First things first, an annual disclaimer: Mid-May is too early to know which starting quarterbacks the Colts will face in their 17 regular season games. The Colts don't even know who their starting quarterback will be, with this summer's competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones still very much in its nascent stages.
In 2024, the Colts did not face projected starters when they played the Green Bay Packers (Malik Willis started), Pittsburgh Steelers (Justin Fields), Miami Dolphins (Tyler Huntley), Tennessee Titans (Mason Rudolph), New York Giants (Drew Lock) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Mac Jones). In May of last year, it wasn't clear if first-round picks would start for the Minnesota Vikings (veteran Sam Darnold started in Week 9), New England Patriots (No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye started in Week 13) and Denver Broncos (No. 12 overall pick Bo Nix started in Week 15).
In 2025, it looks like fewer teams the Colts will face are set up to have quarterback competitions. The Titans are the only one with a highly-drafted rookie – No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward – and the team with the most uncertainty is the Steelers. Other than that, the Colts' schedule is full of veterans or highly-drafted young quarterbacks at least one year into their respective rookie contracts.
The NFL, of course, is a quarterback-driven league, and now that we know the Colts' 2025 regular season schedule – which was announced Wednesday night – we have an idea of when the Colts could face some of the stars of the sport.
Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: Tua Tagovailoa
- 2024 stats: 291/399 (72.9%), 2,867 yards (7.2 yards/attempt), 19 TDs, 7 INTs, 101.4 passer rating
- Backups: Zach Wilson, Quinn Ewers
Tagovailoa missed four games due to a concussion last season - including the Colts' Week 7 win over the Dolphins – and he did not play in Miami's final two games due to a hip injury. Still, in between those six games he missed, the 2020 first-round pick led the NFL in completion percentage. Tagovailoa's yards per attempt went down, though, from 8.9 in 2022 and 8.3 in 2023 to over a yard less in 2024.
This will be Tagovailoa's first game against the Colts in his career; he missed Miami's games against the Colts in 2021 and 2024 due to injuries.
Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: Bo Nix
- 2024 stats: 376/567 (66.3%), 3,775 yards (6.7 yards/attempt), 29 TDs, 12 INTs, 93.3 passer rating; 92 rushing attempts, 430 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs
- Backups: Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger
Nix steadily improved as his rookie year went on, but his lowest passer rating in a game after Week 2 came against the Colts in Week 15 (61.4). We'll see if Nix can build on an impressive Year 1, but his pairing with head coach Sean Payton looks like a tremendous fit for Denver.
Week 3: @ Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (Nissan Stadium)
Starter: Cam Ward
- 2024 stats (University of Miami): 305/454 (67.2%), 4,313 yards (9.5 yards/attempt), 39 TDs, 7 INTs, 172.2 passer rating (college formula); 60 rushing attempts, 204 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs
- Backups: Will Levis, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle
Ward will have to earn Tennessee's starting job, but the expectation here is the 2025 No. 1 overall pick will be the Titans' QB1 to begin his rookie season. The last quarterback selected No. 1 overall to not start Week 1 was Baker Mayfield, who made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2018 season. Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023) and Caleb Williams (2024) all were Week 1 starters as rookies.
Week 4: @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. (SoFi Stadium)
Starter: Matthew Stafford
- 2024 stats: 340/517 (65.8%), 3,762 yards (7.3 yards/attempt), 20 TDs, 8 INTs, 93.7 passer rating
- Backups: Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett
Stafford threw an interception on just 1.5 percent of his passes in 2024, a career best for the 16-year veteran. He'll have crossed the 60,000-yard threshold by the time the Colts face him in Week 4, and he's only 23 touchdowns shy of 400 in his career.
Week 5: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 1 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: Geno Smith
- 2024 stats (Seattle Seahawks): 407/578 (70.4%), 4,320 yards (7.5 yards/attempt). 21 TDs, 15 INTs, 93.2 passer rating
- Backups: Aidan O'Connell, Cam Miller, Carter Bradley
Over his final three seasons in Seattle, the Seahawks went 27-22 with Smith behind center, and the 34-year-old completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 12,226 yards with 71 touchdowns, 35 interceptions and a passer rating of 95.5. Smith's renaissance a decade after being drafted has been remarkable; the Raiders traded a third-round pick to re-unite him with ex-Seahawks coach Pete Carroll earlier this year.
Week 6: Arizona Cardinals, 1 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: Kyler Murray
- 2024 stats: 372/541 (68.8%), 3,851 yards (7.1 yards/attempt), 21 TDs, 11 INTs, 93.5 passer rating; 572 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs
- Backups: Jacoby Brissett, Clayton Tune
In his first full year back from a torn ACL that caused him to miss 15 games between 2022-2023, Murray quarterbacked the Cardinals to an 8-9 record in 2024 and played closer to his Pro Bowl levels of 2020 and 2021. One area in particular where Murray can make an opposing defense pay is his ability to scramble under pressure; last year, Murray gained the fourth-most yards on scrambles under pressure (244) and had the second-highest yards per scramble on those plays (9.8, minimum 10 scrambles).
Week 7: @ Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (SoFi Stadium)
Starter: Justin Herbert
- 2024 stats: 332/504 (65.9 percent), 3,870 yards (7.7 yards/attempt), 23 TDs, 3 INTs, 101.7 passer rating
- Backups: Taylor Heinicke, Trey Lance, D.J. Uiagalelei
Herbert threw an interception on a league-low 0.6 percent of his passes in Year 1 under head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and his 101.7 passer rating was a career high – besting his 98.8 mark set as a rookie with then-offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. The Chargers used their first two draft picks this year on North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton and Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris as they continue to build out the group of weapons at the ultra-talented Herbert's disposal.
Week 8: vs. Tennessee Titans, 4:25 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Week 9: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. (Acrisure Stadium)
Starter: Mason Rudolph/Will Howard/Skylar Thompson/TBD
There continues to be an Aaron Rodgers-sized question mark hanging over the Steelers, who did not re-sign incumbent starters Russell Wilson or Justin Fields this offseason and added two career backups (Rudolph and Thompson) while using a sixth-round pick on Howard, Ohio State's championship-winning quarterback from 2024.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has said he's "comfortable" with Rudolph – who played for the Steelers from 2019-2023 – starting for Pittsburgh this season. By the time this game kicks off, though, Rodgers' drawn-out dalliance with Pittsburgh should have a resolution.
Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 9:30 a.m. (Olympic Stadium, Berlin)
Starter: Michael Penix Jr.
- 2024 stats: 61/105 (58.1%), 775 yards (7.4 yards/attempt), 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 78.9 passer rating
- Backups: Kirk Cousins, Easton Stick, Emory Jones
The Falcons turned to Penix in Week 16 of his rookie season and don't appear to be looking back, even with Cousins – a pricey 2024 free agent signing – on the roster. Penix showed some flashes last year, and with a deep stable of weapons around him – headlined by running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, all former top-10 picks – it'll be fascinating to see what the Falcons offense might be in 2025.
Week 11: BYE WEEK
Week 12: @ Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. (Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium)
Starter: Patrick Mahomes
- 2024 stats: 392/581 (67.5%), 3,928 yards (6.8 yards/attempt), 26 TDs, 11 INTs, 93.5 passer rating
- Backups: Gardner Minshew II, Bailey Zappe, Chris Oladokun
Mahomes, now going into his ninth year in the NFL, has won a regular season game against every team in the league except two: The Chiefs (his team, duh) and the Colts. The Colts beat the Chiefs, 19-13, at Arrowhead in 2019; in 2022, one of the Colts' four wins that season was over the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 3.
Now, this isn't the best stat, since Mahomes beat the Colts in the 2018 playoffs. But it's a quirk the Colts certainly would like to keep going come November.
Week 13: vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: C.J. Stroud
- 2024 stats: 336/532 (63.2%), 3,727 yards (7.0 yards/attempt), 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 87.0 passer rating
- Backups: Davis Mills, Graham Mertz, Kevon Slovis
While Stroud is back for his third year in Houston, the group of players – and coaches – around him will look different in 2025. For starters: Houston fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and replaced him with former Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach/passing game coordinator Nick Caley. The Texans also traded stalwart left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders, signed ex-Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk and left tackle Cam Robinson, and added Iowa State wideouts Jayden Higgens and Jaylin Noel on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, while veteran Stefon Diggs signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent.
Got all that? The goal for Houston is to get the most they can out of Stroud, who won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 but saw significant dips in his production in 2024: Stroud's completion percentage dropped 6.7 percent, his yards per attempt dropped by 1.2, and his passer rating went down by 13.8 points, all while his sack total went from 38 in 2023 to 52 in 2024.
Stroud, though, has won three straight starts against the Colts, and he still put plenty of good things on tape last season. Dismissing him because his stats declined in 2024 – for plenty of reasons out of his control – would be premature and probably foolish.
Week 14: @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (EverBank Field)
Starter: Trevor Lawrence
- 2024 stats: 172/284 (60.6%), 2,045 yards (7.2 yards/attempt), 11 TDs, 7 INTs, 85.2 passer rating
- Backups: Nick Mullens, John Wolford, Seth Henigan
Lawrence missed seven games due to injury in 2024, and his stats took a major step back when he did play. But don't be fooled – the 2021 No. 1 overall pick is immensely talented, and the Jaguars hired ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen to get the most out of Lawrence. Jacksonville also returns 2024 Pro Bowl receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (1,282 yards, 10 TDs) and traded up to select two-way phenom Travis Hunter with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Week 15: @ Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. (Lumen Field)
Starter: Sam Darnold
- 2024 stats (Minnesota Vikings): 361/545 (66.2%), 4,319 yards (7.9 yards/attempt), 35 TDs, 12 INTs, 102.5 passer rating
- Backups: Drew Lock, Jalen Milroe
The Seahawks swapped out one quarterback who went through a career renaissance (Geno Smith) for another (Darnold) as part of a major offensive overhaul this offseason. Seattle also made several moves at wide receiver, releasing Tyler Lockett (who signed with the Titans), trading D.K. Metcalf to the Steelers and signing Cooper Kupp; the Seahawks also hired Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator. By mid-December, though, expect the Seahawks – who've had just one losing season in the last 13 years – to have developed an offensive identity.
Week 16 (Monday Night Football): vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Starter: Brock Purdy
- 2024 stats: 300/455 (65.9%), 3,864 yards (8.5 yards/attempt), 20 TDs, 12 INTs, 96.1 passer rating; 66 rushing attempts, 323 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs
- Backups: Mac Jones, Kurtis Rourke, Tanner Mordecai
Purdy established himself as the 49ers' quarterback of the future back in 2023, when he completed 69 percent of his passes, threw 31 touchdowns and led the NFL in yards per attempt (9.6) and passer rating (113.0). While the 49ers have had some turnover this offseason – they traded wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders – they'll expect to get back running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, both of whom were injured for some or all of the 2024 season.
Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Week 18: @ Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (NRG Stadium)
---
Grab your tickets now!
Tickets to all home games at Lucas Oil Stadium are available now, while supplies last! Click here to secure your seats.
