| Team: | Baltimore Colts |
| Year: | 1978 |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | T-4th AFC East |
| Coach: | Ted Marchibroda |
| General Manager: | Dick Szymanski |
| Owner: | Robert Irsay |
| Stadium: | Memorial Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Shortnavlink: | Colts seasons |
The 1978 Baltimore Colts season was the 26th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). Under fourth-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with 5 wins and 11 losses, tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore lost the tiebreaker to Buffalo based on head-to-head series (0–2). This was the first time under Marchibroda that Baltimore did not make the postseason.
The Colts' minus-181 point differential was easily the NFL's worst, 50 points behind the next worst team, the San Francisco 49ers.
With quarterback Bert Jones out for several weeks with a shoulder injury and quickly losing both starting offensive tackles for the year through injury, Baltimore started the season in catastrophic fashion, losing their first two games by a combined score of 80–0.[1] The Colts' first win of the season, in week three over New England on Monday Night Football, is one of the biggest regular season upsets in NFL history. The Patriots were favored by an overwhelming 17½ points, but the Colts scored 27 points in the fourth quarter, including a 90-yard kickoff return by running back Joe Washington with under a minute left to take the lead for good.[2] [3] [4] In the game, Washington became the first player to throw a touchdown, catch a pass for a touchdown, and return a kickoff for a touchdown in the same game.[5]
See main article: article and 1978 NFL draft.
See main article: 1978 NFL season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 0–38 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,224 | |||
| 2 | September 10 | Miami Dolphins | L 0–42 | 0–2 | Memorial Stadium | 47,730 | ||
| 3 | at New England Patriots | W 34–27 | 1–2 | Schaefer Stadium | 57,284 | |||
| 4 | September 24 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Rich Stadium | 55,270 | ||
| 5 | October 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–17 | 1–4 | Memorial Stadium | 50,314 | ||
| 6 | October 8 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 30–17 | 2–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 47,479 | ||
| 7 | October 15 | New York Jets | L 10–33 | 2–5 | Memorial Stadium | 45,563 | ||
| 8 | October 22 | Denver Broncos | W 7–6 | 3–5 | Memorial Stadium | 54,057 | ||
| 9 | October 29 | at Miami Dolphins | L 8–26 | 3–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | 53,524 | ||
| 10 | Washington Redskins | W 21–17 | 4–6 | Memorial Stadium | 57,631 | |||
| 11 | November 12 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 17–14 | 5–6 | Kingdome | 61,905 | ||
| 12 | November 19 | Cleveland Browns | L 24–45 | 5–7 | Memorial Stadium | 45,341 | ||
| 13 | November 26 | New England Patriots | L 14–35 | 5–8 | Memorial Stadium | 42,828 | ||
| 14 | December 3 | at New York Jets | L 17–30 | 5–9 | Shea Stadium | 50,248 | ||
| 15 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–35 | 5–10 | Three Rivers Stadium | 41,957 | |||
| 16 | December 17 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–21 | 5–11 | Memorial Stadium | 25,415 | ||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
See also: 1978 New England Patriots season and Colts–Patriots rivalry.