At Least on NFL Schedule Paper, Circle These Five Colts Games as Key

A demanding, second-half stretch to the Indianapolis Colts 2020 schedule includes Baltimore, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and two games each with AFC South Division rivals Houston and Tennessee.

INDIANAPOLIS — As soon as the NFL regular-season schedule was released on Thursday night, the usual routine is to do a quick scan for the most important games awaiting the Indianapolis Colts.

That scan inevitably leads to a longer look. The Colts, coming off a 7-9 season, would appear to have an ideal first-half slate, which could prove telling if the franchise is going to contend for an AFC South Division title that hasn’t been won since 2014.

Yeah, it’s been that long. Such a drought makes it easy to forget the Colts have won the division nine times since its 2002 inception. That’s three more titles than the next team, the two-time defending division champion Houston Texans.

The Colts have missed the playoffs in four of the past five years. If they’re going to reach the postseason this time, it might hinge on how they handle these five games in 2020.

Nov. 8 — Baltimore Ravens at Colts

Reigning NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will be on a mission to finish what they couldn’t last year, when a league-best 14-2 record and AFC No. 1 seed were erased with a one-and-done exit in a home playoff loss to Tennessee.

This will be the Colts’ eighth game on the schedule and just four days before a short-week Thursday trip to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Titans. If the Colts get off to a solid season start, this matchup would qualify as a statement game about how far they’ve come. And the Colts are 5-0 at home against the Ravens.

That said, the dual-threat Jackson stands to be the most challenging quarterback an upgraded Colts defense will face this season.

Dec. 27 — Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers

Heinz Field has kind of become a house of horrors for the horseshoe helmets, whose six consecutive losses in the series include three in Pittsburgh. A 26-24 road loss to the Steelers last season dramatically altered the course of the Colts season. Indy had entered 5-2 and came within a missed Adam Vinatieri field goal in the final moments of pulling it out. The defeat was the first of seven in the final nine games.

Considering this is the penultimate game of the regular season, it’s bound to have playoff implications for both teams. And there’s nothing like proving a team’s mettle in the Steel City while braving the frigid temperatures next to the three-river confluence.

The Steelers have owned this series 25-6, so the Colts could do more than cement their playoff legitimacy with a victory. They could finally exorcise demons with a bit of payback, too.

Dec. 19 or 20 — Houston Texans at Colts

One week before venturing to Pennsylvania, the Colts host the Texans on either Saturday or Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. If the game has playoff implications, the TBD status could switch to a primetime kickoff. The Colts haven’t hosted a primetime game since 2015.

Once upon a time, the Texans couldn’t win in Indy. The Colts prevailed at home in the first 13 meetings through 2014. Since then, Houston has won three of five in the Hoosier State. Coming on the heels of a matchup in the Lone Star State just two games earlier, the winner could be positioned for a division title.

The Colts defeated the visiting Texans 30-23 to get to 4-2 last season. It was thought to be a signature win, but there were still too many games remaining. The Colts blew an early lead in a 20-17 loss at Houston five games later. The later in a season, the greater likelihood a game has more standings significance.

Nov. 12 — Colts at Tennessee Titans

Just four days after hosting Baltimore, the Colts must regroup to face the physical Titans. As the Colts’ demanding stretch of schedule intensifies, this might be the greatest challenge because of the short week. It sure would help matters if the Colts were coming off a confidence-boosting home win over the Ravens, but who knows what this situation will be?

The two division rivals with a similar makeup — physical rushing and defense — won on the road in last year’s meetings. The Colts prevailed 19-17 at Nashville in Week 2. The Titans won 31-17 at Indy on Dec. 1. The latter game turned when the Titans scored a special-teams touchdown off a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter.

Just like with the Texans matchups, the Colts and Titans meet twice in a span of three weeks. This will be the first meeting. If it doesn’t go so well for the visitors, perhaps the Colts can rebound 17 days later at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nov. 22 — Green Bay Packers at Colts

Ten days after the trip to Nashville, the Colts should benefit from the extra rest before hosting the perennial-playoff Packers and two-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Colts also have the luxury of being home the week before and after Thanksgiving, starting with this game.

When scanning the list of second-half games and seeing the Ravens, Texans twice, Titans twice and the Steelers, it says something that a Packers visit could rank behind those other matchups. Then again, no fan contingent travels better than the Cheeseheads, so the atmosphere should have more juice.

This is an opportunity for the Colts defense to get the better of one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. And beating Rodgers, the ultimate competitor, would suggest anything is possible. Remember how that was a popular take after the Colts upset the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium last year?

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)