Each team has a different schedule every season. Sometimes a bunch of hard stretches happen to coincide with each other. That was the case in the AFC North with both the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns having a rough opening month of the season.
There is a bunch of overlap in the AFC South as well, with the hardest weeks out of most teams’ schedules taking place in weeks 2-5 this year. Although every schedule is different, sometimes, that is simply the way the cookie crumbles in the NFL.
As per usual, we will start with the easiest, hardest 4-game stretch and work up to the most difficult.
NFL Power Rankings every AFC South team’s hardest 4-game stretch in 2026
4. Indianapolis Colts Weeks 2-5
Heading into Kansas City, hosting the rival Houston Texans, followed up by the Washington Commanders and ending the segment with a game in Pittsburgh rounds up the hardest stretch of the Colts’ schedule. The game against the Kansas City Chiefs is a genuine toss-up with Patrick Mahomes working his way back. He is expected to be healthy to begin the season, but will he be himself and make plays?
Strangely enough, the Chiefs game might be the easiest one in this stretch for the Colts, with that being a legitimate question. Divisional matchups are never an easy task, but at least the Texans come to Indianapolis early in the season.
The Commanders are a tricky team to gauge. Will they be the team from last year, the year prior or somewhere in between? No one can really tell at this juncture until the season kicks off.
Finally, the Michael Pittman Jr. revenge game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sometimes, you just have to eat what is served. The ex-Colts wide receiver will likely be out to prove his former team wrong for trading him, and the Steelers are a solid team in general.
Overall, it is a hard stretch for the Colts, but it is one filled with potential wins. There is a world in which Indianapolis sweeps this portion. There is also one where they get swept, as every team seems to be on even footing.
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