INDIANAPOLIS — A season whose success largely hinges on snapping bad streaks begins at home. Twice, in fact.
The Indianapolis Colts, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, won a season opener since 2013 or captured the AFC South since 2014, were given a pair of home games to usher in 2025 to help reverse those trends.
The Colts take their first step into a critical season Sept. 7 against Miami at Lucas Oil Stadium, then entertain Denver Sept. 14. It’s just the fourth time since 1992 and the first since 2021 they’ve had two straight home games to open a season.
Initial missteps have become a Colts’ staple, and contributed to a four-year playoff drought that’s their longest since failing to reach the postseason from 1988-94.
They haven’t won a season opener since a 2013 nod over the Oakland Raiders at Lucas Oil when quarterback Andrew Luck was completing passes to wide receivers Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton and handing off to running back Vick Ballard.
With the long-awaited schedule release out of the way, the predominant question with the Colts is whether Anthony Richardson Sr. or Daniel Jones will be under center against the Dolphins. They’re immersed in a quarterback competition that probably won’t be settled until after the second or third preseason game.
That franchise-shaping question aside, there are a few interesting tidbits involving the schedule:
- For a third straight season, the Colts have just one primetime game. That’s a Dec. 22 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil on Monday Night Football.
- The Colts’ third regular-season international experience is Nov. 9 against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin, Germany. They previously defeated New England in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2023 and lost to the Jaguars in London in 2016.
- Seven games are against teams that reached the playoffs last season: Houston (two), Denver, the Rams and Chargers, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.
- Based on 2024 records, the Colts have the 7th-easiest strength of schedule. Opponents were 134-155, .464. Make of that what you will.
- The Colts will travel the 7th-most miles in 2025 (25,089). That’s what a trip to Berlin (roughly 4,400 miles) and three West Coast junkets (the Rams, Chargers and Seattle) will do for fattening frequent-flier accounts.
- Speaking of bad streaks, the Colts haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014. They’ve lost nine straight in Duuu-val, 10 straight on the road including the 2016 loss to the Jaguars in London.
- Assuming Cam Ward is named the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback, the Colts will face the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for a sixth straight season. The previous five: Chicago’s Caleb Williams (2024), Carolina’s Bryce Young (’23), Jacksonville’s Travon Walker (’22) and Trevor Lawrence (’21) and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (’20).
Here’s a breakdown of 2025 (series records includes playoffs):
WEEK 1: Sept. 7 Miami, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 8-9.
*Series record: 29-48.
*Record in Indy: 16-23.
*Notable: Anthony Richardson Sr.? Daniel Jones? While general manager Chris Ballard and his personnel staff have addressed significant deficiencies in free agency (Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum) and the draft (Tyler Warren, JT Tuimoloau, etc.), the Colts absolutely, positively must get efficient play at QB. If they do, they should at the very least challenge the Texans in the AFC South. If neither Richardson nor Jones moves the needle, brace for another season of disappointment. Overall, it’s a strong roster. But this is the NFL. It’s all about the QB.
WEEK 2: Sept. 14 Denver, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 15-15.
*Record in Indy: 9-4.
*Notable: At the risk of stirring up bad memories, imagine how things are different if Jonathan Taylor doesn’t suffer a brain fade at the goal line with the Colts poised to grab a 20-7 lead early in the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High last December. In all likelihood, Indy wins going away and ends its playoff drought and the Broncos are on the outside looking in. Oh well.
WEEK 3: Sept. 21 at Tennessee, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 3-14.
*Series record: 39-22.
*Record in Nashville: 16-7.
*Notable: The Colts get their first look at Tennessee’s latest reset. Cam Ward is the next in a long line of quarterbacks expected to be the face of the franchise. The Titans thought they had their guy — Will Levis — with the second pick in round 2 in 2023. They clearly were wrong. But give them credit for taking big swings. Remember Marcus Mariota (No. 2 overall in 2015)? Or Jake Locker (No. 8 overall in ’11)? Or Vince Young (No. 3 overall in ’06)?
WEEK 4: Sept. 28 at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 23-21-2.
*Record on road: 9-13.
*Notable: In the first of two visits to Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium in four weeks, the Colts deal with ageless and prolific quarterback Matthew Stafford. After being giving permission to seek a trade in February, he reportedly spurned $100 million offers from the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders and reupped with the Rams for a two-year, $84 million deal with $80 million guaranteed. Stafford is 37 and still a handful. He ranks 10th in NFL history with 59,809 yards and 377 touchdowns. The last time the Colts saw him was week 4 of 2023 at Lucas Oil. Stafford completed a 22-yard TD pass to wideout Puka Nacua in overtime to give the Rams a 29-23 victory.
WEEK 5: Oct. 5 Las Vegas, 1 p.m. (FOX)
*2024 Record: 4-13.
*Series record: 11-11.
*Record in Indy: 3-4.
*Notable: Lou Anarumo’s defense can anticipate a challenging day at the office against Pete Carroll’s Raiders. They feature a new quarterback (Geno Smith), a rookie running back (No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty) and second-year standout tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers is the tight end the Colts would have taken at No. 15 in 2024, but didn’t get the chance when the Raiders grabbed him two picks earlier. His 112 receptions were an NFL rookie record for any position while his 1,194 yards broke Mike Ditka’s tight end record for a rookie set in 1961.
WEEK 6: Oct. 12 Arizona, 1 p.m. (FOX)
*2024 Record: 8-9.
*Series record: 9-8.
*Record in Indy: 3-2.
*Notable: Marvin Harrison Jr. won’t need directions during his first visit to Lucas Oil Stadium as a pro. He’s been here several times as a youngster while accompanying his father, including when Marvin was added to the Ring of Honor in 2011. Marvin Jr. was at Lucas Oil — albeit briefly — for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield last August for joint camp practices between the Colts and Cardinals. As a rookie, Harrison had 62 catches for 885 yards and eight TDs.
WEEK 7: Oct. 19 at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 11-6.
*Series record: 11-20.
*Record on road: 7-7.
*Notable: Back to Sofi Stadium, and it’s the threat of quarterback Justin Herbert and presence of coach Jim Harbaugh. Herbert remains one of the league’s young guns. He’s 27 and entering his seventh season. Herbert has generated at least 3,100 yards and 20 TDs in each of his first five seasons and is coming off a solid season after leading the Chargers to a second playoff appearance in three seasons: 3,870 yards, 23 TDs, three interceptions, a career-best 101.7 rating.
WEEK 8: Oct. 26 Tennessee, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 3-14.
*Series record: 39-22.
*Record in Indy: 19-10.
*Notable: The rematch in Indy, and the Colts must take advantage of what appears to be a rebuilding season by the Titans. They’ve won four straight against Tennessee and have managed to sweep the season series 12 times since it began in 2002.
WEEK 9: Nov. 2 at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 8-26.
*Record in Pittsburgh: 2-16.
*Notable: Good luck projecting this one in mid-May. The Steelers’ quarterback room consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard, who led Ohio State to the national championship. It seems as if there’s an informal agreement with Aaron Rodgers, but who knows? Mike Tomlin hasn’t had a losing record in his 18 years as head coach, but the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. The Colts have won the last two meetings — both in Indy — but are 2-16 all-time in Pittsburgh, including the playoffs.
WEEK 10: Nov. 9 Atlanta in Berlin, 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
*2024 Record: 8-9.
*Series record: 15-3.
*Record internationally: 1-1.
*Notable: The Colts return to Germany for the second time in three seasons. First it was against the Patriots in Frankfurt in 2023. Now, it’s against the Michael Penix Jr.-led Falcons in Berlin. Berlin’s famed Olympic Stadium hosted five preseason games in the 1990s, but this will be the first regular-season game at the site of the 1936 Olympics and Jesse Owens’ four gold-medal heroics.
WEEK 11: BYE
WEEK 12: Nov. 23 at Kansas City, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 15-2.
*Series record: 18-10.
*Record in Kansas City: 8-5.
*Notable: This is one of those quirky series. The Colts own a sizable overall edge and are 10-5 in Arrowhead Stadium. They’re 2-0 in the regular season against Patrick Mahomes: 20-17 at Lucas Oil during the otherwise forgettable 2022 season and 19-13 at Arrowhead in ’19 behind a harassing defense and Marlon Mack’s 132 yards. Mahomes directed the meeting that mattered the most, a 31-13 divisional win in the 2018 postseason at Arrowhead. The Chiefs will remain a championship contender as long as Mahomes is around. They’ve reached five of the last six Super Bowls and won three. By the way, Mahomes isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He turns 30 Sept. 17.
WEEK 13: Nov. 30 Houston, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 33-13-1.
*Record in Indy: 17-6.
*Notable: If the Colts are going to return to relevancy — that means returning to the playoffs — it must start in the AFC South and against Houston. The Texans are two-time defending division champs despite making things as difficult as possible for quarterback C.J. Stroud. The No. 2 overall pick in 2023 has led them to consecutive division titles and 10-win seasons and was Offensive Rookie of the Year while enduring 90 sacks in his 32 starts. Houston totally revamped its offensive line in the offseason, so maybe their franchise QB will have a safer working environment.
WEEK 14: Dec. 7 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 4-13.
*Series record: 28-20.
*Record in Jacksonville: 10-14.
*Notable: It’s an issue until it isn’t. The Colts return to the scene of so many dismal afternoons. Nine straight losses in Jacksonville, beginning with a 51-16 meltdown in 2015 that saw the Jaguars pour in 42 second-half points and including an inexplicable 6-0 loss with Andrew Luck in 2018. Trevor Lawrence has been under center for the last four losses at Jacksonville, but prior to that the list of Jaguars QBs included Gardner Minshew, Cody Kessler and Blake Bortles. The Colts’ road futility is a shared effort at QB: Joe Flacco, Minshew, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett (twice), Luck and Matt Hasselbeck.
WEEK 15: Dec. 14 at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 7-6.
*Record in Seattle: 4-4.
*Notable: Things certainly have changed since the last meeting in the 2021 opener in Lucas Oil. Russell Wilson is with the New York Giants, after two seasons with Denver and one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. DK Metcalf is a Steeler and Tyler Lockett is in the AFC South with the Titans. Pete Carroll is the head coach of the Raiders. Hello, Sam Darnold. And Cooper Kupp. And second-year coach Mike Macdonald. It’s going to be very interesting to see if Darnold’s breakout season in Minnesota in 2024 (4,319 yards, 35 TDs) follows him to the Great Northwest.
WEEK 16: Dec. 22 San Francisco, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
*2024 Record: 6-11.
*Series record: 27-18.
*Record in Indy: 3-2.
*Notable: The 49ers are another team seemingly in transition. They’ll likely lock up quarterback Brock Purdy to a lucrative long-term deal and running back Christian McCaffrey is poised for a bounce-back season after Achilles/knee injuries limited him to four games and 348 total yards from scrimmage in 2024. There’s still tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Brandon Aijyuk. But a six-win team traded Deebo Samuel to Washington, saw cornerback Charvarius Ward sign with the Colts and will be without, among others, left tackle Jaylon Moore, left guard Aaron Banks, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, edge rusher Leonard Floyd and safety Talanoa Hufanga.
WEEK 17: Dec. 28 Jacksonville, 1 p.m. (CBS)
*2024 Record: 4-13.
*Series record: 28-20.
*Record in Indy: 18-6.
*Notable: The schedule is backloaded with AFC South games, which means the Colts could be in position to make a late push. Four of the last six are division matchups. We’ll be interested to see how Lawrence has progressed. The No. 1 overall pick in 2021 was given a five-year, $275 million contract prior to 2024, but has yet to fulfill expectations. He’s 22-38 as a starter and has led the Jaguars to one playoff appearance (2022) in four seasons.
WEEK 18: TBD at Houston, TBD
*2024 Record: 10-7.
*Series record: 33-13-1.
*Record in Houston: 15-7-1.
*Notable: This needs to be one of those win-or-else games. Again, it’s time for the Colts to return to the playoffs. And again, they more than likely must deal with the Texans. Indy had a chance to clear that hurdle in the final game of 2023, only to see Minshew’s fourth-and-1 pass to Tyler Goodson with 1 minute remaining fall harmlessly to the turf. That allowed Houston to leave Indy with a 23-19 win and the AFC South title.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.