A look back at the Colts’ international game history

Indianapolis will face the Washington Commanders in London in Week 4, marking the franchise's fourth regular-season international game and its third trip overseas in the last four seasons. What once felt like a rare event has quietly become a fairly regular part of the Colts' schedule.

The franchise has played internationally before in the preseason, including a 2005 American Bowl matchup against the Falcons in Tokyo, but the more interesting history begins with the regular-season games. The Colts have already played in London, Frankfurt and Berlin, and they enter this weekend with a 2-1 record outside the United States.

Here is a look back at how those regular season games played out before Indianapolis returns to London.

The Colts' first regular-season international game came in 2016 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

Indianapolis fell behind 23-6 before making a late push, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and getting within three points. Andrew Luck threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns, but the comeback fell short as Jacksonville held on for a 30-27 win.

It was also an AFC South game, which made the stakes a little different from the usual international matchup. The Colts were technically the road team and left London at 1-3 after a frustrating start to the season.

The NFL's international operation was still much smaller at the time. London games were becoming more common, but Germany had yet to enter the rotation and the league had not expanded its overseas schedule anywhere close to what it looks like today.

For the Colts, it was their first taste of regular-season football abroad, and it ended with a loss.

Seven years later, the Colts finally returned overseas, this time to Germany.

The result was much better, even if the football itself was not particularly memorable.

Indianapolis beat New England 10-6 in Frankfurt in one of the stranger games of the 2023 season. Gardner Minshew threw for only 194 yards, the Colts scored one touchdown and the two teams combined for just 16 points.

Jonathan Taylor scored Indianapolis' only touchdown, while the defense did most of the work. The Colts intercepted Mac Jones late in the fourth quarter before New England eventually turned to Bailey Zappe for its final possession.

It was not pretty, but nobody asks how an international win looks afterward.

The victory gave the Colts their first regular-season win outside the United States and evened their international record at 1-1.

2025: Colts 31, Falcons 25 (OT) — Berlin

The Colts did not have to wait another seven years for their next trip.

Indianapolis faced Atlanta in Berlin last season, playing in the first NFL regular-season game ever held in the German capital. Unlike the previous two international games, the Colts were the designated home team.

This one was easily the most entertaining of the three.

The game went to overtime tied at 25 before Indianapolis finished it with a touchdown to earn a 31-25 victory. The win improved the Colts to 2-1 internationally and gave them consecutive victories in Germany after the 2023 win in Frankfurt.

It was also part of what has become a much larger NFL push into Europe. Germany has quickly become one of the league's biggest international markets, and the Colts have now been involved in games in two different German cities.

For a franchise that went seven years between its first and second regular-season international appearances, the trips have suddenly started piling up.

If the previous three trips are any indication, expecting another close game would make sense. Every Colts regular-season international game has been decided by six points or fewer. They lost 30-27 to Jacksonville in 2016, beat New England 10-6 in Frankfurt and needed overtime to beat Atlanta 31-25 in Berlin last season.

The settings have changed, the opponents have changed and the quality of football has certainly varied, but the Colts have never had an easy afternoon overseas. Even the 2023 Patriots game, which was not exactly an offensive showcase, stayed undecided until the final minutes.

There is also an element of unpredictability that comes with these games. The travel schedule is different, the routine during the week changes and both teams are playing in an environment they do not normally experience during the season. That does not automatically make every international game close, but the Colts' history suggests they have rarely been comfortable either way.

Indianapolis comes into this one trying to build off its win over Houston after an 0-2 start, so another one-score game would hardly be surprising. The Colts have already played two tight games in the last two weeks, and their international history has followed the same pattern.

Ten years after their first London trip, the Colts are back in England with a 2-1 regular-season international record and a chance to make it three straight wins overseas. Based on how their previous trips have gone, they may have to sweat through another one to get there.