2018 Indianapolis Colts Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

Coming off a 4-12 record last season, there's an air of optimism around the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 with the expected return of quarterback Andrew Luck on offense. 

Luck's problematic shoulder caused him to miss all of 2017, with Jacoby Brissett holding things down in his absence. Brissett did an admirable job with 3,098 yards and 17 total touchdowns, but it was more apparent than ever how dependent Indianapolis is on Luck to succeed. 

The Colts also have their new regime in place. General manager Chris Ballard is entering his second season at the helm, and he hired Frank Reich to be head coach after he served as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles during their run to the Super Bowl. 

With their quarterback and new head coach in the fold, here's the schedule the Colts will face in 2018 as they look to reclaim their spot atop the AFC South for the first time in four years, via NFL.com:

Colts' 2018 Schedule

Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 2: at Washington Redskins on Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. ET on Fox

Week 4: vs. Houston Texans on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 5: at New England Patriots on Oct. 4 (Thursday) at 8:20 p.m. ET on Fox/NFL Network

Week 6: at New York Jets on Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 7: vs. Buffalo Bills on Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 8: at Oakland Raiders on Oct. 28 at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 9: BYE

Week 10: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 11: vs. Tennessee Titans on Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 12: vs. Miami Dolphins on Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 13: at Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 14: at Houston Texans on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. ET on Fox

Week 16: vs. New York Giants on Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Week 17: at Tennessee Titans on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS

Analysis

After winning 11 games in each of Luck's first three seasons, the Colts haven't won more than eight games in each of the past three years. 

Despite going just 8-8 in 2016, Luck had started taking steps forward in his progress to join the ranks of the NFL's elite quarterbacks. He completed a career-high 63.5 percent of his passes for 4,240 yards with 31 touchdowns. 

Luck was Pro Football Focus' most improved offensive skill position player by overall grade from 2015 to 2017, with a 47-point improvement from 45.1 to 92.4:

"In his 2015 season, he was plagued by injury, missing the first two games of his career (shoulder) before going down with a lacerated kidney and a partially-torn abdominal muscle. In 2016, Luck recorded a 112 QB rating (fifth) when throwing from a clean pocket. For perspective, this number dropped to 91.9 (29th) in 2015. He is elite when healthy, ensuring his place on the list because of an outlier season."

The Colts are clearly banking on Luck being healthy and returning to form in 2018 because they didn't do much in free agency to upgrade their roster. 

On the defensive side, Indianapolis went from 22nd in points allowed in 2016 to 30th last season. It was the third straight year the team has finished outside the top 20 in scoring defense. 

Given the uncertainty around Luck's durability, the Colts defense needs to step up its performance to take pressure off the offense. 

Pivotal Matchups

Even though the Colts finished tied with the Houston Texans at the bottom of the AFC South, they're well behind each of the their three division opponents in terms of talent. 

Houston was on its way to being one of the most exciting teams in the NFL until Deshaun Watson tore his ACL at practice in November. It also has a strong defensive nucleus with Jadeveon Clowney, J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus anchoring the line, though the latter two have to show they can stay healthy. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars have become the clear class of the division thanks to an elite defense that finished second in points and yards allowed last season. There will always be questions about the offense with Blake Bortles at quarterback, but that unit doesn't have to be great for the team to win because they are so good on the other side of the ball. 

From 2012 to 2014, the Colts went 16-2 against the AFC South. They have gone 9-9 against division opponents over the past three seasons. 

Outside of the division, there was a time when a matchup between the Colts and New England Patriots would be the biggest game of the regular season. It's still a measuring-stick game for the Colts this year and includes the added drama of Josh McDaniels spurning their offer to become head coach so he could remain New England's offensive coordinator. 

The Colts will also be tested outside of the AFC with a road game against the Eagles. There's no better way to determine where you stand in the NFL's pecking order than playing both teams that were in the Super Bowl last season.