Indianapolis Colts Face Brutal Opening Stretch That Will Determine Their Season

The Colts's early-season slate in 2026 will be a great test.

Oct 11, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) carries the ball as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett (23) chases during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Late last week, the NFL unveiled the schedule for the upcoming regular season. Although the Indianapolis Colts and the rest of the league already knew which slate of opponents they'd be up against, the order in which they'd face off was yet to be determined.

For the Colts, their return to the limelight was most shocking and intriguing. Indianapolis had been nearly shut out from primetime matchups, giving them just one opportunity in each of the last three seasons, where they'd go 0-3 in such games, but the NFL is buying what they're selling for 2026 and, as a result, gave them multiple primetime slots on their schedule.

Indianapolis will kick off their primetime slate early in the regular season as they travel to Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2 to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for Sunday Night Football. They then have their second and final primetime matchup scheduled for a Week 11 divisional road game on Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans, making both matchups road trips for the Colts.

The game against the Chiefs, however, will be the Colts' second game in a brutal five-week stretch to start the season.

Indy's Early-Season Slate is Littered with Teams Looking to Rebound Big

Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) runs after a catch as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson (41) chases during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Before the Colts travel to Kansas City, they open the season with a home contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Then, after their aforementioned trip to Arrowhead in Week 2, the Colts will come back home to Indianapolis for their first divisional matchup as they host the Houston Texans.

For Weeks 4-5, the Colts will travel to London, UK to take on the Washington Commanders before wrapping up their gauntlet of a start with an away game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Week	Day	Opponent	Time	Network
1	Sun., Sept. 13	vs. Ravens	1:00 p.m.	CBS
2	Sun., Sept. 20	at Chiefs	8:20 p.m.	NBC
3	Sun., Sept. 27	vs. Texans	1:00 p.m.	CBS
4	Sun., Nov. 1	at Commanders (London)	9:30 a.m.	NFLN
5	Sun., Nov. 8	at Pittsburgh	1:00 p.m.	CBS

Oddly enough, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans are the only Colts' opponents in this stretch who made the playoffs in 2025. Ironically enough, the two teams in question ultimately met in the Wild Card round, where the Texans subsequently embarrassed the Steelers 30-6.

The rest of said slate features opponents who are hungry to bounce back from their disappointing 2025 campaigns, with each quarterback from the non-playoff teams set to return from injury-marred seasons that saw them all miss multiple games.

Colts are Better Off with a Frontloaded Scheduled

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen speaks with General Manager Chris Ballard before the first day of training camp practice Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Indianapolis Colts famously took advantage of their cakewalk of a start to their 2025-26 regular-season schedule, going 7-1 in their first eight games (4th-easiest stretch among all NFL teams), but quickly fell off after their trip to Berlin, Germany, which saw them leave with an 8-2 record.

This gauntlet of a start will no doubt be a gruelling challenge out of the gate, but this Colts team needs to prove it can go the distance more than it needs to prove it can start hot.

The Colts have become known for their mid to late-season collapse under general manager Chris Ballard, and have just nearly missed the playoffs in each of their three seasons with head coach Shane Steichen leading the charge.

This brutal stretch may not be welcoming to a team that's hoping their quarterback, Daniel Jones, can return-to-form following a devastating mid-season Achilles injury, but as a team, the Colts need to learn how to fight through adversity so they can make the playoffs or win the division. Otherwise, this Colts regime led by Chris Ballard will be gone after a decade of trying to right the ship.

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