Colts Open 2009 Regular Season with Home Game Against Jacksonville
INDIANAPOLIS –The Colts will christen the 2009 NFL regular season, their 26th campaign in Indianapolis, on Sunday, September 13 with a battle against AFC South rival Jacksonville in Lucas Oil Stadium at 1:00 p.m. The game marks the first of 16 regular-season contests for the club. Click here to view the Colts 2009 Schedule.
After the home opener, Indianapolis will appear on prime-time on five occasions as the season unfolds. The first nationally-televised contest will be on ESPN at Miami on September 21 at 8:30 p.m. The club's other prime-time affairs are September 27 at Arizona, October 11 at Tennessee, November 15 versus New England and December 17 (Thursday) at Jacksonville. The games against the Cardinals, Titans and Patriots will air on NBC, while the NFL Network carries the game at the Jaguars. The Colts and Patriots will be meeting in prime-time for the fifth time in six seasons, with all meetings since 2005 coming during November. Since 2002, the Colts are 19-8 during the regular season in prime-time games.
This marks the third consecutive season the club has opened at home. Indianapolis defeated New Orleans, 41-10, to open the 2007 season, but dropped the opener last year to Chicago, 29-13, the first regular-season game in Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis has a six-game home winning streak it will take into its opener. Jacksonville is the last team to win during the regular season at Lucas Oil Stadium, producing a 23-21 dramatic victory last September 21. This is the first time the Colts have opened a season against a divisional foe since winning at the Jaguars, 28-25, to open the 2002 season.
Indianapolis has made the playoffs a league-best nine times in the past 10 years. The club's seven consecutive post-season appearances also rank as the best in the NFL. The Colts have five outings against teams that made the playoffs last year. Indianapolis travels to Nashville to meet Tennessee in October, then hosts the Titans on December 6. The Colts also travel to Miami, Arizona and Baltimore (November 22). Two other 2009 opponents posted winning records in 2008 (New England, 11-5; New York, 9-7). The Colts host the Jets on Sunday, December 27 in their last home game.
Indianapolis won five consecutive AFC South titles from 2003-07 before finishing behind Tennessee in 2008. The Colts were 4-2 in the division last year, sweeping Houston and splitting the series with Tennessee and Jacksonville. The club meets Houston twice in a four-week span, hosting the Texans on November 8 before venturing to Reliant Stadium on November 29.
In addition to meeting Arizona, the Colts travel to St. Louis for a Sunday, October 25 meeting with the Rams. Indianapolis hosts Seattle (October 4) and San Francisco (November 1) in completing action against the NFC West. The Colts resume their rivalry with Denver on Sunday, December 13. Indianapolis closes the regular season on Sunday, January 3 at Buffalo.
