Reacting to the Indianapolis Colts 2024 NFL Schedule

Colts 2024-2025 Schedule: 

Week 1: Vs. Houston Texans
The Colts' schedule starts exactly where last season ended. With a rematch of the team's heartbreaking Week 18 loss to the Texans. 

Week 2: @ Green Bay Packers

Week 3: Vs. Chicago Bears

Week 4: Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 

Week 5: @ Jacksonville Jaguars 
The Colts will have the chance to break a curse in Week 5. As they land the dreaded road game to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The team hasn't won in Jacksonville since 2014, with them losing nine straight. 

Week 6: @ Tennessee Titans 

Week 7: Vs. Miami Dolphins

Week 8: @ Houston Texans
The Colts play the Texans twice In the first eight weeks. This means they won't have any late-season meetings when playoff implications are much higher. But the Colts will have the chance to build an early lead on the Texans who are currently the favorite to win the AFC South (Until Anthony Richardson). 

Week 9: @ Minnesota Vikings

Week 10: Vs. Buffalo Bills 

Week 11: @ New York Jets Sunday Night Football 
The Colts landed only one primetime game this season, and it's against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. With Rodgers' season ending on the first possession of the year in 2023, this will feel like his true first year in New York. Performing well in this game will be pivotal if the Colts want to earn a late-season flex into primetime or if they want to force the league to show them more respect going forward when assigning primetime slots. 

Week 12: Vs. Detroit Lions

Week 13: @ New England Patriots 

Week 14: Bye Week 

Week 15: @ Denver Broncos 

Week 16: Vs. Tennessee Titans
The Colts get to play the Titans once during the first half of the season and then get to play them again in Week 16. With such a large gap in between both teams could be hitting their groove by this matchup, or one of them could already be looking to next year. 

Week 17: @ New York Giants

Week 18: Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Like the Titans, there is a solid gap between the first and last Jagaurs game for the Colts. The first coming in Week 5 on the road, and their home game coming here in Week 18. This one is one to watch for a potential late-season flex into a primetime slot. If both teams play up to their potential, this game could have major playoff implications for either a wildcard spot or even the AFC South crown. 

Pros and Cons:

Pro: Early home stretch 
The Colts play three of their first four games of the season at home in Indianapolis. If they can capitalize on this early part of the schedule, it could help set up a playoff-caliber season and potentially their first AFC South championship since 2014. 

Con: Late Bye Week (Week 14) 
At this point, it feels like the Colts only get late-season bye weeks. This year, it falls in Week 14, directly following a road trip to New England to take on an old rival in the Patriots. 

Pro: End of schedule  
The Colts will have a great opportunity once they come out of their Week 14 bye to finish the regular season on quite the run. With their final four matchups all being teams who missed the playoffs last season. And if you include Week 13, right before the bye against the Patriots, that's five straight opponents who missed the playoffs in 2023. Two of which could be starting rookie QBs against the Colts at this stage of the year in the Patriots (Drake Maye) and Broncos (Bo Nix). 

Con: Middle of Schedule 
The Lions in Week 12 ends the toughest stretch of the Colts' season. From Week 7 to 12, they play four teams who made the playoffs in 2023 and arguably five teams who have real Super Bowl aspirations. This brutal stretch honestly starts even earlier when you realize that the Colts play back-to-back divisional opponents in Weeks 5 and 6 as well.