Indianapolis Colts game-by-game predictions after 2024 NFL schedule release
INDIANAPOLIS — The stage is set.
The expectations are clear.
One season after coming up a few yards short of a surprising playoff berth, the Colts believe they have a team that can take the next step with a healthy Anthony Richardson at the helm in 2024.
“We should legitimately be competing for the division and playoffs,” Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said shortly after the 2023 season came to an end. “That’s really our expectation every year, but I think that is really possible here going forward.”
Indianapolis believes deeply in Richardson’s potential, along with the possibilities the dynamic quarterback’s skill set and a healthy Jonathan Taylor opens for an offense that finished in a tie for 10th in the NFL in scoring at 23.3 points per game last season despite losing Richardson for most of the season.
Defensively, the Colts believe the first-round selection of Laiatu Latu will take the pass rush to the next level, pairing with a secondary Indianapolis is hoping will be better ready to hold up its end of the bargain against a schedule that features a much better list of quarterbacks than the string of backups the Colts played last season.
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“I think we’re right there,” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said at the end of his first year in charge of the Colts. “But every year is a new year, so we’ve got to rebuild it again next and have that laser focus every single day. … We’ve got to be all over it. But I do, I think we’re right on the cusp of something really special here.”
Five months into the offseason, the NFL has finally released the Colts’ schedule.
And here’s a way-too-early prediction for every game.
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Week 1, Sept. 8: Houston Texans, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(1-0): Colts 28, Texans 26
Indianapolis famously has not opened the season with a win in a decade, and this time they’ve been handled the tough task of knocking off everybody’s offseason darlings, a Houston team that has won its last two games at Lucas Oil Stadium. But all streaks must come to an end, and the Colts deal the offseason narratives a blow with Richardson out-dueling Stroud in the red zone to get the win.
Week 2, Sept. 15: at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m., Lambeau Field
(1-1): Packers 35, Colts 31
A young, developing Indianapolis secondary faces a reality check in the Lambeau Field opener, struggling to keep up with Green Bay’s deep fleet of wide receivers and Jordan Love’s penchant for pushing the ball downfield.
Week 3, Sept. 22: Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(2-1): Colts 23, Bears 17
Chicago has a shiny new toy at quarterback in Caleb Williams and a cadre of big-name receivers around him, but the rookie is going to take some time to develop. Under siege all day from DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu, Williams can’t come up with enough plays against a Colts offense that piles up yards against former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’s bend-but-don’t-break system.
Week 4, Sept. 29: Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(3-1): Colts 31, Steelers 13
Indianapolis blew the doors off the Steelers at Lucas Oil last season, and the addition of Russell Wilson doesn’t move the needle enough to give Pittsburgh a fighting chance in the rematch. Four games into the season, the Richardson-Taylor combination has produced an explosive, dynamic running game.
Week 5, Oct. 6: at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., Everbank Stadium
(3-2): Jaguars 24, Colts 14
Only one streak comes to an end in 2024, as the Colts remain embroiled in whatever curse the city of Jacksonville has placed on its visitors from Indianapolis, leading to another ugly, momentum-killing loss that doesn’t fit the way the Colts had been playing.
Week 6, Oct. 13: at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., Nissan Stadium
(4-2): Colts 33, Titans 17
Tennessee made some headlines with attention-grabbing acquisitions this offseason, but the reality is this Titans team is still in flux, breaking in quarterback Will Levis while trying to find its identity under new head coach Brian Callahan. Richardson rips through the defense, picking up his second win of the season over a quarterback from his draft class.
Week 7, Oct. 20: Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(4-3): Dolphins 38, Colts 35
Indianapolis tears through a vulnerable Miami defense, but the speed the Dolphins have assembled at wide receiver prove too much for a young, improving secondary to handle, leading to a late Tyreek Hill touchdown to give Miami the win in a shootout.
Week 8, Oct. 27: at Houston Texans, 1 p.m., NRG Stadium
(4-4): Texans 28, Colts 21
Stroud gets his revenge at home, getting the ball out of his hands quickly enough to neutralize the pass rush and take advantage of his deep, rebuilt wide receiving corps, while Houston’s overhauled defensive line comes in with a better plan against Richardson and Taylor in the rematch.
Week 9, Nov. 3: at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., U.S. Bank Stadium
(5-4): Colts 34, Vikings 13
Disaster struck in the Twin Cities in 2022, but these are very different teams, and at this point, the Colts offense is far too explosive for a J.J. McCarthy-led Minnesota attack to match.
Week 10, Nov. 10: Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(5-5): Bills 23, Colts 21
Buffalo’s roster has taken some hits this offseason, but Josh Allen is still in charge of the Bills offense, and his unique combination of explosive plays and toughness in the pocket end up pulling out a win over an Indianapolis team still recovering from playing four of its last five games on the road.
Week 11, Nov. 17: at New York Jets, 8:20 p.m., MetLife Stadium (Sunday Night Football)
(6-5): Colts 20, Jets 17
A 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers coming off a torn Achilles tendon is bound to be less mobile than he was in the past, and his tendency to hold onto the ball in the pocket in an effort to produce big plays ends up playing right into the hands of the Indianapolis defensive line. The Colts pound Rodgers into the turf, allowing Indianapolis to win a hard-fought game in prime time.
Week 12, Nov. 24: Detroit Lions, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(6-6): Lions 30, Colts 24
Whatever Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson are doing in Detroit, it’s working, and the well-oiled Lions machine — still feels weird to say that — shows the Colts defense it still has some work to do with the bye week looming to make a playoff push.
Week 13, Dec. 1: at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., Gillette Stadium
(7-6): Colts 27, Patriots 10
For the first time in a long, long time, the Colts-Patriots rivalry does not have any of its old players now that Bill Belichick is gone, and in a bit of a theme for the 2024 season, the Colts exorcise the leftover Gillette Stadium demons from 2022, pounding the draft’s No. 3 pick, Drake Maye, in the pocket.
Week 14: Bye
Week 15, Dec. 14: at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m., Empower Field at Mile High
(8-6): Colts 38, Broncos 16
Indianapolis keeps feasting on the first-round class of 2024 quarterbacks, rolling behind an early Kenny Moore pick-six off Bo Nix and an offense that takes full advantage of a Denver defense that has been heavily depleted by salary-cap moves the last couple of seasons.
Week 16, Dec. 22: Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium
(9-6): Colts 27, Titans 20
By this point in the season, Richardson has come into his own, shaking off some of the mistakes he made early, and the finishing stretch is ripe for the picking, as the Colts beat up Levis again to put themselves firmly in the chase for the playoffs.
Week 17: at New York Giants, time and date TBD, MetLife Stadium
(10-6): Colts 31, Giants 14
The Indianapolis defense struggled with some of the better quarterbacks on its schedule in the first half of the season, but by now, the Colts have proven they can take advantage of young or uncertain quarterback situations, and Indianapolis rolls against a New York team unable to produce much offense.
Week 18: Jacksonville Jaguars, time and date TBD, Lucas Oil Stadium
(11-6): Colts 28, Jaguars 24
Faced with another win-and-in opportunity, the Colts lean on Taylor, who responds with another brilliant performance in a do-or-die game to crush Jacksonville, knock the Jaguars out of the playoffs and send Indianapolis into the postseason for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts record prediction: Complete game-by-game picks for 2024 season
