The Indianapolis Colts are a proud franchise that started in Baltimore, and in 1984 moved to Indianapolis. Some from Indianapolis might want this list to only include the teams from their time in Indiana, but teams from Baltimore and the current teams are considered for this list.
Let's look at the five greatest teams in franchise history.
1968
The 1968 Baltimore Colts had a special season, even though they couldn't finish the deal and win the Super Bowl, it was still a great year. The Colts finished the 1968 regular season with a 13-1 record, and all signs were pointing towards them having an easy path to the Super Bowl victory.
The Colts had no trouble with the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the Super Bowl they were heavy favorites against the New York Jets, but Joe Namath had different ideas. The Baltimore offense couldn't get anything going, and that led to a 16-7 defeat.
Even though the Colts didn't win the Super Bowl, 1968 was a special season.
2009
The Indianapolis Colts were 14-0 led by Peyton Manning at quarterback when Jim Caldwell decided the starters needed to rest. They finished the regular season with a 14-2 record. In the AFC Divisional round, the defense was lights out against the Baltimore Ravens, giving up only three points. In the AFC Championship Game, Manning threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Colts to a 30-17 victory over the Jets.
In the Super Bowl. the Colts couldn't stop Drew Brees and the New York Saints. An onside kick to start the season the second half changed the entire game. Indianapolis couldn't get the game back on track, leading to a 31-17 defeat.
1959
The 1959 team was led by Johnny Unitas and it was special. The 1959 team wasn't really known for blowouts, but they did what they needed to win games. The defense wasn't great, but Johnny Unitas had one of the best seasons ever for a quarterback, and at that point, it might have been the best. The Colts finished the regular season with a 9-3 record. They finished with one more win than the Chicago Bears, which gave them a spot in the NFL Championship Game.
The game against the New York Giants was played at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore with the Colts coming away with 31-16 victory. Unitas was given the Bert Bell Award for his accomplishments during the season.
1970
The 1970 team was also led by Unitas. Early in the season, Baltimore was involved in a lot of close contests, but as the season went on, the wins seemed to become more impressive. To close out the regular season, the Colts beat the Jets 35-20. Their regular season record was 11-2-1. The divisional and conference championship round in the playoffs was mostly a breeze.
Super Bowl V put Baltimore against the Dallas Cowboys, and what a battle it was. Unitas was hurt during the game so Earl Morrall had to fill in. It wasn't pretty but he did enough to knock off the Cowboys, 16-13.
2006
The first great team led by Manning was in 2006. The most impressive part of the 2006 team was all the different ways they could win games. After finishing 12-4 during the regular season, the Colts started off the playoffs with wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Ravens. Both of those games, the defense stepped up in key times to make stops. In the AFC Championship it was Manning against Tom Brady, and the two didn't disappoint. It was a back and forth shootout the Horseshoes won.
The Super Bowl was against the Chicago Bears in the rain. The Colts took care of the ball enough to earn the 29-17 victory.
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