2004 Indianapolis Colts season

2004 Indianapolis Colts season
2004 Indianapolis Colts season
Owner	Jim Irsay
Head coach	Tony Dungy
General manager	Bill Polian
Home field	RCA Dome
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC South
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Broncos) 49–24; Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Patriots) 3–20
Pro Bowlers	QB Peyton Manning; RB Edgerrin James; WR Marvin Harrison; OT Tarik Glenn; DE Dwight Freeney
Uniform
	← 2003; Colts seasons; 2005 →;

The 2004 Indianapolis Colts season was the 52nd season for the team in the National Football League and 21st in Indianapolis. The 2004 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their 12–4 record from 2003, and advance farther into the playoffs. The Colts finished the season 12–4, and defeated the Denver Broncos for the second straight time in the playoffs, but they were halted in the Divisional round by the defending and eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots.

Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback, throwing 49 touchdown passes and breaking the previous record of 48 held by Dan Marino. At season's end, Peyton Manning was named the NFL MVP. For the season the Colts set an NFL record with 51 total touchdown passes. The Colts led the NFL with 522 points scored. The Colts tallied more points in the first half of each of their games of the 2004 NFL season (277 points) than seven other NFL teams managed in the entire season.^[1]

Despite throwing for 49 touchdown passes, Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career.^[2] Sports statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that Manning had the best-ever season by a quarterback, play-for-play, in 2004.^[3]^[4]

The 2004 Colts are the only team in NFL history to convert five or more passing touchdowns in a game four different times during the regular season.^[5]

Offseason[]

Free Agency[]

During Free Agency, the Colts failed to re-sign linebacker Marcus Washington and cornerback Walt Harris. Both signed with the Washington Redskins in free agency.

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2004 Indianapolis Colts draft
2	44	Bob Sanders *	Safety	Iowa	from Pittsburgh
3	68	Ben Hartsock	Tight end	Ohio State	from Cleveland
3	69	Gilbert Gardner	Linebacker	Purdue	from Atlanta
4	107	Kendyll Pope	Linebacker	Florida State	from Pittsburgh
4	125	Jason David	Cornerback	Washington State	from Philadelphia via Atlanta
5	151	Jake Scott	Guard	Idaho	from Cleveland
6	173	Von Hutchins	Guard	Idaho	from Cleveland
6	193	Jim Sorgi	Quarterback	Wisconsin
7	229	David Kimball	Kicker	Penn State
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents[]

2004 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Josh Thomas	Defensive end	Syracuse
Ben Utecht	Tight end	Minnesota

Roster[]

Indianapolis Colts 2004 final roster

Quarterbacks

5 Travis Brown
18 Peyton Manning
12 Jim Sorgi

Running backs

Wide receivers

88 Marvin Harrison
85 Aaron Moorehead
84 Brad Pyatt
83 Brandon Stokley
86 Troy Walters PR
87 Reggie Wayne

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

71 Ryan Diem T
64 Rick DeMulling G
76 Makoa Freitas T
78 Tarik Glenn T
65 Ryan Lilja G
56 Tupe Peko G/C
63 Jeff Saturday C
73 Jake Scott G

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

58 Gary Brackett ILB
51 Gilbert Gardner OLB
59 Cato June OLB
94 Rob Morris ILB
55 Kendyll Pope OLB
97 Nick Rogers OLB
50 David Thornton OLB

Defensive backs

26 Waine Bacon CB
28 Idrees Bashir FS
41 Cory Bird SS
42 Jason David CB
20 Mike Doss SS
39 Anthony Floyd FS
25 Nick Harper CB
27 Von Hutchins CB
29 Joseph Jefferson CB
21 Bob Sanders SS
38 Gerome Sapp FS

Special teams

10 Martín Gramática K
17 Hunter Smith P
48 Justin Snow LS
13 Mike Vanderjagt K

Reserve lists

data possibly incomplete

72 DE (IR)
30 Donald Strickland CB (IR)
91 Josh Thomas DE (IR)
47 Ben Utecht TE (NF-Inj.)
52 Keyon Whiteside ILB (IR)

Practice squad

11 John Standeford WR

Rookies in italics

Preseason[]

Date	Opponent	Result	Game Site	NFL Recap
August 14, 2004	at San Diego Chargers	W 21–17	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
August 21, 2004	New York Jets	L 7–31	RCA Dome	Recap
August 28, 2004	Buffalo Bills	W 30–17	RCA Dome	Recap
September 3, 2004	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 13–16	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game Site	NFL Recap
1	September 9	at New England Patriots	L 24–27	0–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	at Tennessee Titans	W 31–17	1–1	The Coliseum	Recap
3	September 26	Green Bay Packers	W 45–31	2–1	RCA Dome	Recap
4	October 3	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 24–17	3–1	Alltel Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Oakland Raiders	W 35–14	4–1	RCA Dome	Recap
6	Bye
7	October 24	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 24–27	4–2	RCA Dome	Recap
8	October 31	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 35–45	4–3	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
9	November 8	Minnesota Vikings	W 31–28	5–3	RCA Dome	Recap
10	November 14	Houston Texans	W 49–14	6–3	RCA Dome	Recap
11	November 21	at Chicago Bears	W 41–10	7–3	Soldier Field	Recap
12	November 25	at Detroit Lions	W 41–9	8–3	Ford Field	Recap
13	December 5	Tennessee Titans	W 51–24	9–3	RCA Dome	Recap
14	December 12	at Houston Texans	W 23–14	10–3	Reliant Stadium	Recap
15	December 19	Baltimore Ravens	W 20–10	11–3	RCA Dome	Recap
16	December 26	San Diego Chargers	W 34–31 (OT)	12–3	RCA Dome	Recap
17	January 2	at Denver Broncos	L 14–33	12–4	Invesco Field	Recap

Standings[]

AFC South
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ Indianapolis Colts	12	4	0	.750	5–1	8–4	522	351	L1
Jacksonville Jaguars	9	7	0	.563	2–4	6–6	261	280	W1
Houston Texans	7	9	0	.438	4–2	6–6	309	339	L1
Tennessee Titans	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	344	439	W1

Game summaries[]

Week 1: at New England Patriots[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	17	0	7	24
Patriots	3	10	14	0	27

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), Cloudy, warm, and humid
Game attendance: 68,756
TV announcers: (ABC) Al Michaels, John Madden

Week 2: at Tennessee Titans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	3	0	7	21	31
Titans	7	3	7	0	17

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny
Game attendance: 68,932

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Packers	14	3	7	7	31
Colts	21	14	0	10	45

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,280
TV announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver (Sideline Reporter)

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	3	7	7	24
Jaguars	0	3	3	11	17

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Sunny and Clear
Game attendance: 73,114

Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	0	7	14
Colts	7	14	0	14	35

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,230

Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	10	3	14	27
Colts	0	14	0	10	24

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 12:00 pm EST/11:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 56,615

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	7	14	7	35
Chiefs	7	24	0	14	45

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), Clear
Game attendance: 78,312

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	6	8	14	28
Colts	7	7	7	10	31

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 9:00 pm EST/8:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,307
TV announcers: Al Michaels, John Madden

Week 10: vs. Houston Texans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texans	0	0	7	7	14
Colts	7	14	21	7	49

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 56,511

Week 11: at Chicago Bears[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	20	14	0	41
Bears	3	0	0	7	10

at Soldier Field, Chicago

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), Partly Cloudy
Game attendance: 61,908

Week 12: at Detroit Lions[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	13	14	14	0	41
Lions	6	3	0	0	9

at Ford Field, Detroit

Game time: 12:30 pm EST/11:30 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 63,107

Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Titans	24	0	0	0	24
Colts	17	14	10	10	51

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,278

Week 14: at Houston Texans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	14	0	3	6	23
Texans	0	7	7	0	14

at Reliant Stadium, Houston

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), Clear
Game attendance: 70,762

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	3	3	14	0	20
Ravens	3	0	7	0	10

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 8:30 pm EST/7:30 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,240
TV: ESPN

Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers[]

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Chargers	7	10	7	7	0	31
Colts	0	9	7	15	3	34

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 57,330
TV: CBS

Week 17: at Denver Broncos[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	7	7	0	0	14
Broncos	7	13	10	3	33

at Invesco Field, Denver

Game time: 4:15 pm EST/3:15 pm CST
Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), Cloudy
Game attendance: 75,149
TV announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

Postseason schedule[]

Playoff round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Host stadium	NFL recap
Wild Card	January 9	Denver Broncos (6)	W 49–24	1–0	RCA Dome	Recap
Divisional	January 16	at New England Patriots (2)	L 3–20	1–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap

Postseason results[]

AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	3	14	7	24
Colts	14	21	0	14	49

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis

Game time: 1:00 pm EST/12:00 pm CST
Game weather: Game played indoors
Game attendance: 56,609
TV: CBS

AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	3	0	0	3
Patriots	0	6	7	7	20

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game time: 4:45 pm EST/4:45 pm CST
Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), Cloudy, Cold, Snow
Game attendance: 68,756
TV: CBS

Awards and records[]

Peyton Manning, Bert Bell Award^[6]

References[]

^ Numbelivable!, p.35, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
^ Numbelivable!, p.146, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
^ Football Outsiders: QUARTERBACKS 2004
^ Football Outsidres: Final 2011 DVOA Ratings Stats calculated from 1992–2011
^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the NFL, in the regular season, requiring Passing TD >= 5, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.
^ Maxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[1] Numbelivable!, p.35, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0

[2] Numbelivable!, p.146, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0

[3] Football Outsiders: QUARTERBACKS 2004

[4] Football Outsidres: Final 2011 DVOA Ratings Stats calculated from 1992–2011

[5] Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the NFL, in the regular season, requiring Passing TD >= 5, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.

[6] Maxwell Football Club – Bert Bell Award Past Recipients Archived June 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

show v t Indianapolis Colts
Founded in 1953 Played in Baltimore (1953–1983) Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
Franchise	History in Baltimore relocation to Indianapolis Players Quarterbacks Coaches Seasons Draft First-round draft picks Ring of Honor
Stadiums	Memorial Stadium RCA Dome Lucas Oil Stadium
Culture	Carroll Rosenbloom Robert Irsay Jim Irsay 12th Man AAFC Colts Baltimore Colts Marching Band The Band That Wouldn't Die Blue Cheerleaders Parks and Recreation
Lore	The Greatest Game Ever Played Ghost to the Post 1995 AFC Championship Game Immaculate Redemption/The Tackle Deflategate Colts Catastrophe Snow Bowl
Rivalries	Houston Texans New England Patriots Brady–Manning rivalry
Division championships (16)	1968 1970 1975 1976 1977 1987 1999 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009 2010 2013 2014
Conference championships (7)	1958 1959 1964 1968 1970 2006 2009
League championships (5)	1958 1959 1968 1970 (V) 2006 (XLI)
Retired numbers	18 19 22 24 70 77 82 89
Media	Broadcasters WFNI-AM Bob Lamey Jim Sorgi
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: American Football Conference Division: South Division
Category

show v t Indianapolis Colts seasons
Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
1950s	1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s	1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s	1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s	2020 2021
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

2004 Indianapolis Colts season

Contents

Offseason[]

Free Agency[]

NFL Draft[]

Undrafted free agents[]

Roster[]

Preseason[]

Schedule[]

Standings[]

Game summaries[]

Week 1: at New England Patriots[]

Week 2: at Tennessee Titans[]

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers[]

Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars[]

Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders[]

Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars[]

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs[]

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings[]

Week 10: vs. Houston Texans[]

Week 11: at Chicago Bears[]

Week 12: at Detroit Lions[]

Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans[]

Week 14: at Houston Texans[]

Week 15: vs. Baltimore Ravens[]

Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers[]

Week 17: at Denver Broncos[]

Postseason schedule[]

Postseason results[]

AFC Wild-Card Playoff Game: vs. Denver Broncos[]

AFC Divisional Playoff game: at New England Patriots[]

Awards and records[]

See also[]

References[]