Colts will play three primetime games in 2017
The Indianapolis Colts tonight announced its 2017 regular season schedule. Along with their traditional matchups against AFC South Division opponents – Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee – the Colts will face the AFC North and NFC West Divisions. Indianapolis will also host the Denver Broncos and travel to Buffalo to face the Bills. In total, the Colts will face three playoff teams from the 2016 season, including Houston, Pittsburgh and Seattle. Indianapolis will play in three primetime games in 2017.
The Colts enter the season with a 23-7 record against AFC South Division foes since 2012, which is tied for the most wins within a team’s division in the NFL over that span. Indianapolis has made the playoffs three times over the last five seasons, including an appearance in the AFC Championship Game in 2014. The Colts have registered at least eight wins in each of the last five seasons, which is tied for the fifth-longest active streak in the NFL.
In the season opener on Sunday, September 10 at 4:05 p.m. EST, the Colts will play their first regular season game in Los Angeles since 1991 (against the Los Angeles Raiders). Indianapolis leads the overall series 23-18-2 and are 9-12 on the road. In the last matchup between the teams on November 10, 2013, the Rams forced five turnovers and defeated the Colts, 38-8. T.Y. Hilton led Indianapolis with seven receptions for 130 yards.
In Week 2, the Colts will host the Arizona Cardinals. Indianapolis owns an 8-7 all-time record against Arizona and are 6-4 at home. In the last contest between the teams on November 24, 2013 at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Cardinals defeated the Colts, 40-11. Carson Palmer threw for 314 yards and Larry Fitzgerald caught five passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona held Indianapolis to only 239 total net yards as Andrew Luck threw for 163 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Colts will host the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 in the first matchup between the teams since December 7, 2014 when Indianapolis defeated Cleveland 25-24 at First Energy Stadium. T.Y. Hilton led all players with 10 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns. The Browns registered two defensive touchdowns in the loss (one fumble recovery and one interception return). The all-time regular season series record is tied at 14-14, with the Colts holding a 6-9 record at home against the Browns.
In Week 4, the Colts will travel to Seattle for the first time since 2005 to face the Seahawks on NBC’s SundayNight Football on Sunday, October 1 at 8:30 p.m. EST. The teams have only squared off 11 times in regular season play with Indianapolis holding a 7-4 advantage (4-3 in Seattle). In the last contest between the teams on October 6, 2013, the Colts defeated the Seahawks 34-28 at Lucas Oil Stadium. T.Y. Hilton led all players with 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Seattle garnered 100-yard rushing performances from running back Marshawn Lynch (102 yards) and quarterback Russell Wilson (102 yards).
Indianapolis will host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. The Colts are 25-18 against the 49ers in regular season play and are 14-7 at home. In their last matchup on September 22, 2013 at Candlestick Park, Indianapolis defeated San Francisco, 27-7. The Colts ran for three touchdowns and Adam Vinatieri converted two field goals in the victory. Then 49ers running back Frank Gore registered 103 yards from scrimmage (82 rushing, 21 receiving).
In Week 6, the Colts will have their first AFC South road tilt of the season on ESPN’s Monday Night Football as they travel to Tennessee to face the Titans on Monday, October 16 at 8:30 p.m. EST. Indianapolis has won their last 11 meetings against the Titans, including a 7-1 mark in Tennessee dating back to 2009. In 2016, Indianapolis swept the Titans for the fifth consecutive season. The Colts traveled to Nashville in Week 7 and defeated Tennessee, 34-26. Adam Vinatieri connected on two field goals to bring his total to 43 consecutive made field goals, which set an NFL record. Andrew Luck completed 27-of-39 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns. He constructed his 17th career fourth quarter or overtime game-winning drive after moving the ball 70 yards and finding Jack Doyle for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the game. On Tennessee’s next possession, Robert Mathis returned a fumble for a touchdown to help seal the Colts win.
The Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. Indianapolis is 12-4 all-time against Jacksonville at home and has won the last four meetings in the Circle City. Last season, the Colts hosted the Jaguars in the Week 17 regular season finale and won, 24-20. Jacksonville jumped out to an early 17-0 lead before Adam Vinatieri connected on a 45-yard field in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Robert Turbin ran for a score and Andrew Luck threw a 15-yard pass to Dwayne Allen to tie the game at 17-17. With 1:33 left, the Jaguars converted a field goal to take a late lead. Luck led the Colts on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a game-winning touchdown pass to Jack Doyle. It marked the 18th fourth quarter or overtime game-winning drive in Luck’s career and brought Indianapolis to an 8-8 record for the season.
In Week 8, the Colts will travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. Indianapolis has a 17-10 overall regular season record against the Bengals and are 7-4 in Cincinnati. The last time the two franchises squared off was in 2015. Indianapolis hosted Cincinnati in regular season play as well as in the AFC Wild Card playoffs and were victorious in both contests. In the playoff matchup, the Colts boasted a 13-10 halftime lead before notching 13 unanswered points en route to a 26-10 win. The Indianapolis offense totaled their third-highest single-game postseason net yardage total (482 yards) as Andrew Luck completed 31-of-44 passes for 376 yards and one touchdown for a 104.0 passer rating. Adam Vinatieri was responsible for 14 points, which is the third most by a player in a single postseason game in team history.
Indianapolis will travel to Houston for a matchup with the Texans in Week 9. The Colts are 10-5 all-time against the Texans in Houston and have won three of the last four road games. Last season, Indianapolis fell to Houston in overtime, 26-23, in a Week 6 matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The Colts jumped out to a 13-0 lead after Adam Vinatieri converted two field goals and Jack Doyle caught a touchdown pass. Indianapolis possessed a 23-9 lead in the fourth quarter after Andrew Luck ran for a touchdown and Vinatieri connected on his third field goal of the evening. Houston scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of regulation to send the game to overtime. The Texans sealed the comeback win with a field goal in overtime.
Prior to a Week 11 bye week, the Colts will square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the fourth consecutive season. Indianapolis holds a 6-17 regular season series record against Pittsburgh and a 4-6 mark at home. In Week 12 of last season, the Colts hosted the Steelers on Thanksgiving night and lost, 28-7. Pittsburgh scored on its first three possessions of the game to take a 21-7 lead. With quarterback Andrew Luck inactive due to a concussion, Scott Tolzien earned the starting nod and threw a touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief in the first quarter for the Colts only points of the game. Tolzien completed 22-of-36 passes for 205 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Pittsburgh added a touchdown in the fourth quarter en route to their 28-7 win.
Indianapolis will return from the bye week to host the Titans in Week 12. The Colts own an 18-6 record against Tennessee in the Circle City and have won the last nine games at home. The two teams faced each other in Indianapolis in Week 11 last year and the Colts were victorious, 24-17. Indianapolis’ offense started fast and scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the game. Robert Turbin registered a rushing touchdown and Andrew Luck threw touchdown passes to wide receivers Donte Moncrief and T.Y. Hilton. The Titans then manufactured 17 unanswered points and trailed 21-17 early in the fourth quarter. With 10:50 left in the final frame, Adam Vinatieri converted a 49-yard field goal for the Colts lone points of the second half. Both teams were held scoreless the rest of the game. The Indianapolis defense posted a season-high 5.0 sacks in the victory.
In Week 13, the Colts will travel to Jacksonville for the first time since 2015 to face the Jaguars. Last season, Indianapolis was hosted by Jacksonville in Week 4 at London’s Wembley Stadium as part of the UK International Series. The contest marked the Colts first time participating in the International Series and its first regular season game outside of the United States. The Jaguars were victorious, 30-27. Andrew Luck completed 27-of-42 passes for 234 touchdowns with two touchdowns and one interception. Indianapolis faced a 17-6 deficit at halftime. The Colts attempted a late comeback and scored on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter but were unable to take the lead.
Indianapolis will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills in Week 14. The Colts trail the Bills in the all-time regular season series, 31-36-1 overall and 13-22 on the road, but have won seven of the last nine matchups. In the last contest between the teams in the 2015 regular season opener, Indianapolis fell to Buffalo, 27-14. The Bills scored on their final three possessions of the first half to take a 17-0 halftime lead. Late in the third quarter, Andrew Luck threw a touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief for the Colts first points of the game. Buffalo converted a field goal in the fourth quarter to pad their lead to 27-8. Luck threw his second touchdown of the game to Dwayne Allen to cut the deficit to 27-14 for the final points of the game.
In Week 15, Indianapolis will host the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football on Thursday, December 14 at 8:25 p.m. EST. The Colts trail the Broncos in the all-time regular season series, 10-13, but have won six of the last eight matchups and are 7-5 at home. This will mark the fourth consecutive season that the franchises have faced each other in regular season play. In 2016, Indianapolis traveled to Denver in Week 2 and fell to the then reigning Super Bowl Champions, 34-20. Adam Vinatieri connected on field goals of 48 and 52 yards, while Andrew Luck threw one touchdown to Frank Gore. Robert Turbin also ran for a touchdown. The Broncos defense held the Colts to under 300 total net yards and returned an interception and a fumble for touchdowns to clinch the win.
The Colts will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Saturday, December 23 at 4:30 p.m. EST. It will mark the first matchup between the teams since the 2013 AFC Wild Card game. Indianapolis holds an 8-3 regular season record against the Ravens and are 3-3 on the road. In the last matchup between the teams on October 5, 2014, the Colts defeated Baltimore 20-13 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Andrew Luck completed 32-of-49 passes for 312 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. T.Y. Hilton led all receivers with nine receptions for 90 yards.
Indianapolis will host Houston in the regular season finale on Sunday, December 31. The Colts own a 13-2 overall record against the Texans in Indianapolis after losing last year’s matchup, 22-17. Indianapolis won their first 13 consecutive home games against Houston from 2002-2014 but have dropped each of the last two meetings. In 2016, the Colts hosted the Texans in Week 14 with both teams tied atop the AFC South standings. Adam Vinatieri put the first points of the game on the board in the first quarter to give Indianapolis an early 3-0 lead. Houston countered with 16 unanswered points to take a 16-3 advantage in the third quarter. Andrew Luck threw second half touchdown passes to Frank Gore and T.Y. Hilton, but the Texans converted two field goals to preserve the win and take over first place in the division.
All games will air on WSLM 97.9 FM with a pre-game show an hour before kickoff and followed by an hour of post-game commentary.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 2017 SEASON SCHEDULE
Preseason
Day Date Opponent Time
Sun. Aug. 13 DETROIT 1:30 PM
Sat. Aug. 19 at Dallas 7:00 PM
Sat. Aug. 26 at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Thurs. Aug. 31 CINCINNATI 7:00 PM
Regular Season
Day Date Opponent Time
Sun. Sept. 10 at Los Angeles 4:05 PM
Sun. Sept. 17 ARIZONA 1:00 PM
Sun. Sept. 24 CLEVELAND 1:00 PM
Sun. Oct. 1 at Seattle 8:30 PM
Sun. Oct. 8 SAN FRANCISCO 1:00 PM
Mon. Oct. 16 at Tennessee 8:30 PM
Sun. Oct. 22 JACKSONVILLE 1:00 PM
Sun. Oct. 29 at Cincinnati 1:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 5 at Houston 1:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 12 PITTSBURGH 1:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 19 BYE WEEK
Sun. Nov. 26 TENNESSEE 1:00 PM
Sun. Dec. 3 at Jacksonville 1:00 PM
Sun. Dec. 10 at Buffalo 1:00 PM
Thurs. Dec. 14 DENVER 8:25 PM
Sat. Dec. 23 at Baltimore 4:30 PM
Sun. Dec. 31 HOUSTON 1:00 PM
–All times are EASTERN—
