# 2004 Indianapolis Colts season

The 2004 Indianapolis Colts season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and 21st in Indianapolis. The 2004 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their 12–4 record from 2003, and advance further into the playoffs. The Colts finished the season 12–4, and defeated the Denver Broncos for the second straight time in the playoffs, but they were halted in the Divisional round by the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, their second straight loss in the playoffs to them.
Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback (and the best season of his Indianapolis career), throwing 49 touchdown passes and breaking the previous record of 48 held by Dan Marino. At season's end, Peyton Manning was named the NFL MVP. For the season the Colts set an NFL record with 51 total touchdown passes. The Colts led the NFL with 522 points scored. The Colts tallied more points in the first half of each of their games of the 2004 season (277 points) than seven other NFL teams managed in the entire season.
Despite throwing 49 touchdown passes, Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career. Sports statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that Manning had the best-ever season by a quarterback, play-for-play, in 2004.
The 2004 Colts are the only team in NFL history to convert five or more passing touchdowns in a game four different times during the regular season.

## Offseason
### Free Agency

During Free Agency, the Colts failed to re-sign linebacker Marcus Washington and cornerback Walt Harris. Both signed with the Washington Redskins in free agency.

### NFL Draft

2004 Indianapolis Colts draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 2 | 44 | Bob Sanders * | Safety | Iowa | from Pittsburgh |
| 3 | 68 | Ben Hartsock | Tight end | Ohio State | from Cleveland |
| 3 | 69 | Gilbert Gardner | Linebacker | Purdue | from Atlanta |
| 4 | 107 | Kendyll Pope | Linebacker | Florida State | from Pittsburgh |
| 4 | 125 | Jason David | Cornerback | Washington State | from Philadelphia via Atlanta |
| 5 | 141 | Jake Scott | Guard | Idaho | from Cleveland |
| 6 | 173 | Von Hutchins | Cornerback | Mississippi | from Cleveland |
| 6 | 193 | Jim Sorgi | Quarterback | Wisconsin | |
| 7 | 229 | David Kimball | Kicker | Penn State | from St Louis |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2004 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Josh Thomas | Defensive end | Syracuse |
| Ben Utecht | Tight end | Minnesota |

## Preseason

| Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | NFL Recap |
| August 14, 2004 | at San Diego Chargers | W 21–17 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| August 21, 2004 | New York Jets | L 7–31 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| August 28, 2004 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–17 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| September 3, 2004 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 13–16 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | NFL Recap |
| 1 | September 9 | at New England Patriots | L 24–27 | 0–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | at Tennessee Titans | W 31–17 | 1–1 | The Coliseum | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 45–31 | 2–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–17 | 3–1 | Alltel Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | Oakland Raiders | W 35–14 | 4–1 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 6 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 7 | October 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24–27 | 4–2 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 35–45 | 4–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | Minnesota Vikings | W 31–28 | 5–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | Houston Texans | W 49–14 | 6–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | at Chicago Bears | W 41–10 | 7–3 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 12 | November 25 | at Detroit Lions | W 41–9 | 8–3 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | Tennessee Titans | W 51–24 | 9–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | at Houston Texans | W 23–14 | 10–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | Baltimore Ravens | W 20–10 | 11–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 16 | December 26 | San Diego Chargers | W 34–31 (OT) | 12–3 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 17 | January 2 | at Denver Broncos | L 14–33 | 12–4 | Invesco Field | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

## Standings

AFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 522 | 351 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 261 | 280 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 309 | 339 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 344 | 439 | W1 |
AFC
viewtalkedit :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .484 | .479 | W14 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .478 | W2 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .500 | .458 | L1 |
| 4 | San Diego Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .411 | W1 |
| Wild cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .523 | .406 | L2 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .484 | .450 | W2 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .479 | W1 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .472 | W1 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .382 | L1 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .543 | .453 | W2 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .504 | .402 | L1 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .509 | L1 |
| 13 | Oakland Raiders | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .450 | L2 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .463 | W1 |
| 15 | Miami Dolphins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .555 | .438 | L1 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .590 | .469 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami). 1 2 3 Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head. 1 2 Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City). 1 2 Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory. 1 2 Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

## Game summaries
### Week 1: at New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Patriots | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
* Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), Cloudy, warm, and humid
* Game attendance: 68,756
* TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels, John Madden

### Week 2: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
| Titans | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny
* Game attendance: 68,932

### Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Colts | 21 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 45 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,280
* TV announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Sideline Reporter)

#### Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: October 3
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 85°, relative humidity 62%, wind 5 mph, wind chill 0
* Game attendance: 55,770
* Referee: Walt Anderson

### Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Colts | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,230

#### Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
| Colts | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: October 24
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 56,615
* Referee: Terry McAulay
A fumble by Colts' TE Dallas Clark allowed the Jaguars to capitalize with a field goal, giving them a 16–14 lead as the fourth quarter began. In response, Manning led the Colts down the field to score a field goal, reclaiming the lead. On the subsequent drive, Leftwich connected with Smith for a 25–yard touchdown and then successfully targeted WR Ernest Wilford for a two–point conversion. The Colts quickly answered back, with Manning finding Harrison for a 39–yard touchdown that leveled the score. During the Jaguars' next possession, Leftwich completed two passes of over 10 yards, advancing into Indianapolis territory. On a 3rd–and–7, Leftwich located Wilford, which positioned the Jaguars within field goal range. K Josh Scobee then successfully converted a 53–yard field goal, allowing the Jaguars to take the lead with under a minute left in the game. With no timeouts left, the Colts were unable to mount a comeback, resulting in a 27–24 victory for the Jaguars, marking their first win in Indianapolis. This win propelled them to the top of the AFC South standings. This would ultimately be the Colts' sole defeat in their RCA Dome that season.

### Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 45 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), Clear
* Game attendance: 78,312

### Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 28 |
| Colts | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,307
* TV announcers: Al Michaels, John Madden

### Week 10: vs. Houston Texans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Colts | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 56,511

### Week 11: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
| Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), Partly Cloudy
* Game attendance: 61,908

### Week 12: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 13 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 41 |
| Lions | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at Ford Field, Detroit
* Game time: 12:30 pm EST/11:30 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 63,107

### Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| Colts | 17 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 51 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,278

### Week 14: at Houston Texans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 14 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Clear
* Game attendance: 70,762

### Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| Ravens | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 8:30 pm EST/7:30 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,240
* TV: ESPN

### Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Colts | 0 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 34 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 57,330
* TV: CBS

### Week 17: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Broncos | 7 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 33 |
at Invesco Field, Denver
* Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
* Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), Cloudy
* Game attendance: 75,149
* TV announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

## Postseason schedule

| Playoff round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Host stadium | NFL recap |
| Wild Card | January 9 | Denver Broncos (6) | W 49–24 | 1–0 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| Divisional | January 16 | at New England Patriots (2) | L 3–20 | 1–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |

## Postseason results
### AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
| Colts | 14 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 49 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis
* Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
* Game weather: Game played indoors
* Game attendance: 56,609
* TV: CBS

### AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Patriots | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
* Game time: 4:45 pm EST/4:45 pm CST
* Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), Cloudy, Cold, Snow
* Game attendance: 68,756
* TV: CBS

## Awards and records

* Peyton Manning, Bert Bell Award