1976 Baltimore Colts season
The 1976 Baltimore Colts season was the 24th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1976 season with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, and finished tied for first in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on a better division record (7–1 to Patriots' 6–2).
The season started with much turmoil when head coach Ted Marchibroda resigned shortly before the season opener due to a power struggle with general manager Joe Thomas. Several Colts assistant coaches threatened to leave the team, and quarterback Bert Jones publicly came to his coach's defense. Thomas and Colts owner Robert Irsay quickly made amends with the coach before the season started.[1] (Thomas would be fired by the team shortly after the season.)
The Colts offense was dominant in 1976: they led the league in scoring with 417 points (29.7 per game). Quarterback Bert Jones was named league MVP after passing for a league-best 3,104 yards, 9.27 yards-per-attempt, and a passer rating of 102.5, second best in the NFL. Running back Lydell Mitchell also had a spectactular year, rushing for 1,200 yards,[2] and catching 60 passes. Wide receiver Roger Carr proved to be a valuable deep threat in the passing game, leading the league 1,112 receiving yards and 25.9 yards per reception.[3] All three offensive players made the 1976 AFC Pro Bowl team.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Record |
Game Site |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 12, 1976 |
at New England Patriots |
W 27–13 |
1–0 |
Schaeffer Stadium |
43,512 |
| 2 |
September 19, 1976 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
W 28–27 |
2–0 |
Memorial Stadium |
50,374 |
| 3 |
September 26, 1976 |
at Dallas Cowboys |
L 27–30 |
2–1 |
Texas Stadium |
64,237 |
| 4 |
October 3, 1976 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
W 42–17 |
3–1 |
Memorial Stadium |
40,053 |
| 5 |
October 10, 1976 |
Miami Dolphins |
W 28–14 |
4–1 |
Memorial Stadium |
58,832 |
| 6 |
October 17, 1976 |
at Buffalo Bills |
W 31–13 |
5–1 |
Rich Stadium |
71,009 |
| 7 |
October 24, 1976 |
at New York Jets |
W 20–0 |
6–1 |
Shea Stadium |
59,576 |
| 8 |
November 1, 1976 |
Houston Oilers |
W 38–14 |
7–1 |
Memorial Stadium |
60,020 |
| 9 |
November 7, 1976 |
at San Diego Chargers |
W 37–21 |
8–1 |
San Diego Stadium |
42,827 |
| 10 |
November 14, 1976 |
New England Patriots |
L 14–21 |
8–2 |
Memorial Stadium |
58,226 |
| 11 |
November 22, 1976 |
at Miami Dolphins |
W 17–16 |
9–2 |
Miami Orange Bowl |
62,104 |
| 12 |
November 28, 1976 |
New York Jets |
W 33–16 |
10–2 |
Memorial Stadium |
44,023 |
| 13 |
December 4, 1976 |
at St. Louis Cardinals |
L 17–24 |
10–3 |
Busch Memorial Stadium |
48,282 |
| 14 |
December 12, 1976 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 58–20 |
11–3 |
Memorial Stadium |
50,451 |
Game summaries
Week 6
| |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| • Colts |
3 |
14 | 0 | 14 |
31 |
| Bills |
3 |
10 | 0 | 0 |
13 |
|
|
| Scoring summary |
|---|
|
| 1 |
| BUF | George Jakowenko 32 yard field goal | Bills 3–0 |
|
| 1 |
| BAL | Toni Linhart 21 yard field goal | Tie 3–3 |
|
| 2 |
| BAL | Don McCauley 2 yard run (Toni Linhart kick) | Colts 10–3 |
|
| 2 |
| BUF | George Jakowenko 44 yard field goal | Colts 10–6 |
|
| 2 |
| BUF | O.J. Simpson 33 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (George Jakowenko kick) | Bills 13–10 |
|
| 2 |
| BAL | Lydell Mitchell 6 yard run (Toni Linhart kick) | Colts 17–13 |
|
| 4 |
| BAL | Glenn Doughty 9 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick) | Colts 24–13 |
|
| 4 |
| BAL | Don McCauley 3 yard pass from Bert Jones (Toni Linhart kick) | Colts 31–13 |
|
[4]
Standings
Postseason
The team made it to the playoffs as a No. 2 seed and played host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round. The Colts fell behind 26–7 at the half and would never recover, ending up losing by a score of 40–14.
See also
References
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| *Tied for 1st place in their division, but since there was no tie-breaking system in 1965, a game was played to determine who went to the conference championship. The Colts lost the divisional playoff game. | | | |
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