The NFL has officially released the 2020 schedule, and the Colts have an opportunity to take advantage in 2020. Here’s a breakdown of their schedule and projected record.
The NFL has officially released the 2020 NFL schedule for every team in the league. This, of course, includes the Indianapolis Colts. They have one of the easiest starts in the league, as they face only one 2019 playoff team in their first eight weeks: the Minnesota Vikings. Following that, however, six out of the next seven weeks will be versus playoff teams, including matchups against the Baltimore Ravens and the Green Bay Packers.
The Colts have only one primetime game in 2020, during their Week 10 matchup against the Titans on Thursday Night. With games set against both the Ravens and the Packers, it was thought among most Colts fans that they’d get at least one more primetime game, especially considered the projected success as a whole going into the 2020 season.
Their schedule as a whole ranks 16th in the NFL in terms of strength (.502). It’ll be crucial that this team gets off to a hot start before the real tests begin later in the season. With the division starting to falter at the top, the 2020 season is a perfect time for the Colts to capitalize on their own improvements and finally win the division for the first time since 2014.
The opportunity is there for Indy to return to the playoffs with a strong season, and they’ve made the upgrades to get there. With that said, let’s break down every game of the Colts’ 2020 schedule and what their record will be. Is this a playoff team? Let’s find out.
Weeks 1-4: A Hot Start
Week 1: Colts @ Jaguars
Indianapolis opens the season against a team the Colts have struggled against: the Jacksonville Jaguars. They haven’t won at Jacksonville since 2014 and haven’t won a road opener since 2006. It’s definitely been a struggle to win away from home against the Jaguars, especially in recent years.
The 2020 season breaks two bad streaks for the team. The Colts will be able to overcome their past opener struggles and will defeat the Jaguars in Week 1. Gardner Minshew is the option at quarterback in Duval and outside of Leonard Fournette and rookie Laviska Shenault, the team isn’t ready to keep up with the offense. The combination of Philip Rivers, the two-headed monster at running back, and the newfound receiver talent, will be too much for the Jaguars to handle.
The X-factor is whether the young defense of the Jaguars will be able to keep up with the Colts offense. It’s likely that the veteran and youth combination on the team’s offense will outperform the Jags’ young and unproven defense.
Colts record: 1-0
Week 2: Colts vs Vikings
The Colts return for their first home game of the season, and it’s a tough one at that. This will be a huge test for the revamped Colts offense to see if they can produce against one of the toughest defensive teams in the league. In addition, the Vikings offense, despite losing Stefon Diggs, have a top ten offense and will be a test for the Colts young defense.
This will be a tough test for the team and is one they could very well lose. However, this game will prove they’re ready to make a push into the playoffs as they overcome the talented Vikings team. Led by Rivers and the passing attack, they’ll be able to outperform the young and unproven Minnesota secondary. Without Xavier Rhodes and in Jeff Gladney‘s second career game, the Vikings won’t be able to compete with Rivers and TY Hilton.
Another young defense needs time to shake off the NFL nerves, and he veteran leadership of Rivers and Hilton will prove to be too much for the Vikings.
Colts record: 2-0
Week 3: Colts vs Jets
The Colts stay at home and face the New York Jets in week three. The Jets are another rebuilding team that will likely not be able to keep up with the offense, especially on their respective offensive side. With Sam Darnold and Le’Veon Bell coming off of down seasons, the Colts shouldn’t have a problem winning this matchup.
The advantage is held in all phases of the game here. Their offense will be able to outplay the Jets defense, and the revamped front seven with new addition, DeForest Buckner, will be able to attack the Jets’ weak offensive line. This matchup shouldn’t be issue and they should roll safely into 3-0.
Colts record: 3-0
Week 4: Colts @ Bears
The Colts finish the first quarter of the season in Chicago. They face a team that severely under-performed after making the playoffs in 2018. The defense, formerly one of the best, slipped off the radar last season and couldn’t replicate their 2018 success.
Again, the advantage is on all phases of the game. The Bears offense will struggle getting the ball out, given the Colts’ front seven surperiority over the Bears’ offensive line. With the loss of Trey Burton (he signed with Indianapolis), Mitchell Trubisky (or Nick Foles) won’t be able to keep up on offense.
The only struggle point will come on offense, specifially in the run game. Despite the team’s struggles last year, Khalil Mack and the rest of the interior defense is a force to be reckoned with. If the Marlon Mack/Jonathan Taylor combination can be successful on the ground, it’s a no-brainer that the team will take the win and roll to 4-0.
Colts record: 4-0
Weeks 5-9: Continuing Strong
Week 5: Colts @ Browns
The Colts head to Cleveland hoping to continue their winning streak. They face a Browns team that, while not meeting the lofty expectations of the 2019 season, is still a very talented team all-around. On paper, they’ve got one of the best rosters in the NFL on paper. The Colts will see if that roster will translate on the field.
The Colts can’t win every game, and while the Browns underwhelmed last year, they’ve still got the talent to pull off a good amount of wins in 2020. It’s here in Week 5 that the Colts get dealt their first loss of the season. The combination of Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry, and Baker Mayfield in the passing game, along with the talented running game and a much improved offensive line, will not bode well for the defense. Justin Houston and DeForest Buckner will have a difficult time getting to Mayfield and the secondary will struggle against the sheer amount of weapons the Browns have.
It’ll be to be a tough game to win.
Colts record: 4-1
Week 6: Colts vs Bengals
Number one pick Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals head to Indianapolis to face one of the best teams in the AFC. The Bengals are obviously rebuilding at this point, and even though they have some promising young pieces, it won’t be enough to compete with the Colts.
The Bengals went offense-heavy in the Draft last week and it definitely shows. Their defense still has plenty of holes to fill, and it’ll be an easy day for Rivers and the offense. They’ll be able to bounce back from the first loss of the season and enter the bye week with a statement victory over the Bengals.
Colts record: 5-1
Week 7: BYE WEEK
Week 8: Colts @ Lions
Coming out of the bye week, the Colts play a struggling Detroit team that just traded away their best cornerback, Darius Slay. They drafted standout Ohio State corner Jeff Okudah in the draft to replace him. Other than that, their defense isn’t anything spectacular and shouldn’t be an issue for the Colts offense to overcome.
Rivers and the offense continue to light up the NFL with help from the dynamic duo at RB. The Lions don’t have an answer anywhere on the field on any side of the ball. It’ll be quick out for the Lions, who, like the Bengals, are in a rebuilding phase and won’t be competing in the postseason in 2020.
Colts record: 6-1
Week 9: Colts vs Ravens
The Colts enter this Week 9 matchup with their best 7-game record since 2009, when they went 14-2 and made an appearance in the Super Bowl. In this game, their hot streak ends as they face one of the best teams in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts won’t be able to compete on offense or defense and it won’t be much of a contest, unfortunately.
The only savior for the team is their prowess in run defense. They ranked 7th in this category last year and only improved their interior defense for the 2020 season. Despite all of this, the Ravens had a stellar draft and their offense is simply better than what can be handled. Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins and the young receiving core that performed well last year will be able to overpower the defense. Rivers and the offense will truly struggle for the first time this season.
Colts record: 6-2
Weeks 10-13: Mid-season hiccup
Week 10: Colts @ Titans
The Colts’ last game versus Tennessee wasn’t anything pretty at all: a 31-17 loss in which Indianapolis allowed 24 straight points in the second half. The Titans carried their momentum all the way into the AFC Championship game before losing to the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. With a roster that’s largely the same, this matchup will be close.
The Titans will take this game in a close one. While the run defense is improved and should be able to stop Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill is still efficient enough to give Tennessee the win. Rivers is much improved from Jacoby Brissett but still is prone to mistakes; the Titans will capitalize on this and steal a win.
It’s entirely possible for the Colts to win this game, however. It all comes down to the efficiency of the offense. This week won’t be the week for Rivers and Co.; they suffer their second loss in a row to two playoff teams.
Colts record: 6-3
Week 11: Colts vs Packers
Week 11 brings yet another playoff team into the fold for this matchup. This time, its the Packers, who are coming off of an NFC Championship appearance. This game is going to be an offensive slugfest and all comes down to whichever quarterback can outperform the other.
Aaron Rodgers is a significantly better QB than Rivers is, but Rivers and the Colts have more weapons on offense to utilize. It’s going to be a tight matchup, but Rodgers’ way of taking over a game on his own is going to be the deciding factor here. As talented as the defense is, Rodgers will be able to pick apart the team on his way to a victory.
There’s still a chance to sneak out a win for the Colts. It all depends on the defense stopping Rodgers. If he doesn’t have an efficient game, then the door is wide open. Without him at his best, the Packers are a severely depleted team. It isn’t likely, however, and the Colts drop their third game in a row to another playoff team.
Colts record: 6-4
Week 12: Colts vs Titans
Indianapolis looks to end their 3-game losing streak as they go into their final matchup vs Tennessee. It’s really a toss-up on where these two teams finish in the division. As the two favorites, they’re projected to both make it into the playoffs, but seeding is critical to a successful postseason. In this matchup, it’s the Colts’ most important game and they deliver in separating themselves from the rest of the division.
They will finally break their losing streak as Rivers and the passing attack gets into a rhythm and handily defeats the Titans. As I stated before, the game was a toss-up in Week 10 and this time, they will be much more efficient and ready for the Titans. This is the turning point in the season for the team; this will distance them from the rest of the division and show that the beginning of the season wasn’t a fluke.
Colts record: 7-4
Week 13: Colts @ Texans
This game is another crucial game for the Colts to establish themselves as the top dogs in the division. They enter their first matchup with the Texans facing a much different team than last season. The loss of Deandre Hopkins is a huge downside for the Texans; the Colts no longer need to deal with their biggest problem anymore.
Hopkins torched the team with 2 touchdowns in Indy’s November loss. Without him and no significant upgrade on the offensive line, the Colts defense will truly shine for the first time so far. The front seven will have their most productive day on the interior, as they’ll get to Deshaun Watson multiple times and stuff the run game completely. Rivers and the offense will take advantage of the aging defense and walk away with another statement win. NRG Stadium is TY Hilton‘s house, and he’ll have his best game of the season here.
Colts record: 8-4
Weeks 14-17: Bouncing back and finishing strong
Week 14: Colts @ Raiders
Bouncing back from their three game losing streak with two wins against their biggest rivals, the team looks to capitalize on a Raiders team that made a big splash in the NFL Draft.
The Colts, like in Week 5 versus the Browns, will fall against a team that doesn’t seem to be a team that’s on the Colts’ level. Derek Carr and the Raiders have a young offense that at times last season looked like one of the best in the NFL. Josh Jacobs is an emerging young star, and Henry Ruggs III is a rookie receiver who has a ton of hype. This game is where the Raiders, who will likely be trying to get the last playoff spot or two at this point in the season, put everything together and hand the Colts a loss.
It’ll be a close matchup for sure, but the Raiders have a talented team in need of experience. This late into the season, their offense will be at full force as they look to make a playoff push. If the run game can be effective, a win could happen, but it’s not likely for the team to keep their momentum alive in this game.
Colts record: 8-5
Week 15: Colts vs Texans
Another divisional matchup is crucial to win at this point. At this point in the season, they’re 3-1 in divisional matchups. Winning this game win give the team an advantage for the rest of the season and will likely be the game that decides the division winner.
Much like the last game, the Texans are a much different team compared to last year; the Colts outmatch them on both sides of the ball and won’t look back as they move to 4-1 in the division. It’s a crucial win for the Colts as it all but guarantees them as a top-four seed in the AFC playoffs and a huge advantage moving into the postseason. Rivers continues rolling as he’s in one of his best seasons as of recent.
The passing attack has been the focal point of the offense so far in these predictions and will continue throughout the remainder of it. They have the advantage in the air in most of their games, especially in their division matchups.
Colts record: 9-5
Week 16: Colts @ Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger is back as the Steelers QB for this matchup in Pittsburgh. The Colts lost here last year in a close game that ultimately began the losing streak to end out the season. The Steelers will continue their dominance over the Colts as they win their 7th consecutive game against Indianapolis and their 26th overall (to the Colts’ 6).
Roethlisberger is much improved QB in comparison to Mason Rudolph. The Steelers’ offense has always been among the best in the league, and with new additions Chase Claypool out of the draft and former Colts TE Eric Ebron, the Steelers are back and will defeat the Colts in this Week 16 matchup. The Colts arguably have the better offense this season, however, the Steelers defense is young and hungry. They’ll shut down the offense much like last season, handing the Colts yet another loss in their head-to-head rivalry.
Colts record: 9-6
Week 17: Colts vs Jaguars
The season ends once again with the Jacksonville Jaguars. This time a much improved team all-around, the Colts will have no problem defeating the Jaguars, giving them the division title in the process.
Rivers will finish the season with a great game, and paired with the RB duo behind him, the Colts will finish the season with a comfortable win against the weakest team in their division. This win will likely give the Colts the division title at 10-6 and secure them a spot as one of the top four seeds in the AFC moving into the postseason. Their 5-1 divisional record will give them the edge in the event of a tie at the top of the division.
COLTS FINAL RECORD: 10-6