 Head coach Chuck Pagano retained Bethea as the Colts' starting free safety to begin the regular season, along with strong safety Tom Zbikowski.He started in the Indianapolis Colts' season-opener at the Chicago Bears and recorded a season-high nine solo tackles and two pass deflections in their 41–21 loss.On November 8, 2012, he collected seven solo tackles and made his first career solo sack during a 27–10 victory at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10.