2018 Indianapolis Colts season

Last updated

2018 Indianapolis Colts season
Owner Jim Irsay
General manager Chris Ballard
Head coach Frank Reich
Home stadium Lucas Oil Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd AFC South
PlayoffsWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Texans) 21–7
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Chiefs) 13–31
All-Pros G Quenton Nelson
LB Shaquille Leonard
Pro Bowlers QB Andrew Luck
TE Eric Ebron
G Quenton Nelson
Uniform
Colts football uniforms.png

The 2018 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 66th in the National Football League (NFL), their 35th in Indianapolis, and their 11th playing their home games at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was also their first season under head coach Frank Reich and second under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard. Despite a 1–5 start, the Colts managed to improve on their injury-plagued 4–12 campaign from the year prior with a 38–10 victory over the Tennessee Titans, and a 5-game winning streak. On Week 16, the Colts achieved their first winning season since 2014 with a 28–27 win against the New York Giants. The next week, they beat the Tennessee Titans in a win or go home match-up to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and became the third team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs after a 1–5 start and first since the 2015 Chiefs.

Contents

In the wild-card round, the Colts defeated the Houston Texans 21–7, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round 31–13, ending their season. To date, this is the most recent season the Colts have won a playoff game.

This would be the last season that the Colts would have franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, as he would retire following the season, citing his continuous struggle with injuries and no longer enjoying the game. [1]

Offseason

Coaching changes

On December 31, 2017, the Colts parted ways with head coach Chuck Pagano, who had led the team for six seasons. After two interviews, it was widely reported that the Colts would hire New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace him, after McDaniels fulfilled his obligations to the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. [2] The Colts announced on the team website that they had agreed to terms with McDaniels and scheduled a press conference with McDaniels for February 5, 2018. However, one day later, McDaniels unexpectedly withdrew from the agreement in principle to become the Colts' head coach. [3] [4] On February 11, 2018, after interviewing multiple candidates, including Leslie Frazier and Dan Campbell, the Colts announced the hiring of Frank Reich, formerly the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator. [5]

Draft

2018 Indianapolis Colts Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
1 6 Quenton Nelson Guard Notre Dame From NY Jets
236 Shaquille Leonard Linebacker South Carolina State
37 Braden Smith Guard Auburn From NY Jets
52 Kemoko Turay Defensive end Rutgers From Baltimore via Philadelphia
64 Tyquan Lewis Defensive end Ohio State From Philadelphia via Cleveland
4104 Nyheim Hines Running back NC State
5159 Daurice Fountain Wide receiver Northern Iowa From Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland
169 Jordan Wilkins Running back Ole Miss From Philadelphia
6185 Deon Cain Wide receiver Clemson From Oakland
7221 Matthew Adams Linebacker Houston
235 Zaire Franklin Linebacker Syracuse From Seattle via NY Jets

Draft trades

Staff

2018 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

  • Owner – Jim Irsay
  • General manager – Chris Ballard
  • Vice president of player personnel – Rex Hogan
  • Vice president of player personnel – Ed Dodds
  • Senior player personnel scout – Todd Vasvari
  • Director of football administration – Mike Bluem
  • Director of pro personnel – Kevin Rogers Jr.
  • Director of college scouting – Morocco Brown
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Matt Tarpening
  • Player personnel strategist – Brian Decker

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2018 Indianapolis Colts roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 14 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 9at Seattle Seahawks W 19–171–0 CenturyLink Field Recap
2August 20 Baltimore Ravens L 19–201–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
3August 25 San Francisco 49ers W 23–172–1Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
4August 30at Cincinnati Bengals W 27–263–1 Paul Brown Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

The Colts' 2018 schedule was announced on April 19.

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 9 Cincinnati Bengals L 23–340–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
2 September 16at Washington Redskins W 21–91–1 FedEx Field Recap
3 September 23at Philadelphia Eagles L 16–201–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
4 September 30 Houston Texans L 34–37 (OT)1–3Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
5 October 4at New England Patriots L 24–381–4 Gillette Stadium Recap
6 October 14at New York Jets L 34–421–5 MetLife Stadium Recap
7 October 21 Buffalo Bills W 37–52–5Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
8 October 28at Oakland Raiders W 42–283–5 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap
9 Bye
10 November 11 Jacksonville Jaguars W 29–264–5Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
11 November 18 Tennessee Titans W 38–105–5Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
12 November 25 Miami Dolphins W 27–246–5Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
13 December 2at Jacksonville Jaguars L 0–66–6 TIAA Bank Field Recap
14 December 9at Houston Texans W 24–217–6 NRG Stadium Recap
15 December 16 Dallas Cowboys W 23–08–6Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
16 December 23 New York Giants W 28–279–6Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
17 December 30at Tennessee Titans W 33–1710–6 Nissan Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week One: Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bengals3771734
Colts3137023

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Despite leading 23–10 in the second half, the Bengals managed to pull off a comeback to win 34–23. The Colts had a chance to win the game late. However, while driving down the field, Jack Doyle lost a fumble which was returned 83 yards for a touchdown, putting the game away. This was the Colts 4th straight opening day loss.

Week 2: at Washington Redskins

Week Two: Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts770721
Redskins03339

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

With the win, the Colts evened their record at 1-1.

Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Three: Indianapolis Colts at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts706316
Eagles733720

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

In a rain-filled affair, the Colts were unable to nurse a late lead, as they lost to the defending champion Eagles 20-16 and fell to 1–2.

Week 4: vs. Houston Texans

Week Four: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Texans14773637
Colts73714334

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: September 30
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 73 °F (23 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 57,716
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In a shootout, the Texans were able to pull it out in overtime, winning 37–34, as the Colts fell to 1–3.

Week 5: at New England Patriots

Week Five: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts0371424
Patriots71701438

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

The Colts were seeking their first road win over the Patriots since their 2006 Super Bowl-winning season.

Week 6: at New York Jets

Week Six: Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts7671434
Jets101310942

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

Week 7: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Seven: Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bills00505
Colts02401337

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: October 21
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 56,848
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 8: at Oakland Raiders

Week Eight: Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts10382142
Raiders01414028

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: October 28
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,372
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Amanda Balionis
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 10: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Ten: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Jaguars797326
Colts14150029

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Eleven: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Titans030710
Colts7177738

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: November 18
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 57,401
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Twelve: Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Dolphins773724
Colts7701327

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: November 25
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 57,069
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Thirteen: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts00000
Jaguars03036

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

Week 14: at Houston Texans

Week Fourteen: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts0177024
Texans707721

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week Fifteen: Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cowboys00000
Colts7310323

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

Week Sixteen: New York Giants at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Giants1437327
Colts0714728

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 61,738
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: at Tennessee Titans

Week Seventeen: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts7107933
Titans0107017

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Standings

Division

AFC South
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(3) Houston Texans 1150.6884–29–3402316W1
(6) Indianapolis Colts 1060.6254–27–5433344W4
Tennessee Titans 970.5633–35–7310303L1
Jacksonville Jaguars 5110.3131–54–8245316L1

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 [a] Kansas City Chiefs West1240.7505–110–2.480.401W1
2 [b] New England Patriots East1150.6885–18–4.482.494W2
3 [b] Houston Texans South1150.6884–29–3.471.435W1
4 Baltimore Ravens North1060.6253–38–4.496.450W3
Wild Cards
5 [a] Los Angeles Chargers West1240.7504–29–3.477.422W1
6 Indianapolis Colts South1060.6254–27–5.465.456W4
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North961.5944–1–16–5–1.504.448W1
8 Tennessee Titans South970.5633–35–7.520.465L1
9 Cleveland Browns North781.4693–2–15–6–1.516.411L1
10 Miami Dolphins East790.4384–26–6.469.446L3
11 [c] Denver Broncos West6100.3752–44–8.523.464L4
12 [c] Cincinnati Bengals North6100.3751–54–8.535.448L2
13 [c] Buffalo Bills East6100.3752–44–8.523.411W1
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South5110.3131–54–8.549.463L1
15 [d] New York Jets East4120.2501–53–9.506.438L3
16 [d] Oakland Raiders West4120.2501–53–9.547.406L1
Tiebreakers [e]
  1. 1 2 Kansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers in the AFC West based on division record, claiming the No. 1 seed.
  2. 1 2 New England claimed the No. 2 seed over Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 3 Denver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  4. 1 2 NY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory.
  5. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild Card January 5, 2019at Houston Texans (3)W 21–71–0 NRG Stadium Recap
Divisional January 12, 2019at Kansas City Chiefs (1)L 13–311–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (3) Houston Texans

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) Indianapolis Colts at (3) Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts1470021
Texans00077

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Kansas City Chiefs

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (6) Indianapolis Colts at (1) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts070613
Chiefs14100731

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

This would be Andrew Luck's last game in the NFL, as he retired before the commencement of the 2019 NFL season.

References

  1. Wells, Mike. "Luck retires, calls decision 'hardest of my life'". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  2. "Report: Colts to hire Pats OC Josh McDaniels as coach".
  3. McCann, Michael (February 7, 2018). "No Signed Contract, No Deal: Legal Fallout for Josh McDaniels and the Colts". SI.com. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  4. Knoblauch, Austin (February 6, 2018). "Josh McDaniels withdraws from Colts coaching job". NFL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. "Indianapolis Colts on Twitter".