The NFL has released the preseason schedules and the Indianapolis Colts will be playing five games in 2016.
With two former members of the team heading into the Hall of Fame, the Colts were a no-brainer to play in the Hall of Fame game. But that honor means that Indianapolis will be forced to compete in a fifth preseason game this coming season.
#ColtsNation we've got 5 games ahead of the regular season! Who's ready for some football? pic.twitter.com/f2Ar7J82E5
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 7, 2016
Former coach Tony Dungy and wide receiver Marvin Harrison will both be inducted into the Hall this August, alongside quarterback Brett Favre. That made the Colts squaring off against the Green Bay Packers an easy decision. They’ll face each other on August 7 and have an earlier start to training camp because of this.
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Following the Hall of Fame Game, the Colts will be at Buffalo to face the Bills for the official Week 1 of the preseason. In Week 2, they’ll host the Baltimore Ravens followed up with another home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ll cap off the preseason as they always do against the Cincinnati Bengals, this time on road.
In a unique scheduling quirk the Colts will actually face the Packers during the regular season. Had the two teams not been slated for the Hall of Fame game, it is likely they wouldn’t square off in the preseason. The Colts will be at Green Bay sometime in 2016, but we won’t know for sure until the regular season schedules are released.
It is unfortunate that the Colts are forced to play in a fifth preseason game as it just provides another chance for meaningless injuries. This will be an odd season for the Colts as they are slated to face the Jaguars on the “road” in London in Week 4.
We won’t have the rest of the regular season schedule until the NFL releases it, likely sometime later this month. Expect for the Colts to have a fifth straight road Thursday night game considering how the schedule is starting to shape up.