Colts Super Bowl Memories: Super Bowl 5

The Colts won their first Super Bowl in franchise history with a 16-13 victory over the Cowboys in Super Bowl 5.

Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas was knocked out of this game with an injury, but that didn’t stop the Colts from beating Dallas to earn their first NFL Championship in the Super Bowl era.

Unitas had a rough game before leaving after a crunching hit. He went 3 for 9 with 2 interceptions before getting hurt, but Earl Morrall came in and played well in relief of the legendary quarterback.

The Cowboys hopped out to a 6-0 lead before Johnny Unitas connected with John Mackey for a 75-yard touchdown pass on a tipped ball. Dallas scored a touchdown before halftime to go up 13-6 in Super Bowl 5.

The Colts scored twice in the fourth quarter with their backup quarterback to seal the championship.

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Tom Nowatzke tied the game at 13-13 with a rushing touchdown in the final period. Then Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton threw a costly interception to linebacker Mike Curtis with just a minute remaining that set up a game-winning field goal from the Colts rookie kicker Jim O’Brien.

The Super Bowl victory over Tom Landry’s Cowboys capped off a 14-2-1 season for the Colts. It gave the franchise some redemption after a heartbreaking loss to the Jets two years before in Super Bowl 3.

Winning Super Bowl 5 capped off a fantastic run by the Colts where they won three NFL Championships in 13 years. The Colts would move to Indianapolis in 1984, and wouldn’t reach another Super Bowl until their Super Bowl 41 victory over the Bears.

Next: Would the Colts Have Made the Playoffs With Andrew Luck?

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