1987 Indianapolis Colts season
The 1987 Indianapolis Colts season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and fourth in Indianapolis. The team finished the strike-shortened season with a record of 9-6 and won the AFC East division.
| 1987 Indianapolis Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Robert Irsay |
| Head coach | Ron Meyer |
| General manager | Jim Irsay |
| Home field | Hoosier Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–6 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Browns) 21–38 |
_(crop).jpg.webp)
Dickerson rushing the ball during an away game against the Cleveland Browns in 1987.
This season marked the first winning season, division championship, and the first trip to the playoffs for the Colts in Indianapolis. It was the franchise's first playoff appearance in ten seasons.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1987 Indianapolis Colts draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Cornelius Bennett * | Linebacker | Alabama | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
NFL replacement players
After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
| 1987 Indianapolis Colts replacement roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Roster
Pre season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 15 | at Detroit Lions | W 22–19 | 1–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | |
| 2 | August 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 19–37 | 1–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
| 3 | August 29 | Houston Oilers | W 17–6 | 2–1 | Hoosier Dome | |
| 4 | September 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–6 | 3–1 | Hoosier Dome |
Regular season
On October 31, 1987, the Los Angeles Rams traded Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts in a three team trade involving the Buffalo Bills. The Rams sent Dickerson to the Colts for six draft choices and two players. Buffalo obtained the rights to Cornelius Bennett from Indianapolis. Buffalo sent running back Greg Bell and three draft choices to the Rams, while Indianapolis added Owen Gill and three of their own draft picks to complete the deal with the Rams.[1]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13, 1987 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–23 | 0–1 | Hoosier Dome | 59,387 | Recap |
| 2 | September 20, 1987 | Miami Dolphins | L 10–23 | 0–2 | Hoosier Dome | 57,524 | Recap |
| 3 | September 27, 1987 | at St. Louis Cardinals | Canceled [2] | 0–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | ||
| 4 | October 4, 1987 | at Buffalo Bills | W 47–6 | 1–2 | Rich Stadium | 9,860 | Recap |
| 5 | October 11, 1987 | New York Jets | W 6–0 | 2–2 | Hoosier Dome | 34,927 | Recap |
| 6 | October 18, 1987 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–21 | 2–3 | Three Rivers Stadium | 34,627 | Recap |
| 7 | October 25, 1987 | New England Patriots | W 30–16 | 3–3 | Hoosier Dome | 48,850 | Recap |
| 8 | November 1, 1987 | at New York Jets | W 19–14 | 4–3 | The Meadowlands | 60,863 | Recap |
| 9 | November 8, 1987 | San Diego Chargers | L 13–16 | 4–4 | Hoosier Dome | 60,459 | Recap |
| 10 | November 15, 1987 | at Miami Dolphins | W 40–21 | 5–4 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 65,433 | Recap |
| 11 | November 22, 1987 | at New England Patriots | L 0–24 | 5–5 | Sullivan Stadium | 56,906 | Recap |
| 12 | November 29, 1987 | Houston Oilers | W 51–27 | 6–5 | Hoosier Dome | 54,999 | Recap |
| 13 | December 6, 1987 | at Cleveland Browns | W 9–7 | 7–5 | Cleveland Stadium | 70,661 | Recap |
| 14 | December 13, 1987 | Buffalo Bills | L 3–27 | 7–6 | Hoosier Dome | 60,253 | Recap |
| 15 | December 20, 1987 | at San Diego Chargers | W 20–7 | 8–6 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 46,211 | Recap |
| 16 | December 27, 1987 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–6 | 9–6 | Hoosier Dome | 60,468 | Recap |
Week 1 (Sunday, September 13, 1987): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
| Colts | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 13, 1987
- Game time: 12 Noon EST
- Game attendance: 59,367
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Dave Casper (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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Time of Game: 2 hours, 48 minutes
Week 2 (Sunday, September 20, 1987): vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 2: Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: September 20, 1987
- Game time: 12 Noon EST
- Game attendance: 57,524
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Dave Casper (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 0 minutes
Week 3 (Sunday, September 27, 1987): at St. Louis Cardinals
Cancelled due to player's strike.
Week 4 (Sunday, October 4, 1987): at Buffalo Bills
Week 4: Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 7 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 47 |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
- Date: October 4, 1987
- Game time: 12 Noon EST
- Game attendance: 9,860
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (NBC): Sam Nover (play-by-play) and Dave Casper (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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Time of Game:
This game was played with replacement players.
Week 5 (Sunday, October 11, 1987): vs. New York Jets
Week 5: New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 11, 1987
- Game time: 12 Noon EST
- Game attendance: 34,927
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Sam Rutigliano (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game:
This game was played with replacement players.
Week 6 (Sunday, October 18, 1987): at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 6: Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Steelers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Three Rivers Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: October 18, 1987
- Game time: 12 Noon EST
- Game weather: 53 °F (Scattered Clouds)
- Game attendance: 34,627
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Sam Rutigliano (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | |
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game:
This game was played with replacement players.
Week 7 (Sunday, October 25, 1987): vs. New England Patriots
Week 7: New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| Colts | 0 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: October 25, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 48,850
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Kevin Slaten (play-by-play) and Reggie Rucker (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 8 minutes
Week 8 (Sunday, November 1, 1987): at New York Jets
Week 8: Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at The Meadowlands • East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: November 1, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 53 °F; wind 9
- Game attendance: 60,863
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Joe Namath (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | |
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| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Eric Dickerson's first game with Colts
Week 9 (Sunday, November 8, 1987): vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 9: San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| Colts | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 8, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 54,009
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Joe Namath (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 2 hours, 57 minutes
Week 10 (Sunday, November 15, 1987): at Miami Dolphins
Week 10: Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 7 | 13 | 3 | 17 | 40 |
| Dolphins | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: November 15, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 65,433
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 23 minutes
Week 11 (Sunday, November 22, 1987): at New England Patriots
Week 11: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patriots | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Sullivan Stadium • Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Date: November 22, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 56,906
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play-by-play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 5 minutes
Week 12 (Sunday, November 29, 1987): vs. Houston Oilers
Week 12: Houston Oilers at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Colts | 7 | 21 | 3 | 20 | 51 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: November 29, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 54,009
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Michael Jackson (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Week 13 (Sunday, December 6, 1987): at Cleveland Browns
Week 13: Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: December 6, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 70,661
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play-by-play) and Jimmy Cefalo (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 2 hours, 56 minutes
Week 14 (Sunday, December 13, 1987): vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 7 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
| Colts | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: December 13, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 60,253
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 12 minutes
Week 15 (Sunday, December 20, 1987): at San Diego Chargers
Week 15: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California
- Date: December 20, 1987
- Game attendance: 46,211
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play-by-play) and Paul Maguire (color commentator)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 8 minutes
Week 16 (Sunday, December 27, 1987): vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 16: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Colts | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Hoosier Dome • Indianapolis, Indiana
- Date: December 27, 1987
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 60,468
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Lampley (play-by-play), Ken Stabler (color commentator) and Will McDonough (sideline reporter)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 18 minutes
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Indianapolis Colts(3) | 9 | 6 | 0 | .600 | 5–3 | 8–6 | 300 | 238 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 320 | 293 | W3 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 2–6 | 5–7 | 362 | 335 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 270 | 305 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 3–5 | 6–5 | 334 | 360 | L4 |
Playoffs
The team received a bye for the Wild-Card round of the playoffs and traveled to Cleveland for the Divisional round. After being tied with Browns for most of the game the 4th quarter proved to be their undoing, as they were outscored 17–7.
| Playoff Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round Bye | |||||||
| Divisional | January 9 | at Cleveland Browns (2) | L 21–38 | 0–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 78,586 | Recap | |
AFC Divisional Playoffs (Saturday, January 9, 1988): at Cleveland Browns (2)
AFC Divisional Playoffs: Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
at Cleveland Stadium • Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: January 9, 1988
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 78,546
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play-by-play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator), Paul Maguire (sideline reporter) and Ahmad Rashād (sideline reporter)
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | |
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| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Time of Game: 3 hours, 15 minutes
References
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p.286
- The 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15, causing week 3 to be canceled.
See also
| |
| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (16) | |
| Conference championships (7) | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
|
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