Indianapolis Colts Football

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS TO PLAY ONE GAME IN LONDON IN 2016 

The NFL today announced that the Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the UK International Series. The game time will be announced at a later date.

This will be the Colts first time participating in the International Series and their first regular season game outside of the United States. Jacksonville will return to London for a fourth consecutive year, and last month committed to playing a home game in London through 2020. This will mark the Jaguars first time playing an AFC South opponent in London.

Indianapolis has previously played three preseason games abroad in Mexico City, Tokyo and Toronto.

August 19, 2000: Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers at Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico

The Colts jumped out to an early 21-0 lead over the Steelers as quarterback Peyton Manning connected on two touchdown passes and running back Edgerrin James scored on a two-yard run. Pittsburgh was able to score 17 unanswered points to narrow the deficit to 21-17. A 22-yard made field goal in the fourth quarter extended the Colts lead to 24-17. Pittsburgh scored on a touchdown run with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter to cut the score to 24-23. The Steelers failed on a potential game-winning two-point conversion, and Indianapolis recovered the ensuing onside kick to give them their second win of the preseason.

August 6, 2005: Indianapolis Colts vs. Atlanta Falcons at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan

Indianapolis was the first to score as quarterback Peyton Manning threw a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. The Falcons connected on two field goals before the Colts returned a fumble for a touchdown. Atlanta scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half to take a 20-14 lead at halftime. The two teams traded touchdowns in the second half as Atlanta clinched the 27-21 victory.

August 19, 2010: Indianapolis Colts vs. Buffalo Bills at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada

The Colts and Bills combined to score 45 points in the first half. Running back Joseph Addai scored Indianapolis’ first points of the game on a 17-yard run in the first quarter. Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Curtis Painter each threw touchdown passes in the first half but the Bills led 24-21 at halftime. Buffalo held the Colts scoreless in the second half and added a field goal and touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the 34-21 win over Indianapolis.

The NFL also announced two other games and a new stadium as part of the 2016 International Series. The St. Louis Rams will host the NFC East team that finishes in the same spot in the standings as the Rams do in the NFC West based on the NFL’s scheduling formula. The Week 7 matchup will be the first-ever NFL game to take place at Twickenham Stadium in London. Additionally, the Cincinnati Bengals will play host to the Washington Redskins in Week 8 at Wembley Stadium.

The 2016 UK International Series schedule:

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, either 23 or 24 teams will have played in London since the inception of the International Series in 2007. Since that time, the NFL has achieved accelerated growth in the UK. Sunday viewership of NFL games has more than doubled and the Super Bowl audience has increased more than 75 percent. The league also has developed new and stronger business partnerships and, according to internal research, has a UK fan base of more than 13 million.

Participation in amateur football in the UK has risen by approximately 15 percent per year since 2007, with the latest figures showing that 40,000 people age 16 or older play regularly.

A look at the 14 previous International Series games played at London’s Wembley Stadium: