It’s a massive year for the NFL with the 100th season scheduled to start on September 5. The Indianapolis Colts haven’t been in the league for quite that long, but the excitement is building for the new season. With online wagering imminent in Indiana, sites like https://www.playindiana.com/ are proving hugely popular for bettors looking to back their favorite teams.
The Colts have been playing in Indiana since 1984, so they have their own 35th anniversary celebration this year. Another anniversary is the 10 years since Indianapolis Colts last reached the Super Bowl. Can there be more celebrations on the pitch in the new season?
The dream of course is for the new season to end with an appearance at Super Bowl LIV which takes place at the Hard Rock Gardens in Florida on February 2. It’s 12 years since the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl beating the Chicago Bears 29-17.
Last season saw the Colts finish second behind Houston Texans in AFC South. That saw them seeded sixth in the AFC play-offs. It was a step forward for them as they hadn’t reached the play-offs since 2014. They beat Houston in the wild card play-offs, only to lose 31-13 in the Divisional play-offs.
Preseason began on August 9 with a match against the Buffalo Bills. It wasn’t the ideal start to preparations for the new season though. Indianapolis lost that match 24-16 never being able to recover from losing the second quarter 14-3 after a scoreless first quarter. The Colts were 17-3 down after the third quarter. Despite winning the final quarter 13-7, they lost out by eight points.
There were some good points to take out of that opening game. Quarterback Chad Kelly had a promising game. The former Denver Broncos player completed 13-of-19 passes for 121 yards. He -certainly improved their offence when coming onto the pitch. Quarterback Phillip Walker hadn’t impressed after completing just 8-of-18 passes for 85 yards. Wide receiver Daurice Fountain and Carroll Phillips also impressed.
They are next in action on Saturday August 17 when they host the Cleveland Browns. Pre-season continues with home games against the Chicago Bears (August 25) and trips to the Cincinnati Bengals (August 30), Los Angeles Chargers (September 8) and Tennessee Titans (September 15).
It’s hoped that their wide receiver Parris Campbell will soon be fit again. He sustained a hamstring injury in the first week of the training camp. It’s only a soft-tissue injury though and the second-round pick is making good progress in his recovery. The third preseason game looks a good target for Campbell to make his return. Quarterback Andy Luck isn’t living up to his name. He’s still out of action with a calf injury with his return not believed to be imminent.
It’s going to be an exciting season and a slightly different one too. Sports betting is growing in the USA after last year’s major Supreme Court ruling. Earlier this year, the Indiana legislature gave their approval to the legalization of sports gambling. This starts in September, so it’ll be possible to start placing bets on the NFL in the new season.
Their first two games of the new season are both away with trips to Los Angeles Chargers (September 8) and Tennessee Titans (September 15) with the first home game not until September 22 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Colts will look to build on last season’s achievement in making the play-offs