You know that trope in which two people show up to a party wearing the exact same thing? The Indianapolis Colts might have just done that with the kings of NFL schedule release day.
A schedule release video in which best-selling video game “Minecraft” is used to roast every opponent is such a specific idea, and yet the Colts and Los Angeles Chargers both did exactly that on Wednesday. The Chargers have been doing stuff like this for years, first with anime in 2022 and 2023, then “The Sims” in 2024.
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In the case of 2025, the Chargers used the Microsoft-published title to take digs at Jameis Winston, Mike McDaniel, the Colts’ QB battle, the Minnesota Vikings’ playoff stumble, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ purgatory, the Tuck Rule, Jason Kelce’s phone destruction, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl destruction (maybe a bridge too far for the ring-less Chargers) and the Micah Parsons-DeMarcus Lawrence feud.
It got awkward, however, when the Colts posted a shockingly similar video. We also can’t give you the Colts’ tweet with the video, because it was taken down roughly an hour after it was posted when it had become clear the two teams did the same thing.
Fortunately, the internet is rather good at preserving stuff like this. As you can see, the production values are a step behind the Chargers’, but we’d argue the roasts are of a similar quality.
So, what happened? Did the Colts see what the Chargers did and get embarrassed? Did some poor social-media associate press the wrong button?
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This is just speculation, but it is worth noting the Chargers say “Minecraft used with permission from Microsoft Corporation” at the start of their video, and the Colts … do not, despite specifically labeling their video “Minecraft Colts Schedule Edition.” We will also point out the Washington Commanders’ “Roller Coaster Tycoon” parody, the Atlanta Falcons’ “Mario Kart” parody and the San Francisco 49ers’ “Oregon Trail” parody all don’t feature the actual names or logos of the games those teams are spoofing.
So it seems very possible the Colts’ legal department called an audible after finding out the social team might have blatantly infringed on the trademark of a multi-trillion-dollar company. “Minecraft” is a staple of modern video games, but it is not public domain.
It’s also possible a joke in the video, such as a clear reference to Tyreek Hill’s maritime legal troubles, might have been too spicy for someone’s tastes.
The Colts had an interesting NFL schedule release day. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Colts did at least have a backup video, in which they just have players guess whom they’re playing. Some teams will make multiple videos for schedule release day, such as the Los Angeles Rams putting out a Brenda Song local news parody and a player guessing game similar to the Colts’.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets just decided to have fun with the situation.
This all goes to show you really never know what’s going to happen on NFL schedule release day.
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