1970 Baltimore Colts season

The 1970 Baltimore Colts season was the 18th season of the second Colts franchise in the National Football League. Led by first-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts finished the season with a regular season record of 11 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie to win the first AFC East title. The Colts completed the postseason in Miami with a victory over the [1970 Dallas 1970 Dallas Cowboys season|Cowboys season|Cowboys] in Super Bowl V, their first Super Bowl title and fourth NFL championship.

Season history

In February 1970, head coach Don Shula departed after seven seasons for the Miami Dolphins, now in the same division, and offensive backfield coach McCafferty was promoted in early April.

NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club team
1	18	Norm Bulaich	Running Back	TCU
2	44	Jim Bailey	Defensive tackle	Kansas
3	70	Jim O'Brien	Wide Receiver / Kicker	Cincinnati
3	74	Ara Person	Tight End	Morgan State
4	95	Steve Smear	Linebacker	Penn State
5	122	Billy Newsome	Defensive End	Grambling State
6	148	Ron Gardin	Defensive Back	Arizona
7	174	Gordon Slade	Quarterback	Davidson
8	199	Bob Bouley	Tackle	Boston College
9	226	Barney Harris	Defensive Back	Texas A&M

Regular season

Game summaries

Week 5

This was the Super Bowl III rematch and it was truly a rematch but this time it favors the Colts as they opened up a 19–0 lead and never looked back. The Jets did mount a challenge led by Joe Namath's 392 yards passing, but he also had 6 interceptions as the Colts gain some revenge on this day.

Week 13

The Colts clinched the division title with the win.

Week 14

Earl Morrall 18/33, 348 Yds

Postseason

The team made it to the playoffs with the best record in the AFC. The Colts hosted both AFC playoff games that they played in. The team won both AFC playoff games as well as Super Bowl V.

Round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 26	[1970 1970 Cincinnati Bengals season\|Cincinnati Bengals season\|Cincinnati Bengals]	W 17–0	1–0	Memorial Stadium	51,127
AFC Championship	January 3, 1971	Oakland Raiders	W 27–17	2–0	Memorial Stadium	56,368
Super Bowl V	January 17, 1971	Dallas Cowboys	W 16–13	3–0	Miami Orange Bowl	80,055

Divisional

The Colts hosted the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round. The Colts relied on their defense, which had carried them all season, to best the Bengals 17–0, holding Cincinnati to only 139 total yards.

Conference Championship

The Colts next hosted the Oakland Raiders for the AFC Championship Game. The Colts jumped out to an early lead over the Raiders, 10–3 at halftime. Oakland came back to tie it up early in the 3rd quarter. The Colts would respond with a Jim O'Brien field goal and a second Bulaich touchdown. Johnny Unitas extended the lead with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ray Perkins that made the score 27–17. The Colts would seal the win with an interception in the end zone.

Super Bowl

The Colts made it to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history and played the Dallas Cowboys for the NFL championship. In the 2nd quarter, Johnny Unitas threw a pass that was tipped twice before John Mackey caught it for a 75-yard score. Later in the quarter Unitas was injured and Earl Morrall completed a sloppy and turnover-filled game: the Colts committed a total of 7 turnovers, the Cowboys 4. Following an interception by Mike Curtis, Jim O'Brien kicked the game-winning 32-yard field goal, giving Baltimore a 16–13 lead with 5 seconds left in the game, and the victory.