The 2024 NFL season is approaching and the Indianapolis Colts have officially learned their schedule for the upcoming year.
Indy’s schedule starts off hot with a revenge game against the Houston Texans, the same team that eliminated the Colts from playoff contention in Week 18 of last season. Aside from divisional rivalries, there’s some key takeaways within the schedule for Shane Steichen’s crew.
Coming off a 9-8 season that mostly featured backup quarterback play from Gardner Minshew, the NFL has chosen to show little respect to one of the league’s youngest teams. The Carolina Panthers are the only team with fewer primetime slots for the upcoming season.
Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson will have to wait until Week 11 to play under the lights when his team is set to take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Jets are tied for the most primetime games this season with six on the schedule, but the Colts will have an opportunity to play spoiler to Aaron Rodgers & Co.
If there’s one thing that stands out the most from this schedule, it’s the sheer number of young quarterbacks that the Colts will face off against. Indianapolis could be facing four rookies this season along with a number of second-year quarterbacks.
The rookies that the Colts could play include:
First overall draft pick Caleb Williams will head over to Indianapolis in Week 3 in what will be the Bears’ third-consecutive game against an AFC South opponent to start the season. After that, the Colts will hit the road against the rest of the rookies as the team tries to steal some glory from some of the top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The two quarterbacks over the age of 30 are Russell Wilson and Rodgers who have a combined record of 3-5 against Indianapolis in their careers. It’ll be interesting to see both players lead new teams and how the Colts will match up against some fellow AFC opponents.
The Colts will face a gauntlet in Weeks 5 through 9 as four of their five games will be on the road. This stretch includes all three divisional away games against the Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Aside from those three games, Indy will face a speedy Miami Dolphins team at home and a rebuilding Vikings squad on the road.
This stretch of games could determine the Colts’ chances of making the playoffs, especially with the importance of AFC South tiebreakers. Starting off against the Jaguars will be a tall task as Indianapolis has not won a road game in Jacksonville in the last decade. If Richardson can break the streak, the Colts could build some momentum as they churn through the schedule.
Steichen has an opportunity to lead a healthy Colts squad to the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season when Philip Rivers was at the helm. With free agency still alive some new faces could be brought into Indianapolis to secure a playoff push this season.
