2006 Indianapolis Colts season

"at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: "Game played indoors" (Domed stadium)
*TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
*Game attendance: 57,041
*Referee: Pete Morelli

Game Summary

Playing again in front of the home crowd, the Colts faced a big test in their AFC South rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville scored first on a 4-yard touchdown run by QB Byron Leftwich. The Colts were not able to respond until early in the second quarter when WR/PR Terrence Wilkins returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. Indianapolis grabbed the lead for the first time in the game during the third quarter on QB Peyton Manning's 30-yard touchdown pass to TE Dallas Clark. In the fourth quarter, Manning increased Indianapolis' lead on an uncharacteristic two-yard touchdown run. That score put the Colts up 21-7. The Jaguars, though, would get to within a touchdown late in the game on Byron Leftwich's 7-yard TD pass to RB Maurice Jones-Drew. That score, however, proved to be the last of the game as Indianapolis hung on for the victory, and improved their record to 3-0.

Quarterback Peyton Manning finished the game 14 of 31 with 219 passing yards for one touchdown pass, while Byron Leftwich finished 16 of 28 with 107 passing yards for one touchdown pass. Leftwich also threw two interceptions. RB Maurice Jones-Drew had 103 rushing yards for Jacksonville, and Marvin Harrison had 6 catches for 94 yards receiving. Jacksonville Kicker Josh Scobee missed both of his field goals, and they proved crucial in the game in the late stages.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - JAC - 7:31 - Byron Leftwich 4-yard TD run (Scobee kick) (7-0 JAC)

Q2 - IND - 11:42 - Terrence Wilkins 82-yard punt return (Martin Gramatica kick) (7-7)

Q3 - IND - 11:55 - 30-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark (Gramatica kick) (14-7 IND)

Q4 - IND - 8:30 - Peyton Manning 2-yard TD run (Gramatica kick) (21-7 IND)

Q4 - JAC - 3:32 - 7-yard TD pass from Byron Leftwich to Maurice Jones-Drew (Scobee kick (21-14 IND)

Week 4: at New York Jets

"at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana"
*Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST
*Game weather: "Game played indoors" (Domed stadium)
*TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton and Troy Aikman
*Game attendance: 57,274
*Referee: Scott Green

Game Summary

Coming off their bye week, the Colts gave a solid offensive performance at home against the Washington Redskins. Indianapolis won the contest 36-22 despite being down 14-13 at halftime. QB Peyton Manning, who was hit hard by defenders twice in the first half, rebounded resoundingly in the second half with 3 touchdown passes in the third quarter. On a day when Manning was almost perfect, he and WR Marvin Harrison connected for two touchdowns. The performance also saw the pair move up in their respective career yardage lists; Manning passed Jim Hart to move into 14th place in all-time passing yards and Harrison passed Irving Fryar to move into eighth on the career receiving yardage chart. Washington QB Mark Brunell threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions, but his performance could not prevent the Redskins' third consecutive loss going into their bye week.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning finished the game 25 of 35 for 342 yards passing and four touchdowns, while Washington quarterback Mark Brunell completed 27 of his 37 pass attempts for 226 yards passing and two touchdowns. Colts rookie RB Joseph Addai had a career-high 85 yards rushing on 11 carries, and Redskins RB Ladell Betts carried the football 10 times for 52 yards. Colts WR Reggie Wayne had his first big game of the season, as he had 7 catches for 122 yards receiving and one touchdown.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - IND - 6:59 - 1-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark (Adam Vinatieri kick) (7-0 IND)

Q2 - WAS - 13:19 - 13-yard TD pass from Mark Brunell to Chris Cooley (Nick Novak kick) (7-7)

Q2 - IND - 8:41 - Adam Vinatieri 30-yard FG (10-7 IND)

Q2 - WAS - 2:24 - Antwaan Randle El 87-yard punt return (Novak kick) (14-10 WAS)

Q2 - IND - 0:08 - Adam Vinatieri 19-yard FG (14-13 WAS)

Q3 - IND - 12:59 - 4-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison (Vinatieri kick) (20-14 IND)

Q3 - IND - 8:11 - 51-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne (Vinatieri kick) (27-14 IND)

Q3 - IND - 2:46 - 1-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison (2-point conversion failed) (33-14 IND)

Q4 - IND - 4:41 - Adam Vinatieri 47-yard FG (36-14 IND)

Q4 - WAS - 0:18 - 5-yard TD pass from Mark Brunell to James Thrash (Chris Cooley 2-point conversion) (36-22 IND)

Week 8: at Denver Broncos

"at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: "Game played indoors" (Domed stadium)
*TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg and Randy Cross
*Game attendance: 57,306
*Referee: Tony Corrente

Game Summary

The Colts defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 10, 17-16, becoming the first team in NFL history to start consecutive seasons 9-0. The game's scoring consisted of four touchdowns and three field goals. Buffalo struck first, as they converted a field goal attempt by K Rian Lindell. The Colts then followed with a score of their own, a 1-yard TD pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Reggie Wayne to take the lead with 11:14 left in the half. The Colts had a 7-point lead near the end of the half, but Buffalo swung the momentum their way as Terrence McGee returned a fumble 68-yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10.

On the opening possession of the third quarter, the drive ended in a 5-yard touchdown run by Colts rookie RB Joseph Addai. Terrance McGee then took Adam Vinatieri's kickoff 88-yards to the Colts 12 yard line. Buffalo could not come up with anything on the rest of the drive and had to settle for another field goal. On the opening drive of the fourth quarter, Lindell made another field goal for the Bills to reduce the Colts' lead to 1 point. When the Bills drove down the field on their next possession, they had a chance to take the lead, but Rian Lindell missed his field goal, and the Colts ran out the clock to move to 9-0. With the Colts' win and a loss by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 13-10 to the Houston Texans, the Colts are now four games ahead in the AFC South.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - BUF - 6:52 - Rian Lindell 22-yard FG (3-0 BUF)

Q2 - IND - 11:09 - 1-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne (Vinatieri kick) (7-3 IND)

Q2 - IND - 2:44 - Adam Vinatieri 31-yard FG (10-3 IND)

Q2 - BUF - 0:31 - 68-yard fumble return for TD by Terrence McGee (Lindell kick) (10-10)

Q3 - IND - 10:30 - Joseph Addai 5-yard TD run (Vinatieri kick) (17-10 IND)

Q3 - BUF - 8:47 - Rian Lindell 30-yard FG (17-13 IND)

Q4 - BUF - 10:35 - Rian Lindell 43-yard FG (17-16 IND)

Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys

"at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 40 °F, Partly Sunny
*TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
*Game attendance: 69,143
*Referee: Bill Leavy

Game Summary

This game at the Tennessee Titans saw the return of two crucial players for the Colts: WR Brandon Stokley and FS Bob Sanders. The Colts started hot in this game, and the only score of the first quarter came off a 68-yard touchdown pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Marvin Harrison. The next score for the Colts came in the second quarter, as RB Dominic Rhodes had a 2-yard run for a touchdown. With less than seven minutes to go in the half, the Colts were up 14-0 on Tennessee. But, within a couple minutes Titans K Rob Bironas made a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 11 points. The Colts' next possession uncharacteristically ended abruptly when Peyton Manning's pass intended for TE Bryan Fletcher was intercepted by OLB Keith Bulluck with 31 seconds left in the half. 20 seconds later, Titans QB Vince Young connected with WR Drew Bennett for a 20-yard touchdown pass to shrink the Colts' lead to 4 points. With 11 seconds left, the Titans' kickoff went out of bounds and the Colts had the ball at their own 40 yard line. On the following play, Manning hooked up with Bryan Fletcher for a 25-yard pass to the 35 yard line. The Colts brought out K Adam Vinatieri to attempt a 53-yard field goal, but the kicked stayed right and just missed the upright. At the half, the Colts were in the lead, 14-10.

The third quarter did not yield a score, but Vince Young ran wild. The Colts' rushing defense was at its worse towards the end of the regular season. Three minutes into the last quarter, Vince Young hooked up with WR Brandon Jones for a touchdown to give Tennessee its first lead of the game. Ten minutes later, the Colts tied the game with an Adam Vinatieri field goal from 20-yards out. On what ended up being the last possession of the game, the Titans were trying to defeat the Colts for the first time since the 2002 NFL season. After two first downs, the Titans had the ball at the Colts' 41 yard line with 31 seconds to go. After a short pass for 4 yards and an incomplete pass, the Titans had one last shot at a 60-yard field goal to win the game. Kicker Rob Bironas had very high winds at his back and he made the 60-yard field goal with a lot of help from wind. He cleared the crossbar by almost 3 yards, and made the game-winning field goal for the Titans for the second straight week. The Titans moved to 5-7 while the Colts went to 10-2 on the season.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - IND - 3:51 - 68-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison (Vinatieri kick) (7-0 IND)

Q2 - IND - 7:18 - Dominic Rhodes 2-yard TD run (Vinatieri kick) (14-0 IND)

Q2 - TEN - 1:49 - Rob Bironas 25-yard FG (14-3 IND)

Q2 - TEN - 0:11 - 20-yard TD pass from Vince Young to Drew Bennett (Bironas kick) (14-10 IND)

Q4 - TEN - 12:24 - 9-yard TD pass from Vince Young to Brandon Jones (Bironas kick) (17-14 TEN)

Q4 - IND - 2:38 - Adam Vinatieri 20-yard FG (17-17)

Q4 - TEN - 0:07 - Rob Bironas 60-yard FG (20-17 TEN)

Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars

"at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 48 °F, Clear
*TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Solomon Wilcots
*Game attendance: 70,132
*Referee: Ed Hochuli

Game Summary

Coming off a primetime victory over Cincinnati, the Colts flew to Reliant Stadium for an AFC South rematch with the Houston Texans. Heading into this game, Indianapolis had never lost a game to the Texans, winning their first 9 games against them.

In the first quarter, the Colts got an early shock as RB Ron Dayne ran for a 3-yard touchdown and a 6-yard touchdown run. Indianapolis would respond with 37-yard touchdown pass from QB Peyton Manning to WR Marvin Harrison. In the second quarter, the Colts tied the game with Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to WR Aaron Moorehead. However, Houston reclaimed its lead with QB David Carr's 3-yard touchdown pass to RB Vonta Leach. In the third quarter, Indianapolis crept closer with K Adam Vinatieri making a 33-yard field goal for the only score of the period.

In the fourth quarter, the Texans responded with kicker Kris Brown's 42-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Colts tied the game with Manning hooking up with Harrison again on a 7-yard touchdown pass, Harrison's second of the game. However, Houston managed to pull off a huge upset with Kris Brown's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving Indianapolis their first ever loss against them. With the loss, the Colts fell to 11-4. Colts QB Peyton Manning finished the game 21 of 27 for 205 yards passing with three touchdowns and Texans QB David Carr finished with 163 passing yards on completing 16 of 23 passes with one touchdown. Rookie RB Joseph Addai ran the ball 15 times for 100 yards and former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne finished the game with 153 rushing yards on 32 carries.

After this game, the Colts were now 11-4, having lost 4 of 6 after a 9-0 start.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - HOU - 10:23 - Ron Dayne 3-yard TD run (Brown kick) (7-0 HOU)

Q1 - HOU - 5:46 - Ron Dayne 6-yard TD run (Brown kick) (14-0 HOU)

Q1 - IND - 0:58 - 47-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison (Vinatieri kick) (14-7 HOU)

Q2 - IND - 8:16 - 9-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Aaron Moorehead (Vinatieri kick) (14-14)

Q2 - HOU - 0:16 - 3-yard TD pass from David Carr to Vonta Leach (Brown kick) (21-14 HOU)

Q3 - IND - 1:23 - Adam Vinatieri 33-yard FG (21-17 HOU)

Q4 - HOU - 6:54 - Kris Brown 42-yard FG (24-17 HOU)

Q4 - IND - 2:41 - 7-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison (Vinatieri kick) (24-24)

Q4 - HOU - 0:00 - Kris Brown 48-yard FG (27-24 HOU)

Week 17: vs. Miami Dolphins

"at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland"
*Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 63 °F, Light Rain, Cloudy
*TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
*Game attendance: 71,162
*Referee: Bill Leavy

Game Summary

Making their first playoff appearance in Baltimore since relocating to Indianapolis 23 years earlier and coming off their win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Colts traveled to M&T Bank Stadium for the Divisional Round playoff game against the second-seeded Baltimore Ravens and their top ranked defense. In the first quarter, Indianapolis scored first with K Adam Vinatieri making a 23-yard field goal. While the next dive failed to produce a touchdown, it produced another field goal, this second one from 42 yards out. In the second quarter, the Ravens responded with K Matt Stover converting a 40-yard field goal to reduce the Colts' lead to 3 points. Afterwards, Vinatieri would boot a career-long 51-yard field goal with 6:00 left in the half to give the Colts a 9-3 lead. In the third quarter, the Colts struggled to find the end zone, yet it provided Adam Vinatieri to cement his immense value to the team as a free agent pickup. He made his fourth field goal from 48 yards out; in the process making NFL history with that kick: Vinatieri surpassed Gary Anderson's mark of 32 career field goals made in the postseason. [http://www.superbowl.com/news/story/9928474] After Vinatieri's last of his five field goals that he made this game, he had made 34 field goals in his postseason career. With the win, the Colts improved their overall record to 14-4 this season and would advance to the AFC Championship Game to play against the New England Patriots at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

Colts QB Peyton Manning finished the game 15 of 30 with 170 passing yards and two interceptions, while Ravens QB Steve McNair completed 18 of his 29 passes for 173 total passing yards and also had two interceptions. The Colts' 32nd-ranked rushing defense allowed only 83 total rushing yards this game, and proved that their defense had dramatically improved from the regular season.

Scoring Summary

Q1 - IND - 8:04 - Adam Vinatieri 23-yard FG (3-0 IND)

Q1 - IND - 5:36 - Adam Vinatieri 42-yard FG (6-0 IND)

Q2 - BAL - 14:56 - Matt Stover 40-yard FG (6-3 IND)

Q2 - IND - 3:15 - Adam Vinatieri 51-yard FG (9-3 IND)

Q3 - IND - 10:57 - Adam Vinatieri 48-yard FG (12-3 IND)

Q4 - BAL - 13:03 - Matt Stover 51-yard FG (12-6 IND)

Q4 - IND - 0:23 - Adam Vinatieri 35-yard FG (15-6 IND)

AFC Championship Game: vs. New England Patriots