1978 Baltimore Colts season | |
---|---|
Owner | Robert Irsay |
General manager | Dick Szymanski |
Head coach | Ted Marchibroda |
Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 5–11 |
Division place | T-4th AFC East |
Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | None |
The 1978 Baltimore Colts season was the 26th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Under fourth-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with 5 wins and 11 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore lost the tiebreaker to Buffalo based on head-to-head series (0–2). This was the first time under Marchibroda that Baltimore did not make the postseason.
The Colts' minus-181 point differential was easily the NFL's worst, 50 points behind the next worst team, the San Francisco 49ers.
With quarterback Bert Jones out for several weeks with a shoulder injury and quickly losing both starting offensive tackles for the year through injury, Baltimore started the season in catastrophic fashion, losing their first two games by a combined score of 80–0. [1] The Colts' first win of the season, in week three over New England on Monday Night Football , is one of the biggest regular season upsets in NFL history. The Patriots were favored by an overwhelming 17½ points, but the Colts scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a 90-yard kickoff return by running back Joe Washington with under a minute left to take the lead for good. [2] [3] [4] In the game, Washington became the first player to throw a touchdown, catch a pass for a touchdown, and return a kickoff for a touchdown in the same game. [5]
1978 Baltimore Colts draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 | Reese McCall | Tight end | Auburn | |
2 | 52 | Mike Woods | Linebacker | Cincinnati | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 4 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 0–38 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,224 | |
2 | September 10 | Miami Dolphins | L 0–42 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 47,730 | |
3 | September 18 | at New England Patriots | W 34–27 | 1–2 | Schaefer Stadium | 57,284 | |
4 | September 24 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Rich Stadium | 55,270 | |
5 | October 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–17 | 1–4 | Memorial Stadium | 50,314 | |
6 | October 8 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 30–17 | 2–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 47,479 | |
7 | October 15 | New York Jets | L 10–33 | 2–5 | Memorial Stadium | 45,563 | |
8 | October 22 | Denver Broncos | W 7–6 | 3–5 | Memorial Stadium | 54,057 | |
9 | October 29 | at Miami Dolphins | L 8–26 | 3–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | 53,524 | |
10 | November 6 | Washington Redskins | W 21–17 | 4–6 | Memorial Stadium | 57,631 | |
11 | November 12 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 17–14 | 5–6 | Kingdome | 61,905 | |
12 | November 19 | Cleveland Browns | L 24–45 | 5–7 | Memorial Stadium | 45,341 | |
13 | November 26 | New England Patriots | L 14–35 | 5–8 | Memorial Stadium | 42,828 | |
14 | December 3 | at New York Jets | L 17–30 | 5–9 | Shea Stadium | 50,248 | |
15 | December 9 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–35 | 5–10 | Three Rivers Stadium | 41,957 | |
16 | December 17 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–21 | 5–11 | Memorial Stadium | 25,415 | |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 27 | 34 |
Patriots | 6 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
at Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Game information | ||
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1978 AFC East standings | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
New England Patriots (2) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 358 | 286 | L1 |
Miami Dolphins (4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 372 | 254 | W3 |
New York Jets | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 6–2 | 7–5 | 359 | 364 | L2 |
Buffalo Bills | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–10 | 302 | 354 | W1 |
Baltimore Colts | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 3–9 | 240 | 421 | L5 |