2023 Indianapolis Colts season

2023 Indianapolis Colts season
OwnerJim Irsay
General managerChris Ballard
Head coachShane Steichen
Home fieldLucas Oil Stadium
Results
Record9–8
Division place3rd AFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersG Quenton Nelson
C Ryan Kelly
DT DeForest Buckner
QB Gardner Minshew
Uniform

The 2023 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 71st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 40th in Indianapolis. It was also their seventh under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard and the first under new head coach Shane Steichen. Despite low expectations, the Colts improved on their 4–12–1 record from the previous season after a Week 10 victory over the New England Patriots in Frankfurt, and more than doubled their wins from the previous year, and finished with a 9–8 record. Unable to win the AFC South for the 9th consecutive season, they were eliminated from playoff contention in the final week of the season for the second time in three seasons after a loss to the Houston Texans.

Draft

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2023 Indianapolis Colts Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 4 Anthony Richardson QB Florida
2 35 Traded to Las Vegas
44 JuJu Brents CB Kansas State From Atlanta
3 79 Josh Downs WR North Carolina From Washington
4 106 Blake Freeland OT BYU
110 Adetomiwa Adebawore DT Northwestern From Atlanta
5 138 Darius Rush CB South Carolina
141 Traded to Minnesota
158 Daniel Scott S California From Minnesota
162 Will Mallory TE Miami From Buffalo
176 Evan Hull RB Northwestern Compensatory pick; From Dallas
6 211 Titus Leo OLB Wagner From Minnesota
7 221 Jaylon Jones CB Texas A&M
236 Jake Witt OT Northern Michigan From Tampa Bay
2023 Undrafted Free Agents
Position Player College
LB Liam Anderson Holy Cross
WR Kody Case Illinois
WR Cody Chrest Sam Houston
CB Cole Coleman Elon
G Emil Ekiyor Jr. Alabama
RB Zavier Scott Maine
S Michael Tutsie North Dakota State
QB Kyle Vantrease Georgia Southern
DT Jamal Woods Illinois

Staff

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2023 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

  • Owner/CEO – Jim Irsay
  • Vice chairman/co-owner – Carlie Irsay-Gordon
  • Vice chairman/co-owner – Casey Foyt
  • Vice chairman/co-owner – Kalen Jackson
  • General manager – Chris Ballard
  • Assistant general manager – Ed Dodds
  • Director of player personnel – Kevin Rogers Jr.
  • Director of football administration – Mike Bluem
  • Chief personnel executive – Morocco Brown
  • Director of pro scouting – Jon Shaw
  • Director of college scouting – Matt Terpening
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Jamie Moore
  • Senior player personnel scout – Todd Vasvari

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Gus Bradley
  • Defensive line – Nate Ollie
  • Assistant defensive line – Matt Raich
  • Linebackers/run game coordinator – Richard Smith
  • Assistant linebackers – Cato June
  • Defensive backs – Ron Milus
  • Assistant defensive backs – Mike Mitchell
  • Defensive assistant – Payton McCollum
  • Defensive quality control - Brent Jackson

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of sports performance – Rusty Jones
  • Head strength and conditioning – Richard Howell
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Zane Fakes
  • Applied sports science/conditioning – Doug McKenney
  • Functional movement therapist/conditioning – Sam Khym


Final roster

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2023 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

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active (+1 exempt), 13 reserve, 16 practice squad (+5 exempt)

Preseason

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The Colts opened their 2023 preseason with a 23–19 loss to the Buffalo Bills on August 12, 2023. Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft, started the game, completing seven of his 12 passes for 67 yards while being intercepted once. He was also credited with two carries for seven yards. Three days later, Richardson was named the team's starter for the regular season by first-year head coach Shane Steichen.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 12 at Buffalo Bills L 19–23 0–1 Highmark Stadium Recap
2 August 19 Chicago Bears W 24–17 1–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
3 August 24 at Philadelphia Eagles W 27–13 2–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 Jacksonville Jaguars L 21–31 0–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
2 September 17 at Houston Texans W 31–20 1–1 NRG Stadium Recap
3 September 24 at Baltimore Ravens W 22–19 (OT) 2–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
4 October 1 Los Angeles Rams L 23–29 (OT) 2–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
5 October 8 Tennessee Titans W 23–16 3–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
6 October 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 20–37 3–3 EverBank Stadium Recap
7 October 22 Cleveland Browns L 38–39 3–4 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
8 October 29 New Orleans Saints L 27–38 3–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
9 November 5 at Carolina Panthers W 27–13 4–5 Bank of America Stadium Recap
10 November 12 at New England Patriots W 10–6 5–5 Germany Deutsche Bank Park (Frankfurt) Recap
11 Bye
12 November 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–20 6–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
13 December 3 at Tennessee Titans W 31–28 (OT) 7–5 Nissan Stadium Recap
14 December 10 at Cincinnati Bengals L 14–34 7–6 Paycor Stadium Recap
15 December 16 Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–13 8–6 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at Atlanta Falcons L 10–29 8–7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
17 December 31 Las Vegas Raiders W 23–20 9–7 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
18 January 6 Houston Texans L 19–23 9–8 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 7 7 31431
Colts 0 7 14021

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

With the loss, the Colts started their season at 0–1. The Colts have failed to win in Week 1 for the 10th straight season.

Week 2: at Houston Texans

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Week 2: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 14 14 3031
Texans 7 3 01020

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 3: at Baltimore Ravens

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Week 3: Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Colts 0 10 36322
Ravens 7 0 75019

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

With the upset victory over the Ravens, the Colts picked up their second win of the season, improving to 2-1. By successfully kicking four field goals of a distance of 50 yards or greater (54, 53, 53, 53) in a single game, Matt Gay became the first kicker in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week 4: Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Rams 14 6 30629
Colts 0 0 815023

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: October 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 65,337
  • Referee: Land Clark
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite the Colts' comeback that made the game go into overtime, it was not enough, as they lost to the Rams 29–23. With the loss, the Colts evened their record at 2–2.

Week 5: vs. Tennessee Titans

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Week 5: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 3 3 10016
Colts 7 3 7623

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Quarterback Anthony Richardson was placed on the injured reserve after he suffered an AC joint injury in this game, rendering him unable to play in the next four games at minimum. However, the Colts were still able to pull out a victory.

Week 6: at Jacksonville Jaguars

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Week 6: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 3 01420
Jaguars 0 21 10637

at EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: October 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,851
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Amanda Renner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Colts had their ninth consecutive loss in Jacksonville.

Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week 7: Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 20 3939
Colts 14 7 71038

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Week 8: New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 14 71038
Colts 7 13 0727

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 9: at Carolina Panthers

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Week 9: Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 20 0727
Panthers 0 3 7313

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Week 10: at New England Patriots

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NFL Germany games

Week 10: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 0 0310
Patriots 3 0 036

at Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt, Germany

Game information

The Colts beat the Patriots on the road for the first time since winning Super Bowl XLI.

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Week 12: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 7 01020
Colts 10 7 3727

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 64,407
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Amanda Renner
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: at Tennessee Titans

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Week 13: Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Colts 7 6 93631
Titans 10 7 26328

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

The Colts erased a 17-7 deficit and beat the Titans 31-28 in overtime, sweeping them for the first time since 2018.

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week 14: Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 14 0014
Bengals 7 7 14634

at Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

The Colts suffered their 4th consecutive loss in Cincinnati, and haven't won there since 2005.

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 15: Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 6 7 0013
Colts 0 14 10630

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Colts erased a 13-0 deficit and upset the Steelers. It was their first win against the Steelers since 2008, and their first home win against them since 2005.

Week 16: at Atlanta Falcons

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Week 16: Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 0 3010
Falcons 7 6 7929

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Colts lost to the Falcons for the first time since 2011, and lost their first game at Atlanta since 1998.

Week 17: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

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Week 17: Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 0 71020
Colts 7 7 3623

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: December 31
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 65,538
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Colts beat the Raiders at home for the first time since 2013 when the Raiders were based in Oakland.

Week 18: vs. Houston Texans

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Week 18: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 7 3623
Colts 3 3 8519

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

The Colts extended their home losing streak to the Texans to 2 games.

Standings

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Division

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AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Houston Texans 10 7 0 .588 4–2 7–5 377 353 W2
Jacksonville Jaguars 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 377 371 L1
Indianapolis Colts 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 396 415 L1
Tennessee Titans 6 11 0 .353 1–5 4–8 305 367 W1

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Baltimore Ravens North 13 4 0 .765 3–3 8–4 .543 .529 L1
2[a][b] Buffalo Bills East 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .471 .471 W5
3[a] Kansas City Chiefs West 11 6 0 .647 4–2 9–3 .481 .428 W2
4 Houston Texans South 10 7 0 .588 4–2 7–5 .474 .465 W2
Wild cards
5[c] Cleveland Browns North 11 6 0 .647 3–3 8–4 .536 .513 L1
6[b][c] Miami Dolphins East 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .450 .358 L2
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 7 0 .588 5–1 7–5 .540 .571 W3
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[d] Cincinnati Bengals North 9 8 0 .529 1–5 4–8 .574 .536 W1
9[d][e] Jacksonville Jaguars South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .533 .477 L1
10[e] Indianapolis Colts South 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .491 .444 L1
11[f] Las Vegas Raiders West 8 9 0 .471 4–2 6–6 .488 .426 W1
12[f] Denver Broncos West 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 .488 .485 L1
13 New York Jets East 7 10 0 .412 2–4 4–8 .502 .454 W1
14 Tennessee Titans South 6 11 0 .353 1–5 4–8 .522 .422 W1
15 Los Angeles Chargers West 5 12 0 .294 1–5 3–9 .529 .388 L5
16 New England Patriots East 4 13 0 .235 2–4 4–8 .522 .529 L2
Tiebreakers[g]
  1. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head sweep.
  3. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Miami based on conference record.
  4. ^ a b Cincinnati finished ahead of Jacksonville based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Indianapolis (see below).
  5. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head sweep.
  6. ^ a b Las Vegas finished ahead of Denver based on head-to-head sweep.
  7. ^ 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.

References

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