1995 Indianapolis Colts: A Magic Ride

The Colts hadn’t enjoyed a lot of success since owner Robert Irsary Sr. pulled his under-the-cover-of-darkness abandonment of Baltimore prior to the 1984 season. Since the relocation to Indianapolis, the Colts had only made the postseason in the strike-marred year of 1987. But with some veteran retreads nearing the end of the line, combined with a dynamic up-and-comer, the 1995 Indianapolis Colts not only got in the playoffs, their Cinderella run came within a play of the Super Bowl.

Jim Harbaugh was 32-years-old and had quarterbacked Mike Ditka’s Chicago Bears into several postseasons, although the fiery future head coach was more of a game manger within a system that emphasized defense. Harbaugh didn’t even open 1995 as the starter in Indy. But when he got the job, a career year was what followed.

Harbaugh made big plays—his 8.2 yards-per attempt was the best among NFL starting quarterbacks. He avoided mistakes—his 1.6 percent interception rate was also the league’s best. And he was efficient, with a 64 percent completion rate ranking fourth. When all was said and done, Harbaugh finished fourth in the MVP voting.

The coaching staff had its own veteran retreads. Ted Marchibroda had led the Colts to three straight division titles back in the Baltimore days, from 1975-77 and was turned to by Irsay to revive the franchise in the Midwest. He and Harbaugh both came to Indianapolis in 1994, and the Colts jumped from 4-12 to 8-8. The offensive coordinator was another veteran—Lindy Infante had been the OC for the excellent Cleveland Browns teams of the late 1980s, but washed out as a head coach in Green Bay. Working here in Indy was a chance for Infante to have his own revival.

Amidst the retreads was a dynamic 22-year-old running back named Marshall Faulk. The future Hall of Famer ran for nearly 1,100 yards, although his yards-per-rush was a spotty 3.7. Showcasing the versatility that would mark his great career, Faulk’s 56 receptions led the team.

Sean Dawkins was Harbaugh’s big-play target, catching 52 balls at better than 15 yards a pop. Ken Dilger finished with 42 catches and a tight end also exceeding 15 yards per catch was an eye-popper. Floyd Turner added 35 receptions. 

The offensive line was led by Pro Bowl left tackle Will Wolford. The Indianapolis offense wasn’t deep, so they didn’t blow out the scoreboard lights, and they only finished 17^th for points scored in a league that then had 30 teams. But they made enough big plays to win.

Indy’s defense was the opposite. There wasn’t great talent. No one made the Pro Bowl, and only defensive end Tony Bennett’s 10 ½ sacks even stands out. But coordinator Jim Johnson, who would eventually make a bigger name for himself in this same job in Philadelphia in the early 21^st century, oversaw a unit that would rank fifth in the league for points allowed.

The season started with Craig Erickson at quarterback. In a home game with the mediocre Cincinnati Bengals, Erickson threw three interceptions and dug the Colts a 21-10 hole. Harbaugh came off the bench and rallied the team into a 21-21 tie, but it ended with an overtime loss.

Erickson again got the start for a late afternoon kickoff in the Meadowlands against the lowly Jets. While he went 12/18 for 141 yards, Indianapolis still trailed 24-3. Harbaugh came off the bench. He went 11/16 for 123 yards. Bennett returned a fumble for a touchdown to reverse the momentum. Harbaugh tossed a couple of TD passes in the fourth quarter to tie it. Again, the Colts went to overtime. This time, they got a 27-24 win.

Harbaugh became the starter in Buffalo a week later. Faulk scored a touchdown both rushing and receiving, but Indianapolis couldn’t handle a good Bills’ defensive front. There was no running game, Harbaugh was sacked five times, and the result was a 20-14 loss. Indianapolis went into an early bye week at 1-2, with no one sure what to make of this team or its quarterback situation.

The Rams were in their first year in St. Louis and would stay in the playoff race until the final week. In front of the home crowd, Indianapolis toughened up in the trenches. Faulk ran for 177 yards. His three touchdowns included jaunts from 33 and 32 yards out. The Colt D held the Rams to 35 yards on the ground and they won the game 21-18.

A late afternoon road trip to Miami was next. For the second time in the still young season, Indianapolis fell behind 24-3. And for the second time, they rallied. Harbaugh finished the day 25/39 for 319 yards. He found Turner on a short touchdown pass. Then Harbaugh and Turner hooked up on a 47-yard scoring play. A 21-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Bailey tied the game. And an overtime field goal produced the 27-24 win.

The defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers came to Indianapolis. The Colt defensive front dominated. Six sacks, two by Trev Alberts, slowed the potent 49er attack. Dilger caught seven balls for 125 yards. An 18-17 upset moved the Colts to 4-2.

Indianapolis went west to face the Oakland Raiders. Although the Raiders ultimately missed the postseason, they played well the first three quarters of the season. Including here. While Harbaugh had a nice 16/25 for 202 yards game, the Colt secondary was susceptible to the deep passing game, and the result was a 30-17 loss.

That set up home divisional rematches with the Jets and Bills. Perhaps this is a good place to note for younger readers that prior to 2002, Indianapolis was in the AFC East along with that division’s four current teams. There was no South Division, and the playoff format was three division winners along with three wild-cards.

Indianapolis wasn’t sharp offensively against New York and Harbaugh only threw for 87 yards. But they didn’t make mistakes, and they produced the game’s biggest turnover—a 97-yard Pick-6 by Eugene Daniels that was the difference in a 17-10 win.

Buffalo, having reached four straight Super Bowls from 1990-93 before falling out of the playoffs in 1994, was back in contention and their visit was a big one. The Colts were outplayed, although red zone defense kept them in it. But losing two fumbles, and the turnover battle 3-0 doomed them in a 16-10 loss.

Offensive mediocrity continued in a road trip to New Orleans. While Faulk ran for 98 yards, there wasn’t enough production overall. A 17-14 loss to a subpar team dropped Indianapolis to 5-5.

A road trip to Foxboro loomed large. New England reached the playoffs in 1994 with Bill Parcells coaching and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback, but would slip under .500 this year. In a must-win spot, the Colts did everything well. Harbaugh went 20/26 for 232 yards. Faulk ran for 96 yards and caught eight passes. Dawkins’ four receptions went for over 100 yards. The defense produced five sacks. And the result was an impressive 24-10 win.

Miami was a contender and they came to Indianapolis on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Harbaugh only threw 18 times, but his 12 completions went for 180 yards. Faulk ran for 95 yards. The defense got after Dan Marino, sacking him four times with Bennett getting three of those. The Colts jumped out to a 24-6 lead by halftime and won comfortably, 36-28.

Indianapolis was heading into the home stretch at 7-5. They were only a game back of Buffalo in the AFC East, although losing the head-to=head tiebreaker would make the division title a heavy lift. But the Colts were second in the race for the three wild-cards spots. Oakland was 8-4, with Miami and Denver giving chase at 6-6, and San Diego and Seattle holding on at 5-7.

A road trip to Carolina seemed well-timed. The Panthers were in their first year of existence. Harbaugh threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Dawkins and Indy took an early 10-0 lead. Then disaster struck. Harbaugh was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. The rest of the afternoon went awry. The Colts lost the game 13-10 and they lost their quarterback for a week, as Harbaugh would have to undergo minor surgery.

Erickson got the start in what was now a huge game in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars were also in their first year of existence. Indianapolis needed a lift and Bailey gave it to them—a 95-yard kickoff return to open the game. Erickson played a clean game and there were no turnovers. Even though the Colts were outgained 424-219, the combination of efficient football and special teams delivered a 41-31 win.

Indianapolis, Miami, and Oakland were all 8-6, with San Diego, Denver, and Seattle all 7-7. The Colts had the tiebreaker on the Dolphins—and since divisional standings was where all tiebreaking procedures began, that was no small thing.

But a late afternoon home game with the Chargers was huge. San Diego had reached the Super Bowl in 1994 and was coming hard down the stretch. Harbaugh made big plays, with Dawkins catching six balls for 123 yards. But Harbaugh was also inefficient, with a final line of 20/43 for 285 yards. Indy’s defense gave up some big plays in the passing game. A 27-24 loss made a wild playoff race even more chaotic.

The Dolphins and Raiders also lost, so there were five teams—including the Chargers and Seahawks—all tied at 8-7 for the three spots. Indianapolis still had control of their destiny—if they beat New England at home on Saturday night, they were in. Otherwise, all bets were off going into Sunday.

It would be a defensive battle for the prime-time audience. Harbaugh was sacked six times. Faulk hurt his toe and had to leave. But Harbaugh also hung in under the pressure and went 20/30 for 225 yards. Lamont Warren came in for Faulk and ran for 90 yards. Most important, the defense stepped up. Bledsoe was intercepted three times, twice by Ashley Ambrose. Indy squeezed out a 10-7 win and secured their playoff berth.

After the dust settled the following day, they were the 5-seed and heading west for a rematch with San Diego in a New Year’s Eve game that would conclude Wild-Card Weekend. The Colts were a 5 ½ point underdog against a hot team. Faulk began the game by rushing for 16 yards on the first play—but he also reaggravated his toe injury. He was done for the year. This looked like a nice season that could now come to an end.

But this time, it was Zack Crockett who seized the moment in the backfield. Trailing 10-7 in the second quarter, Crockett ripped off a 33-yard touchdown run. Indianapolis led 14-10 at the half. The Chargers reclaimed the lead in the third quarter. Harbaugh answered with a 42-yard touchdown strike to Bailey. A San Diego field goal early in the fourth quarter had Indy clinging to a 21-20 lead.

Enter Crockett. He tore off a 66-yard touchdown run. The Colt defense would intercept four passes on the day, two by Jason Belser. Harbaugh added an insurance touchdown run and Indianapolis had a 35-20 win.

The Colts were headed for Kansas City. The Chiefs had gone 13-3 and were the 1-seed. Their head coach, Marty Schottenheimer, had a reputation for being snakebit in the playoffs. And that reputation’s signature moment came on this frigid late Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.

On a day that was (-15) with the windchill, Indianapolis trailed 7-0 in the second quarter. Harbaugh found Turner on a short touchdown pass to tie the game. The Colts got a field goal in the second quarter. The Chiefs kept coming, but Indy won the turnover battle 4-1. And three times, Kansas City missed makeable field goals. One of those came on the final play. An eight-point underdog, the Colts pulled an improbable 10-7 upset.

The magic took them to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship Game where the red-hot Steelers were an 11-point favorite. On a sunny early afternoon, Harbaugh played well—21/33 for 267 yards—and Indy clung to a 16-13 lead. Another shocker loomed. Pittsburgh, aided by a controversial catch-or-no-catch all on the sidelines in an era before instant replay, took a 20-16 lead with 1:34 to go. Harbaugh mounted one last drive.

Indianapolis reached the Pittsburgh 29-yard line, in time for one last play. Harbaugh threw it into the end zone. Bailey went up in the crowd, and the ball hit him in the chest. But amidst the chaos, it bounced out. At long last, the clock had struck midnight for Cinderella.

Marchibroda stepped down at the end of the season and Infante took the reins. The Colts had another run in them, making the playoffs again in 1996. They again lost in Pittsburgh—although this time in the wild-card round and decisively. The franchise wouldn’t get a true new beginning until Peyton Manning took them to the playoffs in 1999. But the magic of 1995 infused some life into the pro football culture of Indiana.