# 1990 Indianapolis Colts season

The 1990 Indianapolis Colts season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and seventh in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses, and finished third in the AFC East division. Running back Eric Dickerson held out of training camp, during a contract dispute. The Colts suspended Dickerson four games for conduct detrimental to the team. He returned late in the season and rushed for 677 yards.
The Colts were embarrassed at home in week two by the putrid Patriots, losing 16–14 for New England's lone win of 1990.
On December 22, 1990, Monday Night Football was played two days early, on Saturday night. The 6–8 Colts played at home as underdogs against the Washington Redskins. Trailing 25–14 in the 4th quarter, rookie quarterback Jeff George led an improbable and spectacular comeback which included two touchdowns to tie the game with little time left. The Colts then intercepted Mark Rypien and returned the ball for the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts pulled off the upset in dramatic fashion with one of George's most memorable games of his career. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 1 | Jeff George | Quarterback | Illinois |
| 2 | 36 | Anthony Johnson | Running back | Notre Dame |
| 4 | 83 | Stacey Simmons | Wide receiver | Florida |
| 4 | 94 | Bill Schultz | Guard | USC |
| 4 | 103 | Alan Grant | Defensive back | Stanford |
| 4 | 106 | Rick Cunningham | Offensive tackle | Texas A&M |
| 6 | 148 | Tony Walker | Linebacker | Southeast Missouri State |
| 7 | 179 | James Singletary | Linebacker | East Carolina |
| 8 | 206 | Ken Clark | Tight End | Nebraska |
| 8 | 213 | Harvey Wilson | Defensive back | Southern |
| 9 | 232 | Darvell Huffman | Wide receiver | Boston University |
| 11 | 290 | Carnel Smith | Defensive end | Pittsburgh |
| 12 | 311 | Gene Benhart | Quarterback | Western Illinois |
| 12 | 316 | Dean Brown | Guard | Notre Dame |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance |
| 1 | September 9 | at Buffalo Bills | L 10–26 | 0–1 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | 78,899 |
| 2 | September 16 | New England Patriots | L 14–16 | 0–2 | Hoosier Dome | 49,256 |
| 3 | September 23 | at Houston Oilers | L 10–24 | 0–3 | Astrodome | 50,093 |
| 4 | September 30 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–23 | 1–3 | Veterans Stadium | 62,067 |
| 5 | October 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 23–19 | 2–3 | Hoosier Dome | 54,950 |
| 6 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 7 | October 21 | Denver Broncos | L 17–27 | 2–4 | Hoosier Dome | 59,850 |
| 8 | October 28 | Miami Dolphins | L 7–27 | 2–5 | Hoosier Dome | 59,213 |
| 9 | November 5 | New York Giants | L 7–24 | 2–6 | Hoosier Dome | 58,688 |
| 10 | November 11 | at New England Patriots | W 13–10 | 3–6 | Foxboro Stadium | 28,924 |
| 11 | November 18 | New York Jets | W 17–14 | 4–6 | Hoosier Dome | 47,283 |
| 12 | November 25 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–20 | 5–6 | Riverfront Stadium | 60,051 |
| 13 | December 2 | at Phoenix Cardinals | L 17–20 | 5–7 | Sun Devil Stadium | 38,043 |
| 14 | December 9 | Buffalo Bills | L 7–31 | 5–8 | Hoosier Dome | 53,268 |
| 15 | December 16 | at New York Jets | W 29–21 | 6–8 | Giants Stadium | 41,423 |
| 16 | December 22 | Washington Redskins | W 35–28 | 7–8 | Hoosier Dome | 58,173 |
| 17 | December 30 | at Miami Dolphins | L 17–23 | 7–9 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 59,547 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Buffalo Bills | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 428 | 263 | L1 |
| $^{(4)}$ Miami Dolphins | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 336 | 242 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 353 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–10 | 295 | 345 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 181 | 446 | L14 |

## Season summary
### Week 1 at Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bills | 3 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 26 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 59 °F or 15 °C
* Game attendance: 78,899
* Referee: Gerald Austin
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Cris Collinsworth
* Box Score, Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
BUF – Scott Norwood 24-yard field goal, 8:04. Bills 3–0.
IND – Dean Biasucci 24-yard field goal, 0:12. Tie 3–3.
Second quarter
BUF – Butch Rolle 3-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 5:14. Bills 10–3.
BUF – Scott Norwood 31-yard field goal, 1:58. Bills 13–3.
BUF – Scott Norwood 37-yard field goal, 0:08. Bills 16–3.
Third quarter
IND – Stanley Morgan 25-yard pass from Jeff George (Dean Biasucci kick), 6:38. Bills 16–10.
Fourth quarter
BUF – Scott Norwood 47-yard field goal, 6:08. Bills 19–10.
BUF – Thurman Thomas 6-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 1:37. Bills 26–10.
Top passers
IND – Jeff George – 13/24, 160 yards, TD
BUF – Jim Kelly – 28/37, 283 yards, TD
Top rushers
IND – Albert Bentley – 15 rushes, 50 yards
BUF – Thurman Thomas – 20 rushes, 84 yards, TD
Top receivers
IND – Stanley Morgan – 2 receptions, 47 yards, TD
BUF – Keith McKeller – 7 receptions, 78 yards :