1976 Baltimore Colts season
The 1976 Baltimore Colts season was the 24th season for the team in the National Football League. Led by second-year head coach Ted Marchibroda, the Colts finished with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses, tied for first in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots. Baltimore won the AFC East title based on a better division record.
Marchibroda, the reigning NFL coach of the year, resigned a week before the regular season opener, due to a power struggle with general manager Joe Thomas and owner Robert Irsay. Baltimore had won its first two preseason games, then dropped the final four. Several Colts assistant coaches threatened to leave the team, and quarterback Bert Jones publicly came to his coach's defense. Thomas and Irsay quickly made amends with the coach before the season started.
The Colts’ offense was dominant in 1976: they led the league in scoring with 417 points. 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 spectacular year, rushing for 1,200 yards, and catching 60 passes. Wide receiver Roger Carr proved to be a valuable deep threat in the passing game, leading the league with 1,112 receiving yards and 25.9 yards per reception. All three offensive players made the Pro Bowl team.
Offseason
1976 expansion draft
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion team |
| 0 | 0 | Mike Curtis | Linebacker | Seattle Seahawks |
| 0 | 0 | Bill Olds | Fullback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 0 | 0 | Dave Pear | Defensive tackle | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | July 31 | at Cleveland Browns | W 21–0 | 1–0 | Memorial Stadium (Lincoln) | 20,304 |
| 2 | August 6 | Washington Redskins | W 20–3 | 2–0 | Memorial Stadium | 35,575 |
| 3 | August 14 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–25 | 2–1 | Soldier Field | 54,338 |
| 4 | August 20 | New Orleans Saints | L 20–26 | 2–2 | Memorial Stadium | 38,879 |
| 5 | August 28 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 7–21 | 2–3 | Atlanta Stadium | 24,986 |
| 6 | September 2 | at Detroit Lions | L 9–24 | 2–4 | Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium | 54,217 |
Postseason
The team returned to the playoffs as a No. 2 seed and hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round. The Colts fell behind 26–7 at the half, and lost 40–14. This game is better remembered for the post-game crash of a private plane into an unoccupied section of Memorial Stadium.| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| Divisional | December 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–40 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 60,020 |