a couple of nice drives deep into Patriot territory. But they both ended in field goals and then the wheels came off. Indy lost four fumbles. Harbaugh had to leave the game with a broken nose. Paul Justin was sharp in relief, going 10/12 for 119 yards, but it was too late to salvage anything from a 27-9 loss.

The Colts went to the nation’s capital where the Redskins were riding high. While Washington was close to beginning a late season fade that would knock them from the playoffs, that fade didn’t start today. Indianapolis got crushed on the ground, losing rush yardage 215-100, and they lost 31-16.

After the fast start, Indy was now 5-3 and coming off consecutive decisive losses. Things didn’t get better when mediocre San Diego came to the Midwest. Harbaugh returned, but was sacked four times. The Colts fell behind 13-0 early and then chased the rest of the day in a 26-19 loss.

The slump got worse in Miami. Harbaugh threw a couple of interceptions and was eventually pulled. Indianapolis mustered just 33 yards rushing. They got crushed, 37-13.

A home game with the Jets was exactly what was needed, but the Colts still made that interesting. They trailed 29-26 in the fourth quarter. Forcing turnovers saved them. Indy’s defense got four interceptions, two by Eugene Daniels. They came up with a safety in the fourth quarter to go along with two field goals. The 34-29 win over the league’s’ worst team wasn’t inspiring, but it was a win.

On the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Indianapolis made an important trip to Foxboro and got pounded. They were outrushed 195-44, Harbaugh again got hurt, and the Colts fell to the Patriots 27-13. As we headed into the stretch drive, Indianapolis was 6-6 and flailing.

The AFC East was beyond reach, with Buffalo in the lead at 9-3 and New England at 8-4. The alignment and format of the era had three divisions per conference and three wild-cards. Kansas City was 8-4. San Diego was in the final spot at 7-5. Indianapolis, with the head-to-head tiebreaker against them, joined Miami and the old Houston Oilers (today’s Tennessee Titans) at 6-6 in giving chase.

A home date with the Bills called for maximum urgency. And Harbaugh wasn’t ready to come back yet. Justin would start this must-win game. The defense, with the burden on them, came to play. While they allowed a 95-yard touchdown pass in the first half, that was the only real lapse. Justin made frequent use of Faulk, and the back caught 10 passes for 78 yards. For the second time this year, Indianapolis went to overtime with Buffalo. This time, they got the win, 13-10.

There was good news elsewhere. San Diego lost, so the Colts, Oilers and Chargers were all tied for the final spot at 7-6. Jacksonville and the Oakland Raiders had nudged up to 6-7.

Indianapolis hosted the playoff-bound Philadelphia Eagles on the first Thursday Night in December. Justin was still starting. He met the moment, going 14/23 for 144 yards and no mistakes. Harrison caught six passes for 106 yards. Faulk had his best rushing game of the season, with 101 yards on 16 carries. The rout was on, and the Colts cruised to a 37-10 win.

Over the weekend, they watched San Diego and Houston lose. Indianapolis was now in pole position to make the playoffs at 8-6, with four 7-7 teams chasing them. The Colts were also creeping up on the Bills and Chiefs, who were each 9-5. The top wild-card would host a playoff game.

That was the backdrop of Indianapolis’ visit to Kansas City. It was a rematch of the previous year’s Divisional Round, when the Colts pulled a shocking upset. In the late afternoon TV window, Indy did it again in Arrowhead. Harbaugh was back in the lineup, and he hit Harrison with TD passes from 12 yards and 37 yards to get a quick 14-0 lead. When the lead was cut to 17-13, Harbaugh and Harrison hooked up for one more touchdown pass. Harbaugh finished 16/28 for 227 yards in a monstrous 24-13 win.

The Colts had not only clinched a playoff spot, but when Buffalo lost, Indianapolis moved to the top of the wild-card standings. They stood poised to host a playoff game. All that stood in their way was a home date with the Cincinnati Bengals.

But while the Bengals were a 7-8 team coming in, they had come on strong after a midseason coaching change. The game was tied 17-17 late when a wild sequence of events unfolded.

Cincinnati scored what looked to be the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to go. Then, Aaron Bailey struck back with a 95-yard kickoff return for a stunning touchdown that tied the game back up. Then the Bengals raced back down the field and not only scored but got in the end zone. Indianapolis suffered a dramatic 31-24 loss.

They were still in the playoffs, but were now the 6-seed, and were going on the road to play defending AFC champion Pittsburgh. Old Three Rivers Stadium was where the previous year’s season had ended. So it would be here.

It was a good first half. After falling behind 13-0, Daniels turned the tide with a 59-yard Pick-6. Harbaugh threw a short TD pass to Bailey and the Colts took a 14-13 lead into the locker room. But the problems up front were taking their toll. Harbaugh was sacked four times. Indy was outrushed 231-41. The defense couldn’t hold up. While they only trailed 21-14 after three quarters, the roof fell in during the final period, and it ended as a 42-14 loss.

Infante and Harbaugh came back for one more year, but the magic was gone in 1997, as the Colts collapsed to 3-13. Jim Mora was hired in 1998 as the team prepared to use the first pick in the draft to get a new quarterback—Peyton Manning, who would usher in a whole new era of Indianapolis Colts football.