Indianapolis Colts: Analyzing the 2012 Schedule

The 2012-13 schedule for the NFL has been released, and while the official week-by-week listings won't be available until the end of the month, home and away matchups are known and ready for analysis and discussion.

Because the season is still several weeks away, it's impossible and almost naive to attempt to guess the outcome of every match—there are simply too many unknown factors to try to predict.

What we can do, though, is look at whether the 2012-13 schedule is easier than it was last year for certain teams, and what that will do for their overall chances.

So for the Indianapolis Colts, you'll find a complete breakdown of their schedule compared to last year, as well as the three most exciting matches to look forward to in 2012.

Ready? Let's roll.

Indianapolis Colts in 2011

2011 was, well, a tough year to be a Colts fan.

With the early loss of Peyton Manning, winning football games was never going to come easy but nobody expected it to be that hard. The Colts went 13 matches without a win, before breaking the drought against the Tennessee Titans.

There were. however, a few highlights from the season—the most important of which was the No. 1 draft pick for 2012, Andrew Luck. Throw in to that mix the fact they won their final two matches of the year and Indy haven't been beaten at home since November, which sounds rather impressive.

2011-12 Schedule

Starting with their divisional matches, the Colts played their fellow AFC South teams twice each during the regular season and finished a surprising 2-4 despite their terrible record. They managed wins at home to both the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars, but lost to the Houston Texans and in all three road matches.

Against the entire AFC North, Indianapolis failed to win a single game as their offense was made to look like it was incomplete. Their closest match was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who kicked a field-goal in the final seconds of the match to give them a three-point win. And despite not being completely dominated by the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, they were outclassed and outplayed in all three.

The Colts also played the NFC South where they again went 0-4 against the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Indy finished within a score of both Carolina and Tampa Bay, but lost to the two playoff sides in the Saints and Falcons by a combined score of 93-14.

Rounding out the schedule for the year were the two matches they played against sides from the AFC West and AFC East which again, the Colts only lost by a single score. They played the Kansas City Chiefs at home and went down by four after leading by as much as 17. Against the New England Patriots, the Colts almost did the impossible, rallying from 31-3 down heading in to the fourth quarter to fall short by seven.

As far as toughness goes, anything seems tough when a team loses its star quarterback for the season, but the Colts did it have it rather tough regardless. They played against arguably the toughest offensive and defense divisions, as well as the Super Bowl finalists in the New England Patriots.

Out of their 16 matches for the year, half of their matches were against teams that made the playoffs.

2012-13 Schedule

Getting the easy one out of the way again, the Colts will play their six divisional matches in 2012 against a division that will improve, but not significantly.

The Houston Texans will be an even tougher side if they can get a healthy quarterback or three, and the Titans and Jaguars defense continually keeps them in matches even when their offense doesn't. Having said that, they do have Andrew Luck, who will be able to exploit these defenses better than the likes of Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky.

In 2012, Indy will also play the entire AFC East—taking on the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills at home, and the New England Patriots and New York Jets on the road. If they had to pick the two to play at home, the Dolphins and the Bills may be the two the Colts wanted, considering they are the easier of the two.

Luck's real skill will be tested when he meets Brady and Tebow in their respective homes.

They will also face the NFC North next year—which, in my opinion, is the toughest division in the league. The Colts play at home to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, as well as the Minnesota Vikings, who will both push the secondary all night.

And if that wasn't tough enough, they must also try and defeat the high-flying Detroit Lions and the vastly-improved Chicago Bears on the road—two games that appear incredibly difficult to win, regardless of Andrew Luck.

The Colts will complete their schedule with the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs—two sides that both finished last in their respective divisions last year. Indy will not want to throw the game away like they did against the Chiefs last year, and will certainly gear up for the street-fight against the Browns and possibly, Trent Richardson. 

Comparing the strength of schedule

Divisional matches

These will still be tough—no doubt about that—but with Andrew Luck under center, they must be considered an easier task than they were last year. Both of the Colts' wins last year came at home against divisional rivals, and they will look for similar success again this year with a stronger offense.

Tougher year? 2011. 

The AFC East

These teams will feature less of the tough defense they played against the AFC North last year, but certainly boast more firepower offensively. Indy's defense will need to play lights out against the Jets and Patriots, but on the road, it will be hard pressed to stop the Brady and Tebow juggernauts. And while they certainly have winnable matches against the Bills and Dolphins, their defense simply isn't strong enough to compete across all four matches. Overall, it's a tough call—flip a coin, really. Mine came down 2011

Tougher year ? 2011.

NFC North

There is no doubt that the NFC North is tougher than the NFC South—even with the likes of Drew Brees and Cam Newton in that mix. The Packers and Lions will be two of the top teams in the NFC again, with the Chicago Bears chomping right at their heels. The Colts' secondary will need to bring its A-game to these matches, otherwise they could be in for a long night.

Tougher year? 2012. 

The other matches that Indianapolis will face in 2012 are also significantly easier. They play the same team again in Kansas City, but instead of facing the New England Patriots at Foxborough, they get to play the Cleveland Browns on their turf. Hm...I know what I'd take.

Tougher year? 2011.

Three games to watch 

No. 1: Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets

Andrew Luck and Tim Tebow are two of the most talked about players throughout the entire offseason, and they get the opportunity to play against each other in 2012. They're also two of the most contrasting players in terms of style and technique, so this one could be a fun one to watch. 

No. 2: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

There's nothing like a good bit of divisional love, or rivalry, and if the Colts want to move off the bottom of the AFC South in 2012, then these are the types of matches they must win. Indy definitely has the edge offensively over the Jags; the big question is whether their defense can step up and make big-time plays on the ball. 

No. 3: Green Bay Packers at Indianapolis Colts

Aaron Rodgers comes to town, and Andrew Luck gets to watch the player that he arguably most resembles, play on his turf. Rodgers may either give Luck a footballing lesson, or Luck may show that he isn't too far behind the reigning MVP. It's a good game either way. 

Overall

Schedule wise, it's safe to say that 2011 was a tougher year, and that there is great promise and potential for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012-13.

Andrew Luck is going to make any schedule look easier than it looked last year, but even without him, the Colts would stand a better chance this year than last. It will be incredibly interesting to watch how the No. 1 draft pick goes at building a franchise and hopefully, leading the Indianapolis Colts back to being divisional contenders. 

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