The 1986 Indianapolis Colts season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and third in Indianapolis. The team finished the year with a record of 3 wins and 13 losses, placing last in AFC East division.
The Colts did not win a game until week 14, when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons.Sheeley, Glenn; ‘Rope-a-dope: Falcon blunders give Indianapolis first victory’; Atlanta Constitution; December 8, 1986, p. D1 Prior to that, at least one sportswriter had theorized that the Colts wanted to finish with an 0–16 record, believing that they needed a franchise quarterback; as it turned out, Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde was the consensus overall top pick in the forthcoming draftVierria, Dan; ‘Colts May Need a Win, but They Need Vinnie Even More’; Sacramento Bee, November 16, 1986, p. C4 (although there were fears that he, like John Elway in 1983, would refuse to play for the team if they drafted him).Kaufman, Ira; ‘Will Testaverde, like Elway, Spurn Colts’; Seattle Times, November 23, 1986, p. C5 The Colts’ record, which included wins in their final two games, ended up not being the worst in the league; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished with a 2–14 record and got the first pick (which they would eventually use on Testaverde).
Rod Dowhower entered the season in his second year as head coach, after having replaced Frank Kush in 1985. After the 0–13 start for the team, he was fired and replaced by Ron Meyer, who had himself been fired by the New England Patriots in 1984 and had not coached since. Meyer would lead the Colts to all three of their victories in 1986. The Colts' 12–36 (.250) record from 1984 to this season marks the worst 3-year stretch for the franchise since moving to Indianapolis. After the season, Karl Baldischwiler decided he had played his final NFL game.
Offseason
Draft
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 7 at New England Patriots L 3–33 0–1 Sullivan Stadium 55,208 2 September 14 at Miami Dolphins L 10–30 0–2 Miami Orange Bowl 51,848 3 September 21 Los Angeles Rams L 7–24 0–3 Hoosier Dome 59,012 4 September 28 New York Jets L 7–26 0–4 Hoosier Dome 56,075 5 October 5 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–35 0–5 Candlestick Park 57,252 6 October 12 New Orleans Saints L 14–17 0–6 Hoosier Dome 53,512 7 October 19 at Buffalo Bills L 13–24 0–7 Rich Stadium 50,050 8 October 26 Miami Dolphins L 13–17 0–8 Hoosier Dome 58,350 9 November 2 Cleveland Browns L 9–24 0–9 Hoosier Dome 57,962 10 November 9 New England Patriots L 21–30 0–10 Hoosier Dome 56,890 11 November 16 at New York Jets L 16–31 0–11 Giants Stadium 65,149 12 November 23 at Houston Oilers L 17–31 0–12 Astrodome 31,792 13 November 30 San Diego Chargers L 3–17 0–13 Hoosier Dome 47,950 14 December 7 at Atlanta Falcons W 28–23 1–13 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 30,397 15 December 14 Buffalo Bills W 24–14 2–13 Hoosier Dome 52,783 16 December 21 at Los Angeles Raiders W 30–24 3–13 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 41,349 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
References
See also History of the Indianapolis Colts List of Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry