The 2011 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their 28th in Indianapolis, and their third and final season under head coach Jim Caldwell. The Colts were coming off a 10–6 record in 2010 and a second consecutive AFC South championship, as well as a ninth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Colts had placed their franchise tag on superstar quarterback Peyton Manning before the season started but he sat out the entire season due to neck surgery. Also, Manning was never placed on injured reserve, but instead was on the Colts inactive list for each game. The Colts turned to retired quarterback Kerry Collins and then to Curtis Painter, neither of whom could fill Manning's void. The Colts' offense weakened rapidly in 2011. They were 30th in the league in yards gained (compared to 4th in 2010), 27th in passing yards (compared to 1st in 2010), 29th in receiving yards (compared to 2nd in 2010), 28th in scoring (compared to 4th in 2010), and 28th in total touchdowns (compared to 2nd in 2010). The Colts set a dubious NFL record on pass defense, by allowing 71.2% completed passes by opposing passers.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by descending opp Pass Completion % as of 2011 season
As early as the seventh week of the season, media discussion of whether the Colts might become the second team after the 2008 Detroit Lions to finish winless in a 16-game season began. With Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck regarded as a can't-miss franchise player in the upcoming draft, there was discussion of whether the Colts should "Suck for Luck" (aim to finish winless) in order to get the first overall pick and draft him. The Colts became even less competitive in the second half of the season, with some critics comparing them to the 2008 Lions. The Colts finished the season with a 2–14 record, their worst record since 1991, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001. As of the 2024, this is the most recent season (and only since divisional realignment) the Colts have finished in last place in the AFC South.
On January 2, 2012, one day after the final game of the season, Colts owner Jim Irsay fired team Vice Chairman Bill Polian and his son, team Vice President and general manager Chris Polian. Irsay stated that the fate of head coach Jim Caldwell was still under review. On January 17, 2012, Irsay announced the firing of Caldwell as the head coach of the Colts. On March 7, 2012, Manning was released by the Colts. These moves marked the first major rebuilding of the team since the Polians joined.
Offseason 2011 draft board
Round Selection Player Position College 1 22 Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College 2 49 Ben Ijalana OT Villanova 3 87 Drake Nevis DT LSU 4 119 Delone Carter RB Syracuse 6 188 Chris Rucker CB Michigan State The Colts traded their seventh-round selection to the Washington Redskins in exchange for CB Justin Tryon. The Colts traded their second-round (fifty-fourth overall) selection and their fifth round (152nd overall) selection for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ second round (forty-ninth overall) selection.
Coaching staff Indianapolis Colts 2011 staff Front office Owner/CEO – James Irsay Vice chairman – Bill Polian Vice president/general manager – Chris Polian Director of player personnel – Tom Telesco Director of football administration – Dennis Polian Associate director of pro personnel – Kevin Rogers
Head coaches Head coach – Jim Caldwell
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Clyde Christensen Quarterbacks – Ron Turner Running backs – David Walker Wide receivers – Frank Reich Tight ends – Ricky Thomas Offensive line – Pete Metzelaars Assistant offensive line – Ron Prince Assistant to the offensive coordinator – Jim Bob Cooter Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Mike Murphy Defensive line – John Teerlinck Defensive backs – Alan Williams Special assistant to the defense – Rod Perry Defensive assistant – Bill Teerlinck
Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Ray Rychleski
Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Jon Torine Assistant strength and conditioning – Richard Howell
Coaching assistants Devin Fitzsimmons
Final roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at St. Louis Rams L 10–33 0–1 Edward Jones Dome Recap 2 Washington Redskins L 3–16 0–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 3 Green Bay Packers L 21–24 0–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 4 at Cincinnati Bengals W 17–13 1–3 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule In addition to their regular games with AFC South division rivals, the Colts played games against the AFC North and NFC South according to the NFL's schedule rotation, and also played games against the Patriots and the Chiefs based upon finishing positions from 2010.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 11 at Houston Texans L 7–34 0–1 Reliant Stadium Recap 2 September 18 Cleveland Browns L 19–27 0–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 3 September 25 Pittsburgh Steelers L 20–23 0–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 17–24 0–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap 5 October 9 Kansas City Chiefs L 24–28 0–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 6 October 16 at Cincinnati Bengals L 17–27 0–6 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 7 October 23 at New Orleans Saints L 7–62 0–7 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap 8 October 30 at Tennessee Titans L 10–27 0–8 LP Field Recap 9 November 6 Atlanta Falcons L 7–31 0–9 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 10 November 13 Jacksonville Jaguars L 3–17 0–10 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 11Bye 12 November 27 Carolina Panthers L 19–27 0–11 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 13 December 4 at New England Patriots L 24–31 0–12 Gillette Stadium Recap 14 December 11 at Baltimore Ravens L 10–24 0–13 M&T Bank Stadium Recap 15 December 18 Tennessee Titans W 27–13 1–13 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 16 Houston Texans W 19–16 2–13 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 17 January 1 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 13–19 2–14 EverBank Field Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: at Houston Texans
The Indianapolis Colts began their 2011 season at Reliant Stadium against the Houston Texans. For the first time since the 1998 season, Peyton Manning was not under the helm at quarterback and it was recently acquired Kerry Collins that would take his position. The game started very well for the Colts, opening up with an interception by Melvin Bullitt that allowed the Colts to take control. However, a three and out from the offense quickly gave the Texans the ball to drive down and score a field goal and take a 3–0 lead. Collins and the Colts offense was out of sync for much of the first quarter, fumbling two snaps and giving Houston the great field position inside of the Indianapolis 40-yard line. After the first quarter, the Texans held a commanding 17–0 lead and were firing on all cylinders. The second quarter continued Houston's dominance, with all three teams of the Colts failing to stop or to execute against the Texans. At halftime, the Colts trailed Houston 34–0, the largest deficit in the entire 58-year history of the franchise. The second half saw little action with both teams taking shorter drives and in some senses, running down the clock. The Colts scored their first and the only points scored in the second half with a Reggie Wayne touchdown from Collins in the fourth quarter. The Colts went on to lose to the Texans 34–7, their second straight season starting 0–1.
Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Indianapolis Colts had their 2011 home opener against the 0–1 Cleveland Browns. The first quarter saw both teams getting into offensive and defensive rhythms and ended with the Colts holding only a 3–0 lead on an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Heading to the second quarter, the Colts offense began to pick up behind Kerry Collins, rookie Delone Carter, and Joseph Addai. However much of the success faded once Indianapolis reached the red zone, and were only able to come away with two field goals during the quarter. Cleveland, however, was able to capitalize on the Colts defense, and saw a touchdown pass from Colt McCoy and a touchdown run from Peyton Hillis. Cleveland went into halftime with a 14–9 lead. The Indianapolis defense was able to stop Cleveland for most of the third quarter, and allowed the struggling offensive to close the gap with a fourth Vinatieri field goal, with Cleveland still holding a 14–12 lead into the fourth quarter. Cleveland quickly drove down the field and started the quarter with a Phil Dawson field goal, allowing the Colts to remain in contention for the victory. However, after turnovers and an inability to produce on offense, Cleveland broke the game open with a Hillis touchdown run, along with another Dawson field goal with 2:59 remaining in the game. With Cleveland holding a 27–12 lead, Indianapolis was able to score their first touchdown of the game, allowing them to try an onside kick to preserve any chance of a comeback, which they were not able to convert. Cleveland finished the game and the Colts by winning 27–19, their first victory over the Colts since 1994, and the Colts first 0–2 start since the 1998 season.
Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Indianapolis Colts remained at home for a week three intra-conference matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. Indianapolis trailed early in the first quarter as Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham got a 48-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing an 81-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace. The Colts would answer in the second quarter with a 21-yard field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri, followed by defensive end Jamaal Anderson returning a fumble, forced by Dwight Freeney, 47 yards for a touchdown. Another defensive turnover allowed the Colts and Vinatieri to score a 25-yard field goal, giving them a 13–10 lead at halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Pittsburgh took the lead in the fourth quarter with a Suisham 44-yard field goal, followed by safety Troy Polamalu returning a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown. Indianapolis would tie the game again on running back Joseph Addai’s 6-yard touchdown run with 2:15 remaining in the game. However, the Steelers were able to capture the win with a final 38-yard field goal from Suisham, dropping the Colts to 0–3.
Week 4: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Steelers, the Colts flew to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 4 Monday night duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With quarterback Kerry Collins recovering from concussion, quarterback Curtis Painter would make his first career start. Indianapolis delivered the game’s opening punch in the first quarter with a 45-yard field goal from kicker Adam Vinatieri. The Colts would add onto their lead in the second quarter with Painter finding wide receiver Pierre Garçon on an 87-yard touchdown pass, yet the Buccaneers answered with quarterback Josh Freeman getting a 1-yard touchdown run. Tampa Bay would tie the game in the third quarter with kicker Connor Barth getting a 46-yard field goal, yet Indianapolis came right back with Painter hooking up Garçon again on a 59-yard touchdown pass. Afterwards, the Buccaneers tied the game with Freeman completing a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Preston Parker. Tampa Bay would take the lead in the fourth quarter with running back LeGarrette Blount getting a 35-yard touchdown run. From there, the defense prevented any comeback from the Colts’ offense. With the loss, the Colts dropped to 0–4.
Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs