Colts Hosting Buccaneers after NFL Approves 17th Game

The NFL has officially approved the expansion of the regular season by one game, extending it to 17 games.

As a result, the Indianapolis Colts will now be hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2021 regular season.

The league developed the below formula for determining the extra opponent for each team:

Because the current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association and the league owners states the season cannot exceed 20 games (including the preseason), the preseason is now being reduced to three games from four.

The official schedule is not yet known, but the NFL said that it will be released sometime this spring (last year, it was May 7).

This is the first time that the NFL has expanded the regular season since 1978 when the schedule moved from 14 games to 16.

The Buccaneers will obviously be a big "measuring stick" affair for the Colts as they come off of their second-ever Super Bowl victory.

Led by quarterback Tom Brady, the Buccaneers offense and a stifling defense held the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes in check to the tune of a 31-9 win.

There will be plenty of familiar faces on the opposing sideline for the Colts, as Bucs coaches Bruce Arians, Clyde Christensen, Tom Moore, and Joe Gilbert will all be making a return to Indy.

Here is the full list of the Colts' 2021 opponents:

Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans

Away: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans

Where do the Buccaneers rank among your 2021 Colts matchups? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

Follow Jake on Twitter and Facebook @JakeArthurNFL.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and Twitter.