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Each NFL team’s out of nowhere season

By Randy Gurzi

15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19.
15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19. /
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Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

Indianapolis Colts: Don Shula’s run in 1964

The Indianapolis Colts have been a pretty good franchise for many years. They had the fortune of going from Peyton Manning under center from 1998 through 2011 to Andrew Luck, who has been under center since 2012. Manning led them to a title and we all saw how important Luck is to the team, as the Colts struggled mightily when he missed the entire 2017 campaign.

All that is said to point out that it’s been a while since there was a real ‘out of nowhere’ season in Indianapolis. In order to find their best, we go all the way back to 1964 when they were being coached by the legendary Don Shula.

After hovering around seven or eight wins for the past few seasons, Shula and the Colts had their first-ever double-digit winning season, as they finished 12-2. Led by Shula and Pro Bowl quarterback Johnny Unitas, the then-Baltimore Colts won the Western Conference. Unitas finished the season with 2,824 yards passing with a 19-to-6 touchdown to interception ratio.

He was helped by Lenny Moore, who ran in 16 touchdowns and added three more through the air. Defensively, the Colts had some opportunistic defensive backs, as Bobby Boyd had nine interceptions and Jerry Logan added six more.

They then went on to play the Cleveland Browns in the title game but fell to them by a score of 27-0. They didn’t cap it off with the championship trophy, but Shula and the Colts had a great season to be proud of nonetheless.

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