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Jacksonville Jaguars v Indianapolis Colts

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With last week’s official release of the NFL schedule, fans across the country were finally able to map out how their team’s season might unfold. Sure it’s all reckless speculation, with so much time between now and Week 1, but it’s another piece to the 24/7 365 days-a-year puzzle that makes the NFL king.

The schedule release was especially important here in Indianapolis as it gives us a clear roadmap for what the Colts will be up against this Fall. Additionally, if you’re not on the #TeamStartRichardsonWeek1 train, it allows us to evaluate which matchups would make the most sense for his NFL Debut.

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Whether it’s the final two home games of October that would transition to a road trip against Bryce Young and the Panthers and be followed by the showdown with the Patriots in Germany OR it’s some time after the Week 11 bye the assumption is Richardson will start this year.

If it’s not him then it’s Gardner Minshew who has shown during his career that he has the ability to do more than just handle a couple spot starts here and there.

Either way, the fact of it all is that the Colts finally know how the season will shape up from an opponent stand point. Now that it’s right in front of us, we can go game by game and evaluate if the Colts will be better or worse then the over/under 6.5 win total present at most sportsbooks.

We won’t do that game by game outlook here, but rest assured this schedule looks…as weak as advertised.

Yes, I know that teams can turn it around rather quickly in the NFL, but seeing that many AFC and NFC South teams in one place is enough to induce vomiting.

Overall, the Colts have the 4th easiest schedule for 2023, with their toughest matchups coming against division rival Jacksonville, the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North carrying a lot of weight here).

Now, don’t mistake this as me saying the Colts are destined to go 12-5 because they will win every game except the ones listed above (they won’t), but even if they are horrific they might stumble into 6 wins just by how putrid their opponents are.

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Regardless of who the QB is Week 1, is this schedule filled with enough stinkers to force us to reevaluate our expectations for the Colts in 2023?

Monday on The Fan Midday Show Stephen Holder of ESPN joined the program to give his thoughts on the schedule and if he feels reevaluation is necessary.

Stephen also spoke with us about:

  • his takeaways from Anthony Richardson’s minicamp
  • how likely it is Richardson starts Week 1
  • the way the Colts addressed O-Line issues and if there’s still more to be done
  • how Gardner Minshew would handle being the backup to start the season

Listen to our full conversation with Stephen Holder of ESPN.com below and don’t miss The Fan Midday Show, weekdays 12-3pm Eastern, on The Fan.

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