by Kevin Hickey
The Indianapolis Colts won’t know their schedule for another few months, but we do know who they will play during the 2024 regular season.
The way their schedule breaks down includes six games against the AFC South, four against the AFC East, four against the NFC North and the final three games against third-place teams from the NFC East (Giants), AFC West (Broncos) and AFC North (Steelers).
We detailed the home and road opponents for the 2024 season earlier in the offseason.
A lot is going to change over the course of the offseason. We had the Houston Texans as the easiest matchup in 2023 at this time last year, and we couldn’t have been more wrong about it. We’ll revisit these rankings in July after the majority of offseason moves have been made.
Here’s an early look at ranking the Colts’ opponent in 2024 from easiest to most difficult:
14) New England Patriots
While there’s certainly optimism for Mayo’s potential as Bill Belichick’s successor, the Patriots roster is so bad that it’s likely going to take time to rebuild it.
13) Tennessee Titans
Another team with a new head coach, it will be interesting to see whether Brian Callahan sticks with Will Levis under center.
12) New York Giants
Brian Daboll’s ability to keep this team competitive down the stretch was impressive, but there are still a lot of issues on this Giants roster.
11) Chicago Bears
Justin Fields has shown enough flashes, and Matt Eberflus is still the head coach at this point. The 2024 NFL draft should give us an idea of what direction they’re heading with the No. 1 overall pick (from the Panthers).
10) Denver Broncos
The offense was better in 2023 than it was in 2022, but that’s a pretty low bar. Plus Russell Wilson seems to be on his way out this offseason.
9) Minnesota Vikings
Whether Kirk Cousins will return to Minnesota from his Achilles injury remains to be seen, which has a massive impact on their outlook.
8) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars’ collapse to end the season was something special, but this team still has a solid nucleus, and Doug Pederson is still a fine coach.
7) Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin got the Steelers into the playoffs with a combination of Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph under center.
6) New York Jets
This is a bit of a projection considering the expected return of Aaron Rodgers, which should make them a much more competitive team in theory.
5) Green Bay Packers
The Packers had an impressive run with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. The arrow is certainly pointing up.
4) Miami Dolphins
Despite their inconsistencies against tough opponents, the Dolphins have arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL.
3) Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud is special, and DeMeco Ryans deserves the Coach of the Year award. The Texans are likely to be viewed as the division favorites in 2024. The silver lining? The Colts went toe-to-toe with them with a backup quarterback.
2) Detroit Lions
The turnaround Dan Campbell has led in Detroit is nothing short of impressive. The potential of losing Ben Johnson would hurt in a big way, but they are one of the most complete teams in the NFL.
1) Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen is the best quarterback the Colts are going to play against in 2024, and he’s turned the Bills into a perennial playoff team.
Originally posted on coltswire.usatoday.com