1990 Indianapolis Colts season

38th season in franchise history

The 1990 Indianapolis Colts season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and seventh in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1990 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses, and finished third in the AFC East division. Running back Eric Dickerson held out of training camp, during a contract dispute. The Colts suspended Dickerson four games for conduct detrimental to the team. He returned late in the season and rushed for 677 yards.

The Colts were embarrassed at home in week two by the putrid Patriots, losing 16–14 for New England's lone win of 1990.

On December 22, 1990, Monday Night Football was played two days early, on Saturday night. The 6–8 Colts played at home as underdogs against the Washington Redskins. Trailing 14–25 in the 4th quarter, rookie quarterback Jeff George led an improbable and spectacular comeback which included two touchdowns to tie the game with little time left. The Colts then intercepted Mark Rypien and returned the ball for the go-ahead touchdown. The Colts pulled off the upset in dramatic fashion with one of George's most memorable games of his career. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team
1 1 Jeff George Quarterback Illinois
2 36 Anthony Johnson Running back Notre Dame
4 83 Stacey Simmons Wide receiver Florida
4 94 Bill Schultz Guard USC
4 103 Alan Grant Defensive back Stanford
4 106 Rick Cunningham Offensive tackle Texas A&M
6 148 Tony Walker Linebacker Southeast Missouri State
7 179 James Singletary Linebacker East Carolina
8 206 Ken Clark Tight End Nebraska
8 213 Harvey Wilson Defensive back Southern
9 232 Darvell Huffman Wide receiver Boston University
11 290 Carnel Smith Defensive end Pittsburgh
12 311 Gene Benhart Quarterback Western Illinois
12 316 Dean Brown Guard Notre Dame

Personnel

Staff

1990 Indianapolis Colts staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Brad Seely

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Tom Zupancic

Roster

1990 Indianapolis Colts final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 36 John Baylor CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 71 Kevin Call T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 87 Eugene Riley TE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 10 Jack Trudeau QB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 35 Reggie Williams WR


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
47 active, 5 inactive, 4 practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance
1 September 9 at Buffalo Bills L 10–26 0–1 Ralph Wilson Stadium 78,899
2 September 16 New England Patriots L 14–16 0–2 Hoosier Dome 49,256
3 September 23 at Houston Oilers L 10–24 0–3 Astrodome 50,093
4 September 30 at Philadelphia Eagles W 24–23 1–3 Veterans Stadium 62,067
5 October 7 Kansas City Chiefs W 23–19 2–3 Hoosier Dome 54,950
6 Bye
7 October 21 Denver Broncos L 17–27 2–4 Hoosier Dome 59,850
8 October 28 Miami Dolphins L 7–27 2–5 Hoosier Dome 59,213
9 November 5 New York Giants L 7–24 2–6 Hoosier Dome 58,688
10 November 11 at New England Patriots W 13–10 3–6 Foxboro Stadium 28,924
11 November 18 New York Jets W 17–14 4–6 Hoosier Dome 47,283
12 November 25 at Cincinnati Bengals W 34–20 5–6 Riverfront Stadium 60,051
13 December 2 at Phoenix Cardinals L 17–20 5–7 Sun Devil Stadium 38,043
14 December 9 Buffalo Bills L 7–31 5–8 Hoosier Dome 53,268
15 December 16 at New York Jets W 29–21 6–8 Giants Stadium 41,423
16 December 22 Washington Redskins W 35–28 7–8 Hoosier Dome 58,173
17 December 30 at Miami Dolphins L 17–23 7–9 Joe Robbie Stadium 59,547
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC East
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W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Buffalo Bills 13 3 0 .813 7–1 10–2 428 263 L1
(4) Miami Dolphins 12 4 0 .750 7–1 10–2 336 242 W1
Indianapolis Colts 7 9 0 .438 3–5 5–7 281 353 L1
New York Jets 6 10 0 .375 2–6 4–10 295 345 W2
New England Patriots 1 15 0 .063 1–7 1–11 181 446 L14

Season summary

Week 1 at Bills

Week One: Indianapolis Colts (0–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 0 7010
Bills 3 13 01026

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: September 9
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 59 °F or 15 °C
  • Game attendance: 78,899
  • Referee: Gerald Austin
  • TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Cris Collinsworth
  • Box Score, Box Score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • BUF – Butch Rolle 3-yard pass from Jim Kelly (Scott Norwood kick), 5:14. Bills 10–3.
  • BUF – Scott Norwood 31-yard field goal, 1:58. Bills 13–3.
  • BUF – Scott Norwood 37-yard field goal, 0:08. Bills 16–3.

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

  • BUF – Scott Norwood 47-yard field goal, 6:08. Bills 19–10.
  • BUF – Thurman Thomas 6-yard run (Scott Norwood kick), 1:37. Bills 26–10.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers

See also

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Indianapolis Colts
  • Founded in 1953
  • Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
  • Based and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
Franchise
Stadiums
Culture
Lore
Rivalries
Division championships (16)
Conference championships (7)
League championships (5)
Retired numbers
Media
Current league affiliations
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Indianapolis Colts seasons
Played in Baltimore (1953–1983)
Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–65) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance


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