The Colts have been one of the NFL’s most reliable prime-time draws over the past decade.
On Tuesday, Indianapolis was rewarded for its ratings performance with five more night games.
The Colts will open the season Sept. 13 by hosting Jacksonville, then have back-to-back night games at AFC East champion Miami and at NFC champion Arizona.
The Colts will appear on NBC’s Sunday night telecasts three times, ESPN’s Monday night schedule once and once on the NFL Network’s Thursday night schedule. There could be more prime-time games, too, depending on whether the Colts get selected to play during the NFL’s flex schedule.
The opponents were not a surprise because they were determined at the conclusion of last season.
But for a team that has appeared twice on Thanksgiving since 2004, played the season’s opening game, visited Japan and been in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game since 2004, the Colts did not earn any of those marquee rewards. They didn’t even get the rumored trip to Toronto to face Buffalo.
Instead, they will finish the season against the Bills in Buffalo on Jan. 3.
But the Colts will get a rare home opener and nearly half of the games will be in featured time slots.
The Colts will make their first prime-time appearance Sept. 21 at Miami.
Their only prime-time home game is Nov. 15 against perennial AFC power New England. They will also visit AFC South champion Tennessee on Sunday night, Oct. 11, and will visit division rival Jacksonville on Dec. 17, a Thursday night game.
Indy will visit its old hometown, Baltimore, on Nov. 22 and will host the New York Jets at 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 27, the Colts’ home finale.
It is the second straight year that the Colts have not hosted a Monday night game.
But the Patriots game will wrap up a three-game homestand, with the first two games coming against San Francisco and Houston.