The 2013 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 61st in the National Football League (NFL), their 30th in Indianapolis and their second under head coach Chuck Pagano, who missed most of the 2012 season due to treatment for leukemia. Throughout the season, the Colts wore a patch to recognize the 30th season since their move to Indianapolis.
While losing their Week 14 match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts clinched their 15th division title after the Denver Broncos defeated the Tennessee Titans and their first without Peyton Manning. The Colts matched their 2012 record of 11–5, and went undefeated within the division during the season.
In the AFC wild card game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Colts rallied to turn a 38–10 Chiefs' lead into a 45–44 victory for the second-largest comeback in NFL playoff history. It is behind the Buffalo Bills who rallied from a 32-point deficit in the 1993 AFC Wild Card Game. The Colts' season came to an end with a 43–22 loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
2013 NFL draft
Notes The team traded its second-round selection (No. 54 overall) to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Vontae Davis. The team traded its original fifth-round selection (No. 157 overall) along with a 2012 fourth-round selection to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers' 2012 third-round selection. The team acquired a new fifth-round selection (No. 139 overall) in a trade that sent its 2014 fourth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns. Selection No. 254 is a compensatory selection.
Undrafted free agents Position Player College T Emmett Cleary Boston College K Brandon McManus Temple RB Dan Moore MontanaRB Denodus O'Bryant Lindenwood CB Sheldon Price UCLA LB C.O. Prime Wagner WR Rodrick Rumble Idaho StateWR Lanear Sampson BaylorCB Daxton Swanson Sam Houston StateCB Nigel Malone Kansas State
Departures Position Player 2013 Team Notes WR Austin Collie UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed by San Francisco on August 2, 2013. DE Dwight Freeney UFA San Diego Chargers Signed by San Diego on May 18, 2013. CB Jerraud Powers UFA Arizona Cardinals Signed by Arizona on March 13, 2013. QB Drew Stanton UFA Arizona Cardinals Signed by Arizona on March 13, 2013. WR Donnie Avery UFA Kansas City Chiefs Signed by Kansas City on March 13, 2013. LB Moise Fokou UFA Tennessee Titans Signed by Tennessee on March 13, 2013. S Tom Zbikowski UFA Chicago Bears Signed by Chicago on March 23, 2013.LB Jerry Hughes Trade Buffalo Bills Traded away on April 29, 2013. RB Alvester Alexander UFA Waived on April 30, 2013.C A.Q. Shipley Trade Baltimore Ravens Traded away on May 9, 2013.
Additions Position Player 2012 team Notes P Pat McAfee FT Indianapolis Colts Applied with Franchise Tag on March 1, 2013. DE Fili Moala UFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 4, 2013. CB Darius Butler UFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 12, 2013. T Gosder Cherilus UFA Detroit Lions Signed on March 12, 2013.CB Greg Toler UFA Arizona Cardinals Signed on March 12, 2013. OLB Erik Walden UFA Green Bay Packers Signed on March 12, 2013. G Donald Thomas UFA New England Patriots Signed on March 12, 2013.OLB Lawrence Sidbury UFA Atlanta Falcons Signed on March 12, 2013. S LaRon Landry UFA New York Jets Signed on March 13, 2013.DE Ricky Jean-Francois UFA San Francisco 49ers Signed on March 14, 2013.CB Cassius Vaughn RFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 18, 2013. QB Matt Hasselbeck UFA Tennessee Titans Signed on March 19, 2013.G Joe Reitz ERFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 20, 2013.NT Aubrayo Franklin UFA San Diego Chargers Signed on March 20, 2013.NT Martin Tevaseu ERFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 22, 2013. FB Stanley Havili Trade Philadelphia Eagles Traded for on March 28, 2013.T Jeff Linkenbach ERFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on March 28, 2013. WR Darrius Heyward-Bey UFA Oakland Raiders Signed on April 1, 2013. ILB Josh McNary UFA No team in 2012 Signed on April 11, 2013.CB Josh Gordy ERFA Indianapolis Colts Re-signed on April 15, 2013.LB Kelvin Sheppard Trade Buffalo Bills Traded for on April 29, 2013. RB Ahmad Bradshaw UFA New York Giants Signed on June 11, 2013. RB Trent Richardson Trade Cleveland Browns Traded for on September 18, 2013
Team captains Position Player QB Andrew Luck OLB Robert Mathis K Adam Vinatieri Note Team captains had not been selected, or at least, players selected as captains did not begin to display their signature "C-patch" on their jerseys until during their Week 15 match-up against Houston. This just so happened to be the week that followed the Colts securing the AFC South title and their 26th playoff berth in franchise history.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 August 11 Buffalo Bills L 20–44 0–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 2 August 18 at New York Giants W 20–12 1–1 MetLife Stadium Recap 3 Cleveland Browns W 27–6 2–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 4 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–27 2–2 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
Regular season For the first time since the 2002 season, the Colts did not play the New England Patriots during the regular season. The Colts–Patriots rivalry had become one of the most known in modern era sports. However, they did play each other in playoffs.
One highlight of the 2013 Colts season was a trip to San Francisco to play the 49ers. This game marked the return of starting quarterback Andrew Luck to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he played three seasons of college football at Stanford University, which for his first two years there was coached by Jim Harbaugh, then-coach of the 49ers. Luck got the better of his old coach with a 27–7 statement victory.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 8 Oakland Raiders W 21–17 1–0 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 2 September 15 Miami Dolphins L 20–24 1–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 3 September 22 at San Francisco 49ers W 27–7 2–1 Candlestick Park Recap 4 September 29 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 37–3 3–1 EverBank Field Recap 5 October 6 Seattle Seahawks W 34–28 4–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 6 at San Diego Chargers L 9–19 4–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap 7 October 20 Denver Broncos W 39–33 5–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 8Bye 9 November 3 at Houston Texans W 27–24 6–2 Reliant Stadium Recap 10 November 10 St. Louis Rams L 8–38 6–3 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 11 at Tennessee Titans W 30–27 7–3 LP Field Recap 12 November 24 at Arizona Cardinals L 11–40 7–4 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 13 December 1 Tennessee Titans W 22–14 8–4 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 14 December 8 at Cincinnati Bengals L 28–42 8–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 15 December 15 Houston Texans W 25–3 9–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 16 December 22 at Kansas City Chiefs W 23–7 10–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 17 December 29 Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–10 11–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Regular season
Week 1: vs. Oakland Raiders
The Colts began their 2013 season at home, for the first time since 2009, against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders, who received the opening kickoff, would turn the ball over on a Terrelle Pryor interception by Colts cornerback Greg Toler. The interception would allow Andrew Luck and the Colts offense to drive down the field and score the first touchdown of the season on a pass from Luck to Reggie Wayne. Heading into the second quarter, the Colts defense would continue to prevent the Raiders from scoring, forcing Oakland to punt on second drive of the game. Luck would again lead the Colts down the field in an eight play, 69-yard drive that would result in a touchdown pass from Luck to tight end Dwayne Allen, giving the Colts an early 14–0 lead. Pryor and the Raiders would respond for the first time on their next offensive drive, which ended in a touchdown run from Darren McFadden. Defensive stops by both the Colts and the Raiders would ensure no further scoring in the half and would allow Indianapolis to head into halftime with the 14–7 lead. Indianapolis was forced to punt on their first offensive possession of the second half, while the Raiders would drive down to the Colts 20-yard line and would score on a Sebastian Janikowski field goal, cutting the Colts lead to 14–10 lead. The Raiders would again begin to drive down the field and would score the go ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter on a pass from Denarius Moore from Terrelle Pryor, giving the Raiders a 17–14 lead. Andrew Luck, on the next Colts offensive drive, would lead the team down the field, 71 yards in 11 plays, with Luck himself scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 19-yard run. Pryor and the Raiders would drive down to the Colts 24-yard line, though the drive would end with an interception by Antoine Bethea, sealing the Colts victory.
With the win, the Colts went to 1–0 on the season and extended their home winning streak to seven games. This was the last time the Colts would win a season opener until 2025.
Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Colts faced the Miami Dolphins in week two, a rematch of the 23–20 Colts victory during the 2012 season. This game also marked the second meeting between Andrew Luck of the Colts and Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins, both sophomore quarterbacks. Indianapolis, who received the opening kickoff, were unable to score on their first drive, unlike the Dolphins who drove down 58 yards in six plays, while scoring on a Tannehill pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace, giving the Dolphins an early 7–0 lead. The Colts would respond with a long drive of their own, however they would be able to put it into the endzone, settling instead for an Adam Vinatieri field goal. The Dolphins would strike again, this time scoring in just two plays following a Tannehill 67-yard pass and a Lamar Miller touchdown run. The Colts, who entered the second quarter trailing 14–3, quickly scored their first touchdown on the day with an Andrew Luck pass to tight end Coby Fleener. After trading possessions, the Indianapolis offense would strike again, scoring their second touchdown of the quarter and taking the first lead of the day, though it would be taken away by a Caleb Sturgis field goal to end the half, with the teams going into halftime tied at 17. Indianapolis would drive down on their first possession of the second half, though a touchdown would be nullified by an illegal shift penalty and forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal. Midway through the third quarter, the Dolphins would score the go ahead touchdown on a Charles Clay run, putting them ahead 24–20. On their last offensive possession of the day, Luck and the Colts would drive down to the Miami 23-yard line, though the comeback would fall short following a sack of Luck on fourth down.
With the loss, the Colts went to 1–1 on the season and lost their first home game since September 23, 2012.
Week 3: at San Francisco 49ers
Week 4: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 5: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 6: at San Diego Chargers
Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 9: at Houston Texans
The Colts fell behind 21–3 before rallying to defeat the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football 27–24.
Week 10: vs. St. Louis Rams
Week 11: at Tennessee Titans
Week 12: at Arizona Cardinals
Week 13: vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
With the loss, the Colts dropped to 8–5, however, they clinched the AFC South division title after the Broncos defeated the Titans later in the evening.
Week 15: vs. Houston Texans
With the win, the Colts improved to 9–5 and 12–0 at home against the Texans.
Week 16: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
With the win, the Colts were the only team during the 2013 season to sweep all of their division rivals.
Standings
Division
Conference
Postseason
Schedule Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap Wild Card Kansas City Chiefs (5) W 45–44 1–0 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap Divisional at New England Patriots (2) L 22–43 1–1 Gillette Stadium Recap
Game summaries