2006 Indianapolis Colts season | |
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Owner | Jim Irsay |
General manager | Bill Polian |
Head coach | Tony Dungy |
Home field | RCA Dome |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st AFC South |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Chiefs) 23–8 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Ravens) 15–6 Won AFC Championship (vs. Patriots) 38–34 Won Super Bowl XLI (vs. Bears) 29–17 |
Pro Bowlers | |
AP All-Pros | 3
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Uniform | |
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The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the franchise's 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 23rd in Indianapolis and the 5th season under head coach Tony Dungy. The team failed to improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, finishing at 12–4. However, they did improve upon their postseason performance and advanced further into the playoffs, winning Super Bowl XLI.[1][2]
For the fourth consecutive season, the Colts had won 12 or more games. They also won the AFC South Division Championship for the fourth time in a row, and they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round and the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round, before winning the AFC Championship, beating the New England Patriots 38–34 to advance to Super Bowl XLI, in which they dominated the Chicago Bears, winning 29–17 on February 4, 2007, at Dolphin Stadium.[3] This was the franchise's first Super Bowl since Super Bowl V in 1970, and first since relocating to Indianapolis, as well as their fourth title in their history (1958, 1959, 1970, and 2006). They were just the second football team in a domed stadium to win the Super Bowl after the 1999 St. Louis Rams.
The 2006 Colts surrendered 5.33 rushing yards per attempt, by far the worst since the merger, and seventh-worst in NFL history.[4] Still, the Colts won the championship with the help of the most statistically efficient offense in the league.[5][6][7][8][9] During this season, the Colts, who were very successful in the 2000s despite being impacted by the Patriots dynasty,[10][11][12][13] made history by becoming the first team that played in an indoor stadium to win a Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium and for helping Tony Dungy to become the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl.[14][15][16][17] In 2019, the NFL ranked the 2006 Colts as the 37th-best NFL team of all time.[18]