2018 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2018 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 66th in the National Football League, their 35th in Indianapolis, and their 11th playing their home games at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was also their first season under head coach Frank Reich and second under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard. Despite a 1–5 start, the Colts managed to improve on their injury-plagued 4–12 campaign from the year prior with a 38–10 victory over the [2018 2018 Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans season|Tennessee Titans], and a 5-game winning streak. On Week 16, the Colts achieved their first winning season since 2014 with a 28–27 win against the New York Giants. The next week, they beat the Tennessee Titans in a win or go home match-up to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and became the third team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs after a 1–5 start and first since the [2015 2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs season|2015 Chiefs].
In the wild-card round, the Colts defeated the [2018 2018 Houston Texans season|Houston Texans season|Houston Texans] 21–7, but lost to the [2018 2018 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs] in the divisional round 31–13, ending their season. To date, this is the most recent season the Colts have won a playoff game.
This would be the last season that the Colts would have franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, as he would retire following the season, citing his continuous struggle with injuries and no longer enjoying the game.
Offseason
Coaching changes
On December 31, 2017, the Colts parted ways with head coach Chuck Pagano, who had led the team for six seasons. After two interviews, it was widely reported that the Colts would hire New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace him, after McDaniels fulfilled his obligations to the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The Colts announced on the team website that they had agreed to terms with McDaniels and scheduled a press conference with McDaniels for February 5, 2018. However, one day later, McDaniels unexpectedly withdrew from the agreement in principle to become the Colts' head coach. On February 11, 2018, after interviewing multiple candidates, including Leslie Frazier and Dan Campbell, the Colts announced the hiring of Frank Reich, formerly the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator.Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Quenton Nelson | Guard | Notre Dame | From NY Jets |
| 2 | 36 | Shaquille Leonard | Linebacker | South Carolina State | |
| 2 | 37 | Braden Smith | Guard | Auburn | From NY Jets |
| 2 | 52 | Kemoko Turay | Defensive end | Rutgers | From Baltimore via Philadelphia |
| 2 | 64 | Tyquan Lewis | Defensive end | Ohio State | From [2018 2018 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia] via Cleveland |
| 4 | 104 | Nyheim Hines | Running back | NC State | |
| 5 | 159 | Daurice Fountain | Wide receiver | Northern Iowa | From Kansas City via Cleveland, New England, and Oakland |
| 5 | 169 | Jordan Wilkins | Running back | Ole Miss | From Philadelphia |
| 6 | 185 | Deon Cain | Wide receiver | Clemson | From [2018 2018 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders season|Oakland] |
| 7 | 221 | Matthew Adams | Linebacker | Houston | |
| 7 | 235 | Zaire Franklin | Linebacker | Syracuse | From Seattle via NY Jets |
Draft trades
- The Colts traded their first-round selection to the Jets in exchange for the Jets' first-round selection, two second-round selections, and their second-round selection in 2019.
- The Colts traded a second-round selection they received from the Jets to the Eagles in exchange for the Eagles' second-round selection and fifth-round selection.
- The Colts traded their third-round selection and their sixth-round selection to the Browns in exchange for the Browns' second-round selection.
- The Colts traded their fifth-round selection to the Raiders in exchange for the Raiders' fifth-round selection and sixth-round selection.
- The Colts traded defensive end Henry Anderson to the Jets in exchange for the Jets' seventh-round pick previously acquired from Seattle.
Regular season
Schedule
The Colts' 2018 schedule was announced on April 19.Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Despite leading 23–10 in the second half, the Colts allowed the Bengals to come back and win 34–23. While driving late in the game, Jack Doyle lost a fumble that was returned 83 yards for a touchdown, sealing the win for Cincinnati.The loss snapped the Colts’ eight-game home winning streak against the Bengals and marked their first home defeat to them since the 1997 season.