| Team: | Baltimore Colts |
| Year: | 1973 |
| Record: | 4–10 |
| Division Place: | T-4th AFC East |
| Coach: | Howard Schnellenberger |
| Owner: | Robert Irsay |
| General Manager: | Joe Thomas |
| Stadium: | Memorial Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Colts seasons |
The 1973 Baltimore Colts season was the 21st season for the team in the National Football League. Under first-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, the Colts finished with a record of 4 wins and 10 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East with the New York Jets. The Colts lost the tiebreaker to the Jets based on head-to-head sweep (0–2).
Baltimore was the only team to lose to the Houston Oilers, bowing 31–27 in week eight at home. The Oilers broke an 18-game losing streak with the victory.
Hired in February, Schnellenberger was previously the offensive coordinator with the Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins,[1] who went undefeated in 1972 under head coach Don Shula.
This was the first year since 1955 in which long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas was not on the Baltimore roster.
See main article: article and 1973 NFL Draft.
See main article: 1973 NFL season. Before the season, the Colts traded long-time quarterback Johnny Unitas to the San Diego Chargers. Unitas had been splitting quarterback duties with Earl Morrall and Marty Domres over the past few seasons; he played one season for San Diego and retired.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Game recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 16 | at Cleveland Browns | L 14–24 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 74,303 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 23 | New York Jets | L 10–34 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 55,942 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 30 | New Orleans Saints | W 14–10 | 1–2 | Memorial Stadium | 52,293 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 7 | at New England Patriots | L 16–24 | 1–3 | Schaefer Stadium | 57,044 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 14 | at Buffalo Bills | L 13–31 | 1–4 | Rich Stadium | 78,875 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 21 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–27 | 2–4 | Tiger Stadium | 48,058 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 28 | Oakland Raiders | L 21–34 | 2–5 | Memorial Stadium | 59,008 | Recap | |
| 8 | November 4 | Houston Oilers | L 27–31 | 2–6 | Memorial Stadium | 52,707 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 11 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–44 | 2–7 | Orange Bowl | 60,332 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 18 | at Washington Redskins | L 14–22 | 2–8 | RFK Stadium | 52,675 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 25 | Buffalo Bills | L 17–24 | 2–9 | Memorial Stadium | 52,250 | Recap | |
| 12 | December 2 | at New York Jets | L 17–20 | 2–10 | Shea Stadium | 51,167 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 9 | Miami Dolphins | W 16–3 | 3–10 | Memorial Stadium | 58,446 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 16 | New England Patriots | W 18–13 | 4–10 | Memorial Stadium | 52,065 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||