INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts have three playoff opponents on their 2017 schedule.
With the 2016 regular season finished, the Colts officially know the teams they will be playing next season.
The dates/times to the 2017 slate will likely come in mid-April.
For a second straight season, the Colts will not be playing the New England Patriots. With the Patriots winning the AFC East again in 2016 and the Colts finishing third in the AFC South, the two won't be matching up against each other for just the third time since 2003.
In 2017, the Colts are aligned to play the NFC West and AFC North.
Here are the 2017 Colts opponents:
Home
- Broncos (9-7): After winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos missed out on the playoffs in the NFL's toughest division. Denver is currently searching for a new coach after headman Gary Kubiak resigned due to health reasons.
- Browns (1-15): The worst team in the NFL will come to Lucas Oil Stadium next season. Will the Browns spend the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback in April?
- Cardinals (7-8-1): Bruce Arians' return to Indy will come next season. The Cardinals went from an NFC finalist last season to a struggling 2016 campaign.
- Jaguars (3-13): Jacksonville went from five wins in 2015 to just three victories in 2016. The Jaguars have already begun their search for a permanent coach, after firing Gus Bradley back in December.
- Steelers (11-5, AFC North Champions): For a second straight season, the Colts will host the Steelers. The Colts have lost three straight meetings with the Steelers each of the last three years, by an average of 24.1 points per game.
- Texans (9-7, AFC South Champions): Before 2015, the Texans had lost their first 13 games in Indianapolis. They've now won back-to-back road games against the Colts, both crucial December victories leading to two straight divisional titles.
- Titans (9-7): In Marcus Mariota's second season, the Titans improved by seven games and missed the playoffs by just one game. Tennessee easily took the biggest step forward of the four AFC South teams this past season.
- 49ers (2-14): The Colts will see (at least) three new coaches come bring their teams to Lucas Oil Stadium next season. San Francisco, which holds the No. 2 overall pick in 2017, fired their GM (Trent Baalke) and head coach (Chip Kelly) on Monday.
Away
- Bengals (6-9-1): The shortest road trip in the NFL for the Colts will be on the 2017 slate. Cincinnati underachieved this past season, after winning the AFC North in 2015.
- Bills (7-9): Buffalo is in the market for a new coach after parting ways with Rex Ryan last month. In 2015, the Colts opened up the regular season in Buffalo.
- Jaguars (3-13): In their last two meetings away from home against the Jaguars, the Colts have given up 81 points.
- Rams (4-12): The Colts will head out to Los Angeles market in 2017 to take on a Rams team looking for a new coach. It will be the first time the Colts have played in LA since the early 1990s.
- Ravens (8-8): What started out as a promising season for the Ravens ended on the outside looking in playoff wise. Chuck Pagano will be heading back to the place he was an assistant from 2008-11.
- Seahawks (10-5-1, NFC West Champions): Russell Wilson vs. Andrew Luck has to be a primetime game in 2017, doesn't it? Broadcasting networks should be salivating at this quarterback duel in one of the league's most hostile environment.
- Texans (9-7, AFC South Champions): For a division champion, the Texans have some major questions regarding their franchise quarterback (Brock Osweiler) and the health of their best player (J.J. Watt) going into 2017.
- Titans (9-7): Despite the rapid improvement by the Titans in 2016, they have lost 16 of their last 17 games against the Colts.
