In a season in which I predicted them to take a step back and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2001, the Colts managed to start 14-0, win another AFC South title, and log an NFL-record seventh consecutive year of 12 wins or more. So I’m not getting fooled again. The Colts will enter next season as the favorites in their division, just as they have been for almost the entire length of Manning’s 12-year NFL career.
The highlight of the Indianapolis schedule next season will once again be a showdown with New England, but for the first time since November 2006, the game will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The last four meetings of the two bitter rivals have been on the Colts’ home turf, including the 2006 AFC title game.
The Colts next year have five games against teams that went to the playoffs this season, but three of those are at Lucas Oil Stadium: visits from the Chargers, Bengals and Cowboys. Only trips to New England and Philadelphia look particularly tough, although division rivals Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville always play the Colts fairly tough. Though Indy was 6-0 against those three this season, just two games separated the 9-7 second-place Texans from the 7-9 last-place Jaguars.
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