The 2023 NFL schedule was released on Thursday, giving fans a glimpse of several upcoming intriguing and entertaining games this season such as Aaron Rodgers making his NY Jets debut on Monday Night Football. Then in Week 11, we are treated to a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl on Monday Night Football.
Then of course there will be the NFL debut of Bryce Young against a rebuilding Atlanta team. Also, the debut of the second and third overall picks, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson against the newly extended Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. And of course the debut of the Indianapolis Colts’ newest franchise quarterback, Anthony Richardson.
At this point, it is not a guarantee that he’ll start Week 1. The Colts did sign Gardner Minshew in the offseason, and he already has experience in Shane Steichen’s offense. This might end up being a quarterback competition all offseason, leading into the preseason. If Richardson doesn’t get the starting job to begin the year, you can expect specific packages/plays to get him into games.
The Colts have a fairly easy schedule. There could be at least seven wins on the season with a few others that could go either way. They could reasonably go 4-2 in the division. But there are many exciting matchups on the slate. Here are the five most important games to watch in the upcoming Colts season.
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Week 1, 9/10: Indianapolis Colts vs Jacksonville
It’s been almost a decade since the last time the Indianapolis Colts started the season 1-0. They are 0-8-1 in season openers in the past nine years. Last season they stopped the losing streak of losing in Week 1. However, they still haven’t won in the opening week of the season in some time.
This year they’ll host the Jacksonville Jaguars, the defending division champs. This game will be a bit of a reversal of fortune. Back in 2020, the Colts headed to Jacksonville for the season opener with the expectation that the horseshoe would finally break their losing streak. Both the streak of losing in Jacksonville and the opening week in the NFL. Unfortunately, the Colts lost 27-20, and this win cost them a chance at winning the AFC South.
This year Jacksonville will be predicted to win not just this game but also the AFC South as well. Maybe, just maybe, this is the year that the Colts can exorcise the demons of two current losing streaks. The last time they won in Jacksonville, Andrew Luck was going into his third season in the NFL in 2014. This game could also mark the debut of Richardson too.
Week 2, 9/17: Indianapolis Colts @ Houston
The Colts return to the scene of their infamous tie in last season’s Week 1. This year they’ll face off against the second and third-overall picks, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson. Not only do the Colts start the year with back-to-back division opponents, just like last season, but they also face the same two teams they faced at the start of the 2022 season.
It just is in reverse order. Regardless, this game will feature the second and third quarterbacks drafted in this past year’s draft. It will also be the first look at the quarterback they passed on as well. It’s no secret that many horseshoe fans wanted the team to draft Stroud instead of Richardson. But the Colts stayed at four and took Richardson, whom they wanted all along.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Stroud look like a better passer than Richardson. This will also mark the first time the two teams have played since last year’s final week of the regular season. The one where Houston won the game and lost out on the chance to draft Bryce Young first overall. It’s possible that the Colts start the season 2-0. However, it is much more realistic that they start the year 1-1.
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Week 9, 11/5: Indianapolis Colts @ Carolina
This will mark the first time the Colts take on their old head coach, Frank Reich. Last season did not go according to anyone’s plan. The offensive line played horrifically all season. Matt Ryan had the worst season of his career, and all of it led to the in-season firing of Reich. It also led to the shocking hiring of Jeff Saturday as the team’s interim head coach.
It can only be surmised that some of the offseason moves from Carolina were heavily influenced by Reich and possibly wanting to stick it to the Colts. Specifically talking about Carolina’s trading up from ninth to first overall in the NFL draft. Regardless, it will also be the first look at the quarterback they passed on as well.
This season could show exactly what the Colts passed on and will be the bane of the rest of Chris Ballard’s tenure. Or it’ll show the team is in a great position with their franchise quarterback. This game will also show if the franchise made the correct decision in firing Reich or not. It’s no secret that Steichen is great at developing quarterbacks, but it’s also well-known that Reich is pretty good at tailoring offenses to their strengths.
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Week 10, 11/12: Indianapolis Colts vs New England in Frankfurt, Germany
This season the Colts will be going international for the second time in the past seven years. This time they will be going over to Frankfurt, Germany, which will only be the second time the city will be hosting an NFL game and just the third time that Germany is hosting.
Hopefully, this time around, the Colts have a better outcome overseas than they did back in 2016. However, that may not be the case as they’ll be facing New England. Bill Belichick is really great against rookie quarterbacks. Again, there’s no guarantee that Richardson will be the team’s opening-week starter. But it is possible by this time that Richardson is starting if he isn’t already.
It’s possible this game may not be very high scoring. Both teams’ passing attacks won’t be confused for the Greatest Show on Turf. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be explosive plays in the game.
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Week 15, 12/24: Indianapolis Colts @ Atlanta
This year there will be football on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. There will also be football on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Talk about some great gifts for the holidays. And even though the Colts won’t be playing on Christmas or New Year’s Day, they will be playing on Christmas Eve.
The horseshoe will travel south to play Atlanta on Christmas Eve. The experts will most likely call this game a toss-up, as both franchises are rebuilding. In games like this, the team with the better quarterback is usually the one that wins.
In this case, Richardson doesn’t have as much NFL experience as Desmond Ridder. However, it can be argued that Richardson is still better than Ridder. Another reason why Colts fans should be excited about their chances of winning is Atlanta plays a similar style. This will play right into their hands and should increase the horseshoe’s chances of victory.
This season will most likely be a disappointment from a win-loss viewpoint. However, this year could actually be a huge success. That is if the young players take another step forward in their development.
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