The Colts' 10 biggest playoff games

Sunday's victory was sweet for the Indianapolis Colts. But how sweet? After consulting with the IndyStar sports staff, here's our list of the 10 biggest Indianapolis Colts playoff games of all-time. Criteria was a mix of significance, how memorable they were and positive impact on the franchise.

10. 1987 AFC Divisional Playoff: Cleveland 38, Indianapolis 21

The Colts were 12-36 in their first three seasons in Indianapolis, but the 1987 season provided a glimmer of hope. The team was 3-3 when it traded for Eric Dickerson, then won six of its last nine games to win the AFC East and earn the franchise's first playoff berth since 1977.

The score was 14-all at the half, the Colts then took advantage of some good fortune -- a defensive holding penalty negated what would have been a drive-ending sack and quarterback Jack Trudeau turned a fumble by Dickerson (115 yards from scrimmage, two TDs) into a 15-yard completion -- to drive to the Browns 20-yard line.

But Trudeau (21-of-33 for 251 yards and two TDs) was hit while he was throwing by Eddie Johnson and Felix Wright intercepted the ball at the 14. Bernie Kosar (20-of-31, 229 yards, three TDs, one interception) led a touchdown drive that made it 21-14. Cleveland pushed the lead to 31-14.

The Colts got to within 31-21 with 67 seconds left on an Albert Bentley touchdown, then recovered an onside kick. On the first play of the drive, Al Baker sacked Trudeau, knocking him out of the game. Sean Salisbury replaced Trudeau and Frank Minnifield intercepted his first pass and returned it for a touchdown to clinch the victory.

The Colts didn't return to the playoffs until 1995.

9. 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff: Indianapolis 15, Baltimore 6

The Colts signed the greatest playoff kicker in history prior to the season and it paid off.

When Adam Vinatieri's fifth field goal of the game sailed through the uprights, giving the Colts a two-score lead with 26 seconds left, coach Tony Dungy could be seen on the sideline repeating a single word:

"Money," he said. "Money."

It was a victory that defied all expectations. The Colts had surrendered 173 rushing yards per game during the regular season but shut down the Ravens' made-for-the-playoffs offense, allowing 83 rushing yards, 244 total, and forcing four turnovers.

Indianapolis wasn't much better on offense as Peyton Manning was 15-of-30 for 170 yards and two interceptions, while Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for 95 yards on 32 carries ... but it was enough to put Vinatieri in range five times. He connected from 23, 42, 51, 48 and 35 yards.

8. 2014 AFC Divisional Round: Colts 24, Denver 13.

Peyton Manning vs. Andrew Luck.

The matchup, of course, dominated the headlines leading up to the game. In the end, however, it was about Manning versus the Colts defense.

The unit limited the future Hall of Famer to 26-of-46 passing for 211 yards and one touchdown. Though Manning had struggled in the last quarter of the season and it has since been reported that Manning had a torn muscle in his leg, that takes nothing away from the defense's performance.

Luck was good, though hardly great, completing 27-of-43 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Running back Boom Herron, who appeared to be playing with a shoulder injury, had 95 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.

It also marked the next step by Luck and the Colts. He took over a team that went 2-14 after Manning was sidelined for the season with neck surgery and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Luck picked up his first playoff victory the following season (see below) and has advanced a step further this season, facing New England at 6:40 p.m. Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

7. 2013 AFC Wild Card: Colts, 45, Kansas City 44.

"He kept telling us, even at 38-10, 'We're going to win this game,'" Anthony Castonzo said.

The "he," of course, was Andrew Luck.

On the first play of the second half, Luck threw an interception that led to a Kansas City touchdown and 38-10 lead. Luck was 12-of-23 for 129 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.

According to pro-football-reference.com's win probability model, the Colts had a .1 percent change of winning.

And they won.

Luck was 17-of-22 for 314 yards and three touchdowns the rest of the way to earn his first playoff victory. But his most famous play came when Donald Brown fumbled as he headed toward the end zone, the ball bounced off center Samson Satele's helmet and Luck dove on top of it in the end zone to cut the deficit to 41-38 with 10:45 to play.

Kansas City answered with a field goal, but Luck hit T.Y. Hilton (13 catches, 224 yards, two touchdowns) for a 64-yard touchdown with 4:29 remaining for the winning points.

"Epic, baby," linebacker Erik Walden yelled as he walked into the locker room. "That was epic."

6. 2003 AFC Wild Card: Colts 41, Broncos 10

"This was more than a football game for the Colts and the city of Indianapolis; it was an exorcism," IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz wrote. "It was as if 20 years of frustration and apathy and generally bad football suddenly fell away during one glorious afternoon of primal screaming and towel-waving madness."

• It was Peyton Manning's first playoff victory in four appearances and six years.

• Coach Tony Dungy had lost his previous four playoff games (including his time in Tampa Bay) without scoring a touchdown.

• It was the franchise's first home playoff victory since moving to Indianapolis in 1984.

A year after losing 41-0 to the New York Jets, the Colts jumped out to a 41-3 lead.

Manning posted a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating, completing 22-of-26 passes for 377 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He set the team touchdown, yards and completion percentage records. Brandon Stokely had four catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns, Marvin Harrison seven catches for 133 yards and two scores.

5. 1995 AFC Divisional Playoff: Colts 10, Kansas City 7.

The Colts had made one playoff appearance in 18 seasons and faced the AFC's top seed without their top runner (Marshall Faulk), top offensive lineman (Randy Dixon) and a key defensive lineman (Tony Siragusa).

The noise from the Arrowhead Stadium crowd of 77,593 rose to well over 100 decibels while the temperature dipped to 11 degrees.

None of it mattered.

"We shocked the world, baby," defensive back Jason Belser yelled as he entered the locker room. "We shocked the world."

The defense drove Kansas City quarterback Steve Bono (11-of-25, 122 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions) out of the game, holding the Chiefs to 281 yards of offense.

Indianapolis was even less productive -- 249 yards -- but Warren rushed for 76 yards on 20 carries and Jim Harbaugh (12-of-27, 112 yards, one touchdown, one interception) was just effective enough. A 5-yard pass to Floyd Turner tied the score before halftime and Cary Blanchard's 30-yard field goal in the third quarter was the difference.

4. 2009 Super Bowl: New Orleans 31, Colts 17.

The Super Bowl reflected the season: bittersweet.

But a Super Bowl appearance is a Super Bowl appearance and couldn't be left off this list.

The Colts won their first 14 games, then infamously rested starters rather than pursue a perfect season. They reached the Super Bowl with victories over Baltimore and the New York Jets, then jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the big game.

New Orleans recovered an onside kick to open the second half, eventually running 34 plays to the Colts 6 during a dominant stretch. The last of those 34 plays was a 16-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Pierre Thomas for a 13-10 lead.

Indianapolis re-took the lead 17-13 with 6:31 remaining in the third quarter on a Joseph Addai 4-yard run. But the Saints answered with a field goal, then took a 24-17 lead on a Brees-to-Jeremy Shockey 2-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion.

With the Colts facing a third-and-5 at the Saints' 31, Tracy Porter stepped in front of a Reggie Wayne quick slant, intercepted Peyton Manning's pass and went 74 yards for the clinching touchdown.

Brees out-played Manning, completing 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Manning was 31-of-45 for 333 yards with a touchdown and the game-clinching interception.

3. 1995 AFC Championship: Pittsburgh 20, Colts 16.

It was a loss, but what a loss.

Jim Harbaugh's game-ending Hail Mary pass to Aaron Bailey slid off the receiver's belly and hit the AstroTurf, ending a playoff run that gave Indianapolis its first true understanding of what the Colts could mean to this community.

"I thought he caught it," said Harbaugh of his pass from the Steelers' 29 with 5 seconds remaining. "Then I saw the replay, and I thought he caught it.

"About the third time I saw the replay, it looked like it hit the ground."

It was the high point of the Colts' history in Indianapolis prior to the arrival of Peyton Manning.

2. 2006 Super Bowl: Colts 29, Chicago 17.

It was vindication for Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy.

So successful in the regular season, so often disappointing during the postseason, the duo erased the biggest question mark against them by bringing a Super Bowl to Indianapolis. Dungy also became the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl.

The Bears jumped to a 14-6 lead in the first quarter, but the Colts slowly pecked away the rest of the game. There were three Adam Vinatieri field goals and a 1-yard touchdown run by Dominic Rhodes. A field goal by Chicago's Robbie Gould closed the deficit to 22-17 with 1:18 to play in the third quarter, but Kelvin Hayden returned an interception 56 yards for the clinching score.

Manning was named the MVP despite rather pedestrian (for him) numbers: 25-of-38 for 247 yards with a touchdown and an interception. This game was won by running backs Joseph Addai (144 total yards) and Dominic Rhodes (113 rushing yards, one touchdown) and a defense that held Chicago to 265 yards.

1. 2006 AFC Championship: Colts 38, New England 34

"The gremlins, the ghosts, the whispers, the doubts, all of them, gone in that one 2-minute and 17-second snapshot of excellence," IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz wrote.

"We will never look at the Indianapolis Colts quite the same way again."

Down 21-3 (21-6 at the half), the Colts completed the biggest comeback in conference championship history, beating the hated Patriots 38-34 to advance to the Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning took over at his own 20-yard line with 2:17 remaining, trailing 34-31. At that point in his career, he had 28 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime ... none of them coming in the playoffs.

But he would complete 3-of-4 passes for 57 yards, hitting Reggie Wayne for 11 yards, Bryan Fletcher for 32 and then finding Wayne for 14 more. With first-and-10 at the 11, Joseph Addai finished it off, scoring on a 3-yard run with 1:02 to play.

"Those are dreams you always have as a kid,'' Manning said. "It's always nice when you can go out there and do it.''