The 1971 Baltimore Colts season was the 19th season for the team in the National Football League. Led by second-year head coach Don McCafferty, the Colts appeared to be on the verge of winning the AFC East again after beating the Miami Dolphins 14–3 in the penultimate game of the regular season. However, the Colts lost the final game of the season at home to the New England Patriots, dropping them to 10–4 and the wild card berth.[1] They lost to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. The Baltimore defense gave up a total of 140 points for 14 regular season games, an average of ten points a game. In their four defeats, they lost by a combined total of 15 points.
| 1971 Baltimore Colts season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| General manager | Don Klosterman |
| Head coach | Don McCafferty |
| Home field | Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–4 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (atBrowns) 20–3 Lost AFC Championship (atDolphins) 0–21 |
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This was the final season under the ownership of Carroll Rosenbloom, who traded franchises with the Los Angeles Rams in July 1972, with players and coaching staffs remaining intact.[2][3][4]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
| 1971 Baltimore Colts staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
Practice squad
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | New York Jets | W 22–0 | 1–0 | Memorial Stadium | 56,458 | |
| 2 | September 26 | Cleveland Browns | L 13–14 | 1–1 | Memorial Stadium | 56,837 | |
| 3 | October 3 | atNew England Patriots | W 23–3 | 2–1 | Schaefer Stadium | 61,232 | |
| 4 | October 10 | atBuffalo Bills | W 43–0 | 3–1 | War Memorial Stadium | 46,206 | |
| 5 | October 17 | atNew York Giants | W 31–7 | 4–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,860 | |
| 6 | October 25 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 3–10 | 4–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 49,784 | |
| 7 | October 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 34–21 | 5–2 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 8 | November 8 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–17 | 6–2 | Memorial Stadium | 57,722 | |
| 9 | November 14 | atNew York Jets | W 14–13 | 7–2 | Shea Stadium | 63,947 | |
| 10 | November 21 | atMiami Dolphins | L 14–17 | 7–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 75,312 | |
| 11 | November 28 | atOakland Raiders | W 37–14 | 8–3 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,689 | |
| 12 | December 5 | Buffalo Bills | W 24–0 | 9–3 | Memorial Stadium | 58,476 | |
| 13 | December 11 | Miami Dolphins | W 14–3 | 10–3 | Memorial Stadium | 60,238 | |
| 14 | December 19 | New England Patriots | L 17–21 | 10–4 | Memorial Stadium | 57,942 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
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| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 5–3 | 7–3–1 | 315 | 174 | W1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 6–2 | 8–3 | 313 | 140 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 238 | 325 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4–4 | 6–5 | 212 | 299 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 1–7 | 1–10 | 184 | 394 | L3 |
The team made it to the playoffs as a No. 4 seed and traveled to Cleveland to play the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round. The Colts led 14–0 at the half and would cruise to a 20–3 win. They then traveled south to play the Miami Dolphins and tried to make it to their second consecutive Super Bowl. Colts QB Johnny Unitas was intercepted three times as they were shut out 21–0.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 26 | atCleveland Browns | W 20–3 | 1–0 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,734 |
| AFC Championship | January 2, 1972 | atMiami Dolphins | L 0–21 | 1–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 76,622 |