2010 Indianapolis Colts season The 2010 Indianapolis Colts season was the 58th season for the team in the National Football League , the 27th in Indianapolis , and the second under head coach Jim Caldwell . Though the Colts failed to win 12 or more games for the first time since 2002 , the team did win the AFC South division title for the seventh time in eight seasons , but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs . 2010 NFL Draft . Having finished the season as the runner – up in the Super Bowl , the Colts held the 31st pick in each round . They had previously traded their sixth – round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a seventh – round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft . Game notes . Week 1 : at Houston Texans . The Colts began their season at Reliant Stadium in an AFC South duel against the Houston Texans . Indianapolis started the season going 3 - and - out on their first offensive possession of the new year . The Texans got good field position with a big punt return from Jacoby Jones to set up a 30 - yard field goal to give them a 3 – 0 lead . The offense continued to struggle throughout the first half , getting two first downs on the next drive , however , eventually having to punt . The Texans continued to show energy on both offense and defense by scoring two more time , a field goal and a touchdown , giving the Texans a 13 – 0 lead halfway through the second quarter . The Colts eventually got the offense going late in the second quarter by scoring on a touchdown reception by Reggie Wayne , which broke the lead down to one possession . Adam Vinatieri made a 20 yard field goal at the end of the first half and the Colts went into the half trailing 13 – 10 . The momentum was seemingly shifting to Indianapolis , until Houston took almost eight minutes off the third quarter clock on a 15 - play drive , 13 rushes , that resulted in one of Arian Foster ' s rushing touchdowns on the day to give Houston a 20 – 10 lead . Peyton Manning and the offense struggled throughout the third quarter with missed opportunities and continued to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties . With the start of the fourth quarter Houston scored another touchdown and broke the game open . The Colts would eventually score two touchdowns late in the game , only when there was no chance of a comeback . With the final score 34 – 24 , the Colts were 0 – 1 to start a season for the first time since 2008 , when they lost to the Chicago Bears . Week 2 : vs . New York Giants . The 2010 meeting between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants marked the second time that the two quarterback brothers of Peyton and Eli Manning met in a football game , the last coming in 2006 . The game started out good early for the Colts with a running touchdown from Donald Brown and two separate stops by the defense against the Giants . As the second quarter began the Colts kept rolling on the offensive side of the ball . Two touchdown passes during the second quarter and a field goal from Adam Vinateri helped the Colts extend a halftime lead of 24 – 0 . With the start of the third quarter the Giants came out and scored early on a touchdown pass to Mario Manningham from Eli Manning . With a 24 – 7 lead , the Colts continued to pound the giants on defense , forcing a fumble which was returned for a touchdown . The fourth quarter continued with a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne while the Giants eventually scored their second touchdown in the last minutes of the quarter . The Colts won the ballgame 38 – 14 ending their three game regular season losing streak and improving their record on the season to 1 – 1 . Week 3 : at Denver Broncos . The Colts traveled to Denver , Colorado for an AFC conference matchup with the Denver Broncos . The game started with punts by both teams on their own opening drives . The Colts then drove down the field and scored on a 38 yard field goal by Adam Vinateri . After a defensive interception set the Colts up down field , Indianapolis was forced to kick another field goal to extend their lead to 6 – 0 at the end of the first quarter . The Colts offense did not stop firing with the start of the second quarter , Peyton Manning threw to Austin Collie for his first touchdown of the game and gave the Colts a 13 – 0 lead . With the start of the second quarter the Bronco offense came alive . However , many offensive mistakes and key plays caused Denver to get points only on a late field goal by Matt Prater . At halftime , the Indianapolis Colts held the lead of 13 – 3 . Denver received the ball first in the second half and was able to capitalize with a touchdown drive closing the game to a three point margin . After switching possession , the Colts were able to respond with a touchdown drive that included Blair White , who was just signed from the practice squad prior to the game . Denver then scored a field goal late in the third quarter making the game a 20 – 13 contest heading into the fourth quarter . After defensive stops , the Colts were able to score a touchdown on another Austin Collie reception to take a commanding 27 – 13 . The defense was able to stop the Broncos on their next possession allowing the Colts to win 27 – 13 , and take their second straight game of the season , improving their record to 2 – 1 . Week 4 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . The Indianapolis Colts came into a crucial divisional matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars , with added importance after the season opening loss to the Texans . With the first possession of the ballgame , the Colts drove down the field with a mix of pass and run plays , scoring the opening touchdown of the game . However , Jacksonville returned the favor by going 76 yards to tie the game up , and by the end of the first quarter the game was tied at 7 – 7 . In the second quarter Maurice Jones - Drew scored on a touchdown run giving the Jaguars their first lead of the day , with the Colts eventually responded and tying the up 14 – 14 going into halftime . With the beginning of the second half both teams failed to score on their next possessions , with the Colts punting to the Jaguars midway through the third quarter . David Garrard their his first touchdown pass of the day giving the Jaguars a 21 – 14 lead towards the end of the third quarter . With the Colts behind the gun midway through the fourth quarter , Peyton Manning drove the team down the field to score on a Joseph Addai run . With the Jaguars responding and the Colts driving down the field to tie with 0 : 52 left , the game was a 28 – 28 with less than thirty seconds in the game . Jacksonville was able to get two big plays on their last drive of the game setting up Josh Scobee for a 59 yard field goal , which was good . The Indianapolis Colts started 0 – 2 in the AFC South for the first time following this loss , dropping out of first place and falling behind the Houston Texans . Week 5 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . After losing the previous week to Jacksonville , the Indianapolis Colts came back home to Lucas Oil Stadium to battle with an undefeated Kansas City Chiefs team . The Chiefs head coach , Todd Haley opened up the ballgame with an onside kick intended to give Kansas City the ball first . However , after it bounced less than 10 yards , the Colts received possession deep in Kansas City territory . Indianapolis was unable to capitalize on the good field position and forced Adam Vinatieri to kick a 20 yard field goal . Throughout the first quarter both teams ' offense were unable to get into a rhythm and by the end of the first quarter the Colts held a slim lead by the score of 3 – 0 . With the start of the second quarter the offensive woes continued . The Colts were again unable to score a touchdown on good field position and were forced to kick their second field goal of the day . After a failed running play of fourth down by the Colts , the Chiefs were able to move down the field on good passes by Matt Cassel and a penalty on the Colts and were able to kick a field goal . Going into halftime , the score was 6 – 3 Colts . The third quarter continued to prove to be a defensive struggle . The Colts kicked another field goal midway through , however the Chiefs drove down the field to score another field goal . A Peyton Manning interception set up another field goal by the Chiefs which tied the game at 9 – 9 . At the beginning of the fourth quarter the Colts continued their scoring ways of the day with a fourth field goal from Vinatieri . Finally with four minutes left in the ballgame , Mike Hart broke open an 11 yard run for the only touchdown of the day by both teams . The Colts won the game 19 – 9 and improved to 3 – 2 on the season . With the Chiefs loss they were not longer an undefeated team in the NFL . Week 6 : at Washington Redskins . Coming off their home win over the Chiefs , the Colts flew to FedEx Field for a Week 6 interconference duel with the Washington Redskins on Sunday night . Indianapolis delivered the game ' s opening punch as quarterback Peyton Manning found wide receiver Pierre Garçon on a 57 - yard touchdown pass , but the Redskins answered with running back Ryan Torain getting a 9 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , the Colts regained the lead as Manning hooked up with wide receiver Austin Collie on a 5 - yard touchdown pass , followed by kicker Adam Vinatieri booting a 43 - yard field goal . Washington began the third quarter with Torain ' s 1 - yard touchdown run , yet Indianapolis replied with running back Joseph Addai ' s 13 - yard touchdown run . The Redskins would continue to remain close as kicker Graham Gano got a 39 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Colts continued to add onto their lead as Vinatieri got a 33 - yard field goal . Washington tried to rally as quarterback Donovan McNabb completed an 8 - yard touchdown pass to running back Keiland Williams , yet Indianapolis ' defense held tough to preserve the victory . With the win , the Colts improved to 4 – 2 and remained in a tie atop the AFC South division . Week 8 : vs . Houston Texans . In a rematch of the opening game of the season , where the Houston Texans defeated the Indianapolis Colts 34 – 24 , the Colts looked for revenge in their first Monday night game in Indianapolis since 2006 . Both defenses came out strong in the beginning with both teams punting on their first drives . On the Colts second possession of the game , Indianapolis drove down the field for a Jacob Tamme touchdown , giving the Colts a 7 – 0 lead . Going into the second quarter , the Indianapolis offense and defense proved too much for the Texans . Kelvin Hayden took a 25 yard interception to the end zone and gave Indianapolis a 14 – 0 lead . On the following drive , Houston went down into Colts territory , however was only able to score a field goal ending the Indianapolis shutout . An Adam Vinatieri field goal gave the Colts a 17 – 3 lead going into halftime . Houston came out of the locker room improved , however Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis offense continued to be productive scoring a touchdown on a Reggie Wayne reception in the beginning of the first half . Following a Matt Schaub touchdown and another Vinatieri field goal , the Colts held a 27 – 10 lead going into the fourth quarter . With the Houston offense looking improved and the Indianapolis defense struggling , the Texans were able to score a touchdown on an Arian Foster run , while the Colts scored another field goal . With less than two minutes remaining in the game , a fumble by Schaub sealed the game with the final score being 30 – 17 . With the win , Indianapolis moved to 5 – 2 on the season and held sole possession of first place for the first time in the 2010 season . Week 9 : at Philadelphia Eagles . On the road at Lincoln Financial Field , the Indianapolis Colts played a NFC opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time since the 2006 season . The game did not start well for the Colts who allowed the Eagles to score a quick touchdown on only 3 plays covering 72 yards . A Peyton Manning interception caused more concern as the Colts now found themselves under the gun halfway through the first quarter . Two key defensive stops allowed the Eagles to only score two field goals making it a 13 – 0 Eagles lead heading into the second quarter . A touchdown pass from Manning to Jacob Tamme allowed the Colts to get back into the game trailing the Eagles only 13 – 7 . A Philadelphia field goal from David Akers added to the lead , however the Colts continued chipping away . A hard hit on wide receiver Austin Collie , who was returning from injury that week , caused a 10 minute delay in the game in which he was strapped to a stripper and taken to a nearby hospital , where he was diagnosed with a concussion . The Colts , playing with passion , drove down the field and scored a touchdown and field goal within the final two minutes of the half , giving them a 17 – 16 lead at halftime . The offensive production seen by the Colts in the second quarter was nowhere to be found in the third . The Colts began the third quarter with two three - and - outs while the Eagles got the lead back with a 44 yard field goal halfway through the quarter . Going into the fourth quarter , the Eagles were driving down into scoring position where a 1 yard run by Michael Vick gave the Eagles a 26 – 17 lead over the Colts . A continued lack of offensive production gave the Eagles the ball back and time to milk the clock . The Colts received the ball back with less than four minutes remaining in the game , trailing by two scores and drove down to score a touchdown . Jim Caldwell elected to kick the ball away to Philadelphia with 1 : 50 left , a first down and a defensive stop gave the Colts the ball back with less than 0 : 50 seconds in the game . After driving to midfield , Manning threw his second interception of the game and sealed the Indianapolis Colts third loss of the season . Week 10 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Following their third loss of the season , the Indianapolis Colts entered their home game against the Cincinnati Bengals with a chance to regain the lead in the AFC South . Indianapolis came out energized in the first quarter where the Colts picked up a field goal with three minutes remaining in the quarter , and a Kelvin Hayden interception returned for a touchdown . The second quarter continued to see Colts dominance with a Javarris James touchdown run , extending the Colts lead to 17 – 0 . However as the quarter wore on the defense began to allow larger gains and the Bengals were able to score a touchdown and a field goal in the last ten minutes of the half . However , an Adam Vinatieri field goal gave the Colts a 20 – 10 lead going into halftime . The Colts came out in the third quarter sluggish and both teams exchanged the ball throughout the rest of the quarter . Another Vinatieri field goal gave the Colts a 23 – 10 lead . With everything seeming secure , the Bengals were able to pick up a touchdown on a 19 yard pass from Carson Palmer making it a six point game . The Bengals onside kick attempt was successful with a late penalty by the Colts , giving the Bengals the ball at the Colts 40 - yard line . A fumble , the fifth turnover by the Bengals on the day , gave the Colts the ability to hold on to the lead and win the game 23 – 17 , going to 6 – 3 on the season and taking first place in the AFC South by one game . Week 11 : at New England Patriots . The Colts ' tenth game was an AFC duel against the Patriots . In the first quarter the Colts trailed early as QB Tom Brady made a 22 - yard TD pass to WR Wes Welker . This was followed in the second quarter by Brady throwing an 8 - yard TD pass to TE Aaron Hernandez . The Colts narrowed the lead with QB Peyton Manning completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Gijon Robinson , but the Patriots responded with a 5 - yard TD run by RB BenJarvus Green - Ellis . The Colts tried to close the gap after Manning found WR Reggie Wayne on an 11 - yard TD pass . The Colts struggled further in the 3rd quarter with RB Danny Woodhead getting a 36 - yard TD run , followed in the fourth quarter by kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 25 - yard field goal . The Colts tried to close the gap after Manning made a 5 and an 18 - yard TD pass to WR Blair White , but his final pass was intercepted , giving the Colts a loss . With the loss , the Colts fell to 6 – 4 . Week 12 : vs . San Diego Chargers . The Colts ' eleventh game was an AFC duel against the Chargers . They took the lead in the first quarter after QB Peyton Manning made a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme . They had a problem maintaining this lead after kicker Nate Kaeding made a 28 - yard field goal , followed by ILB Kevin Burnett returning an interception 29 yards for a touchdown , and then with Kaeding hitting a 33 and a 50 - yard field goal . They tried to cut the lead as Manning made a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Blair White , but the Chargers controlled the second half with Kaeding getting a 30 - yard field goal , which was shortly followed by FS Eric Weddle returning an interception 41 yards for a touchdown , then with FB Mike Tolbert getting a 3 - yard TD run , and Kaeding making a 20 - yard field goal , settling both records to 6 – 5 . Week 13 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . Hoping to break a two game losing streak the Colts played on home ground for an Interconference duel with the Cowboys . In the first quarter the Colts caused problems with their defense after RB Tashard Choice got a 20 - yard TD run , followed by kicker David Buehler hitting a 40 - yard field goal . The offense had problems too as QB Peyton Manning ' s pass was intercepted by SS Orlando Scandrick and returned 40 yards for a touchdown . They responded with Manning getting a 13 and a 34 - yard TD pass to WR Pierre Garcon and WR Reggie Wayne . The Cowboys increased their lead after Buehler made a 46 - yard field goal , and with LB Sean Lee returning an interception 31 yards for a TD . The Colts got a slight lead with RB Javarris James getting a 1 - yard TD run , followed by WR Taj Smith returning a blocked punt 2 yards for a touchdown . They trailed again with QB Jon Kitna completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten ( With a successful 2 - point conversion as Kitna passed to WR Roy E . Williams ) . They managed to tie the game after James made a 2 - yard TD run . The decision was made in overtime when Buehler successfully made a 38 - yard field goal to give the Colts a three game losing streak , for the first time since 2002 . With the loss , the Colts fell to 6 – 6 . Week 14 : at Tennessee Titans . Trying to snap a three - game losing streak , the Colts flew to LP Field for a Week 14 AFC South duel with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night . Indianapolis delivered the game ' s opening strike in the first quarter with a 1 - yard touchdown run from rookie running back Javarris James . The Colts would add onto their lead in the second quarter as quarterback Peyton Manning found wide receiver Pierre Garçon on a 1 - yard and a 19 - yard touchdown pass . The Titans responded with running back Chris Johnson getting a 1 - yard touchdown run . Tennessee began to cut away at their deficit in the third quarter as quarterback Kerry Collins completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Craig Stevens , yet Indianapolis responded with a 21 - yard field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri . The Colts added onto their lead in the fourth quarter with a 28 - yard field goal from Vinatieri . The Titans tried to rally as Collins completed a 9 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Bo Scaife , yet Indianapolis rose to the challenge with Vinatieri booting a 47 - yard field goal . Tennessee closed out the game with Collins completing a 2 - yard touchdown pass to Scaife . With the win , the Colts improved to 7 – 6 . Week 15 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Coming off their win over the Titans the Colts played on home ground for an AFC South rivalry rematch against the Jaguars . In the first quarter the Colts took the lead as QB Peyton Manning threw a 7 - yard TD pass to Austin Collie . The lead was narrowed with a 22 - yard field goal from kicker Josh Scobee , but the Colts scored again as Manning found Collie again on a 27 - yard TD pass . They conceded their first touchdown of the game when Mike Thomas returned a punt 78 yards to the endzone . After that , the Colts extended their lead with RB Donald Brown getting a 43 - yard TD run , followed by kicker Adam Vinatieri nailing a 34 - yard field goal . The lead was cut down with QB David Garrard completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Sims - Walker , but the Colts increased their lead with Vinatieri making a 37 - yard field goal . The Jaguars tried to come back with Garrard finding Sims - Walker on a 1 - yard TD pass . After that , the Colts soon pulled away with Tyjuan Hagler returning a failed onside kick 41 yards for a touchdown . With the win , the Colts improved to 8 – 6 . Week 16 : at Oakland Raiders . Coming off their win over the Jaguars the Colts flew to Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum for an AFC duel with the Raiders . In the first quarter the Colts trailed immediately after a 99 - yard kickoff return was made by Jacoby Ford . They soon took the lead with RB Joseph Addai getting a 6 - yard TD run , followed by kicker Adam Vinatieri getting a 30 - yard field goal . They trailed again after kicker Sebastian Janikowski hit a 59 and a 38 - yard field goal , but responded to take the lead back with QB Peyton Manning completing an 18 - yard TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme . The lead was narrowed with Janikowski nailing a 51 - yard field goal , but the Colts extended their lead with Manning getting a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Blair White . The Raiders tried to keep up with Janikowski making a 45 - yard field goal , but the Colts kept going with Manning completing a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Pierre Garcon . The Raiders tried to come back after QB Jason Campbell threw a 6 - yard TD pass to TE Zach Miller , but Manning ran for a first down on the Colts ensuing possession to seal the game . With the win , Indianapolis improved to 9 – 6 . Week 17 : vs . Tennessee Titans . Hoping to clinch a playoff spot the Colts played on home ground for a division rivalry rematch against the Titans . In the first quarter the Colts took the lead as kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 48 - yard field goal , with the Titans replying as kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 26 - yard field goal . The Colts scored again with Vinatieri making a 44 - yard field goal , but the Titans re - tied the game with Bironas hitting a 42 - yard field goal . The Colts tried to pull away with QB Peyton Manning completing a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne , but the Titans kept the score level as QB Kerry Collins made a 30 - yard TD pass to WR Kenny Britt . The Colts still tried to pull away with Manning completing a 30 - yard TD pass to WR Pierre Garcon , but the Titans re - tied the game for the fourth time as Collins threw a 15 - yard TD pass to RB Chris Johnson . The Colts got away in the fourth quarter as Vinatieri got a 43 - yard field goal . With the win , the Colts finish on a 10 – 6 record and successfully clinched a play - off spot . As the New Orleans Saints also clinched a playoff spot , the 2010 season marked the first time in 10 years that both defending conference champions made the playoffs in the same season . AFC Wild Card Game vs . New York Jets . Entering the playoffs as the AFC # 3 seed , the Colts began their playoff run at home in the AFC Wild Card round against the # 6 New York Jets in a rematch of the 2009 – 10 AFC Championship Game . After a scoreless first quarter , the Colts delivered the game ' s opening strike in the second quarter as quarterback Peyton Manning found wide receiver Pierre Garçon on a 57 - yard touchdown pass . The Jets answered in the third quarter with running back LaDainian Tomlinson getting a one - yard touchdown run , yet Indianapolis regained the lead with a 47 - yard field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri . New York took the lead in the fourth quarter with Tomlinson getting another one - yard touchdown run . The Colts regained the lead with a 32 - yard and a 50 - yard field goal from Vinatieri , but the Jets ' Nick Folk kicked the game - winning 32 - yard field goal . With the loss , Indianapolis ' season came to an end with an overall record of 10 – 7 .