The 1973 Baltimore Colts season was the 21st season for the team in the National Football League. Under first-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Colts finished with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East with the New York Jets. The Colts lost the tiebreaker to the Jets based on head-to-head sweep (0–2).

Baltimore was the only team to lose to the Houston Oilers, bowing 31–27 in week eight at home. The Oilers broke an 18-game losing streak with the victory.

Hired in February, Schnellenberger was previously the offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, who went undefeated in 1972 under head coach Don Shula.

This was the first year since 1955 in which long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas was not on the Baltimore roster.

Offseason

NFL draft

Staff

Final roster

Regular season

Before the season, the Colts traded long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas to the San Diego Chargers. Unitas had been splitting quarterback duties with Earl Morrall and Marty Domres over the past few seasons; he played one season for San Diego and retired.

Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Game recap 1 September 16 at Cleveland Browns L 14–24 0–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,303 Recap 2 September 23 New York Jets L 10–34 0–2 Memorial Stadium 55,942 Recap 3 September 30 New Orleans Saints W 14–10 1–2 Memorial Stadium 52,293 Recap 4 October 7 at New England Patriots L 16–24 1–3 Schaefer Stadium 57,044 Recap 5 October 14 at Buffalo Bills L 13–31 1–4 Rich Stadium 78,875 Recap 6 October 21 at Detroit Lions W 29–27 2–4 Tiger Stadium 48,058 Recap 7 October 28 Oakland Raiders L 21–34 2–5 Memorial Stadium 59,008 Recap 8 November 4 Houston Oilers L 27–31 2–6 Memorial Stadium 52,707 Recap 9 November 11 at Miami Dolphins L 0–44 2–7 Orange Bowl 60,332 Recap 10 November 18 at Washington Redskins L 14–22 2–8 RFK Stadium 52,675 Recap 11 November 25 Buffalo Bills L 17–24 2–9 Memorial Stadium 52,250 Recap 12 December 2 at New York Jets L 17–20 2–10 Shea Stadium 51,167 Recap 13 December 9 Miami Dolphins W 16–3 3–10 Memorial Stadium 58,446 Recap 14 December 16 New England Patriots W 18–13 4–10 Memorial Stadium 52,065 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

References

See also History of the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry

External links 1973 Baltimore Colts at Pro-Football-Reference.com 1973 Baltimore Colts at JT-SW.com