Trip to Germany highlights Colts' slate

May 11—INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts will play a regular-season game outside of the United States for just the second time in franchise history.

A Nov. 12 matchup against the New England Patriots in Frankfurt, Germany, highlights the team's 2023 schedule.

Coming off a 4-12-1 season with a first-year head coach (Shane Steichen) and potentially a rookie starting quarterback (Anthony Richardson), the Colts have no prime-time games in the original schedule. Indianapolis has 13 games scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET.

The Nov. 5 game at the Carolina Panthers is slated for a 4:05 p.m. start, and games against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 15 and Houston Texans in Week 18 do not yet have solidified dates or kickoff times.

The slate is subject to flex scheduling that could push an existing game into a prime-time slot if the Colts exceed expectations, but as it stands, the showdown with the Patriots is the only stand-alone contest.

It also should provide a unique experience for a young roster.

The Colts lost their previous international game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in 2016. Only center Ryan Kelly — a rookie that season — remains from that roster.

"I've never been out of the country," second-year safety Rodney Thomas II said. "I've never been nowhere. So it's really cool to be able to go over there, play in front of a new crowd, new atmosphere, different things like that. So I'm just excited overall for that trip."

Thomas doesn't even have a passport, so that will be added to his offseason to-do list.

Second-year defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, conversely, is an overseas veteran. He routinely played games in London as head coach of the Jaguars and has a firm grasp of the challenges — and benefits — that await Indianapolis this fall.

"I would say this, I think that maybe early in the time process, you're going, 'Oh boy, that's a trip now with the flight. How are we going to do this, and how are we going to manage it to keep the players fresh?'" Bradley said. "Then when you go through it all and you get there on Sunday, it's an unbelievable environment. I mean, you're sitting there and it's just a different feel to it all, and it's very energizing I would say. The emotion, the enthusiasm, and to play — it's really a cool experience for the players and coaches. It's unbelievable.

"I'm guessing in Germany, it's the same way. You hear about it. It's very, very similar to that type of environment. So the players should be excited, I think, about it. It's a great opportunity, and it's amazing what the game of football presents to you as opportunities, and to go over there and play in front of their fans will be great."

Second-year offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann grew up in Austria and saw his first live NFL game — a matchup between the Steelers and Minnesota Vikings — in London.

He'll have several family members in attendance in Frankfurt and expects the crowd as a whole to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

"I know the sport itself is growing every year (in Germany), and I know they're super excited," Raimann said. "I know like half my family was signing up for (tickets) for the Germany game last year, even though I wasn't playing there just because they love football. ... I know that everyone is super excited over there, especially my family."

HOME OPENER

Still in search of their first Week 1 victory since 2013, the Colts will host reigning AFC South champion Jacksonville on Sept. 7.

Indianapolis has lost its last three Week 1 home games against the Detroit Lions (39-35) in 2016, Cincinnati Bengals (34-23) in 2018 and Seattle Seahawks (28-16) in 2021.

The Colts' last season-opening victory came at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Oakland Raiders by a score of 21-17 a decade ago.

Indianapolis is 17-5 all-time against the Jaguars at home in the regular season and 9-1 in the last 10 meetings — including a 34-27 victory last year.

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

The opener against the Jaguars is part of a stretch of four games against AFC South opponents in the first six weeks.

The Colts will travel to face the Texans on Sept. 17, host the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 8 and complete the season series against Jacksonville with a road game Oct. 15.

The final two divisional games will be played at Tennessee on Dec. 3 and at home against Houston in the season finale.

Indianapolis was 1-4-1 last year against the division.

TICKET PLANS

Single-game tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at Colts.com/Tickets or Ticketmaster.com.

Indianapolis' non-AFC South home schedule consists of tilts against the Los Angeles Rams (Oct. 1), Cleveland Browns (Oct. 22), New Orleans Saints (Oct. 29), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Nov. 26), Steelers (Dec. 16-17) and Las Vegas Raiders (Dec. 31).