The Indianapolis Colts will host the Detroit Lions in their 2017 preseason opener. The game time is set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The contest will mark the 22nd all-time preseason meeting between the teams, with the Colts holding a 13-7-1 advantage. In their last preseason matchup, Indianapolis fell to Detroit, 18-17, on Aug. 29, 2009.
Earlier in the week, the teams will participate in two joint practices at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on Thursday, Aug. 10 and Friday, Aug. 11.
The Colts finished the 2016 season with an 8-8 record, were 3-3 within the AFC South Division and sent two players to the Pro Bowl.
This offseason, Indianapolis tabbed Chris Ballard as the new general manager. Ballard and his staff worked in conjunction with Head Coach Chuck Pagano and the coaching staff to bring in players to make the roster as competitive as possible. The Colts made a concerted effort at boosting the defense with the signings of ILB-Jon Bostic, DT-Johnathan Hankins, DE-Margus Hunt, OLB-Barkevious Mingo, OLB-Jabaal Sheard, OLB-John Simon, ILB-Sean Spence and NT-Al Woods in veteran free agency.
In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Colts used their first three picks on defensive players, including S-Malik Hooker (first round), CB-Quincy Wilson (second round) and OLB-Tarell Basham (third round).
