| Team: | Indianapolis Colts |
| Year: | 1995 |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFC East |
| Owner: | Robert Irsay |
| General Manager: | Bill Tobin |
| Coach: | Ted Marchibroda |
| Stadium: | RCA Dome |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Chargers) 35–20 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Chiefs) 10–7 Lost AFC Championship (at Steelers) 16–20 |
| Shortnavlink: | Colts seasons |
The 1995 Indianapolis Colts season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League and 12th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1995 season with a record of 9 wins and 7 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with the Miami Dolphins. However, the Colts finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
The Colts' 9–7 record was good enough to get them into the playoffs for the first time since 1987, largely due to the insertion of Jim Harbaugh into the starting quarterback role. They defeated the defending conference champion San Diego Chargers in their first playoff game (their first playoff win since 1971, when the team was still located in Baltimore), then upset the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Playoffs. The Colts would fall short in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a game that came down to the final play.
See main article: article and 1995 NFL expansion draft.
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 26 | Dewell Brewer | Running Back | Carolina Panthers | |
| 27 | 54 | Paul Butcher | Linebacker | Carolina Panthers |
See main article: article and 1995 NFL draft.
| Ben Bronson | Wide receiver | Baylor | |
| Conrad Clarks | Defensive back | Northeast Louisiana | |
| Steve Morrison | Linebacker | Michigan | |
| Marcus Pollard | Tight end | Bradley |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time | TV | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7:30p.m. EST | WTTV | L 21–34 | 0–1 | RCA Dome | 39,946 | |||
| 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | 9:00p.m. EST | WTTV | W 20–17 | 1–1 | Kingdome | 38,006 | |||
| 3 | at Green Bay Packers | 12Noon EST | WTTV | W 20–17 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | 55,624 | |||
| 4 | Chicago Bears | W 29–7 | 3–1 | RCA Dome | 45,626 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–24 | 0–1 | RCA Dome | 42,445 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 10 | at New York Jets | W 27–24 | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 65,134 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 17 | at Buffalo Bills | L 14–20 | 1–2 | Rich Stadium | 62,499 | Recap | |
| 4 | Bye | |||||||
| 5 | October 1 | St. Louis Rams | W 21–18 | 2–2 | RCA Dome | 58,616 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 8 | at Miami Dolphins | W 27–24 | 3–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 68,471 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 15 | San Francisco 49ers | W 18–17 | 4–2 | RCA Dome | 60,273 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 22 | at Oakland Raiders | L 17–30 | 4–3 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,543 | Recap | |
| 9 | October 29 | New York Jets | W 17–10 | 5–3 | RCA Dome | 49,250 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 5 | Buffalo Bills | L 10–16 | 5–4 | RCA Dome | 59,612 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 12 | at New Orleans Saints | L 14–17 | 5–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 44,122 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 19 | at New England Patriots | W 24–10 | 6–5 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,544 | Recap | |
| 13 | November 26 | Miami Dolphins | W 36–28 | 7–5 | RCA Dome | 60,414 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 3 | at Carolina Panthers | L 10–13 | 7–6 | Memorial Stadium | 49,841 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 10 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 41–31 | 8–6 | Jacksonville Municipal Stadium | 66,099 | Recap | |
| 16 | December 17 | San Diego Chargers | L 24–27 | 8–7 | RCA Dome | 55,318 | Recap | |
| 17 | December 23 | New England Patriots | W 10–7 | 9–7 | RCA Dome | 54,685 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
The team received Wild-Card playoff berth for the playoffs and traveled to San Diego to play the Chargers. They went on to beat the Chargers, their 1st playoff win in 24 years and 1st in Indianapolis. They also won their Divisional Round game against the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs but would fall short in the AFC Championship game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This game indirectly led to the adoption of instant replay.
| Playoff Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Time | TV | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 31, 1995 | at San Diego Chargers (4) | 4:00p.m. EST | NBC | W 35–20 | 1–0 | Jack Murphy Stadium | Recap | ||
| Divisional | January 7, 1996 | at Kansas City Chiefs (1) | 4:00p.m. EST | NBC | W 10–7 | 2–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | ||
| Conference Championship | January 14, 1996 | at Pittsburgh Steelers (2) | 12:30p.m. EST | NBC | L 16–20 | 2–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | Recap |