Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Colts | 5 Keys to Defeating Chicago Bears
The Indianapolis Colts are heading into a must-win matchup against the Chicago Bears this upcoming Sunday afternoon. Both sides of Indy’s attack must clean up awful fundamentals and consistent mistakes to take their first victory of the 2024 season. With postseason aspirations possibly at stake already for Indianapolis, here are the five keys to getting a win for Shane Steichen’s squad at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Force Caleb Williams to Win the Game
Putting pressure on a rookie QB to handle the majority of offensive responsibilities is what any NFL defense wants to do. For the Colts, it will be about consistent pressure to make Caleb Williams uncomfortable, while maintaining stability in run defense. While it sounds easy, Indianapolis leads the NFL in rushing yards allowed with 474 and has shown little aptitude defensively.
The good news for Indy is the Bears are awful running the football. Currently, Williams leads the team with 59 rushing yards, with running back D’Andre Swift tailing at 48 (2.0 average per carry). While the game against the Green Bay Packers was a ‘gimme’ on paper, Indianapolis has the best opportunity to bounce back against the ground game versus Chicago. If the Colts can stifle the Bears and force Williams to get pass-heavy, it will help them snag a victory and possibly a couple of turnovers (Williams-2 interceptions).
Give Jonathan Taylor 20+ Touches
Against the Packers, it was running back Jonathan Taylor who was the lone bright spot for a near-dead Colts offense. On only 12 rushes, Taylor thrived for 103 rushing yards and had 2 more catches for 32 receiving yards. The decision to not use Taylor is the fourth quarter is a curious one, but Steichen has a chance to reverse this against Chicago.
The Bears have a stout defense but can be exploited in the middle of their defensive interior. This is a game where guards Quenton Nelson and Will Fries must win, and if they do, Taylor will possibly feast. It needs to be with 20+ touches and plenty of interior work to allow Taylor one-cut opportunities against Bears linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. If Taylor can get in rhythm, it will make life easier on Anthony Richardson and Indy’s passing game.
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Finally Make a Stand in Run Defense
While the Colts are sitting as the league’s worst rush defense, the Bears are near the bottom at running the ball. Chicago possesses the fifth-worst rushing offense in the NFL (77.5 yards per game) and hasn’t generated nearly any momentum with their running back Swift. Currently the quarterback Williams leads the Bears in rushing yards with 59 on 10 attempts.
The Colts don’t have star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (high ankle sprain-injured reserve), but the Bears also have a putrid offensive line that can be exploited. Backups Taven Bryan, Raekwon Davis, and Adetomiwa Adebawore will collectively fight to disrupt any rhythm from Chicago’s lifeless running offense. If the Colts can stifle Swift and the rest of the backfield, more pressure is put on Williams to win the game in his third NFL start, and on the road.
Target Josh Downs in the Passing Game
Colts second-year wideout Josh Downs is set to make his 2024 debut on Sunday after missing the first two contests due to an ankle injury. Michael Pittman Jr. and Adonai Mitchell have, thus far, struggled mightily to help Richardson with intermediate throws and chemistry. Enter Downs.
While Richardson didn’t see much of Downs in 2023, the former North Carolina Tarheel still hauled in 68 catches and has crisp route-running to win matchups in coverage quickly. This type of weapon allows Richardson to snap throws fast and develop accuracy, allowing more throws downfield to weapons like Alec Pierce. While Downs might see a snap cap since he’s recovering from injury, his presence alone will help a rollercoaster Colts offense get rolling.
Don’t Let D.J. Moore Erupt
Bears star pass-catcher D.J. Moore is as explosive an offensive player there is in the league. While Williams’ development as a rookie has limited Moore to 11 catches for 89 receiving yards (18 targets), he is still deadly against any secondary, especially one-on-one. Given that Indianapolis doesn’t have JuJu Brents, look for Williams to throw Moore’s way a lot on Sunday.
Currently averaging 9 targets per game, Moore will also face Kenny Moore II in the slot and cornerbacks like Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers outside. Williams has struggled under center, but Moore has made a fantastic career without reliable passers, and the former Trojan might be on his way to being consistent. Indianapolis can’t allow Moore to tee off, or the floodgates may open with many injuries to Gus Bradley’s schematics.
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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The NCAA has released Final Four attendance numbers.
More than 86,000 people attended the Fan Fest at the Indianapolis Convention Center during the Final Four Weekend.
It broke the overall attendance record and single-day records for Friday, Saturday, and Monday.
The NCAA says more than 142,000 people attended the semifinals and the national championship—
not to mention the thousands who showed up for fan activities.
For downtown businesses, that turnout translated into a major boost.
At 16-Bit Barcade in the heart of downtown Indy, things have slowed down compared to last week.
Staff say the Final Four more than doubled their usual customer traffic. Host Trinity Surbrook said, “We got to the point where we were telling people to stop and wait we’re not letting people in at that moment, and we’re waiting for other people to leave. It was a whole lot. We made bunch of good money and it was a lot of fun.”
The NCAA reports fans came from 49 of 50 states and 12 countries. “It was so interesting to see people passionate about the Final Four not even from this country.” Surbrook recalled customers from Australia. “It was really awesome, it was interesting.”
The weekend also featured a music festival with Post Malone and Twenty One Pilots, drawing more than 73,000 fans which was just steps away from the bar.
“There were thousands of people out. Just seeing the sidewalk traffic and seeing everyone on their feet. The festival was great for the city,” said general manager Janelle Miller. “When that festival ended, we saw hundreds of people hit the street and go in all different directions.” Miller said it didn’t just benefit pockets of the downtown but everywhere.
Miller said Saturday was their busiest day because there were a lot of activities to do. The employees served more than 6,000 drinks over the weekend. “I would say, we had numbers that I haven’t seen in probably 2 years on a Friday and Saturday. Which is refreshing to see.”
Now that the Final Four is over, the staff at 16-Bit said they are looking forward to what’s next: the Indianapolis 500.
Indianapolis, IN
9-year veteran defensive back, Colts agree to seek trade. How it impacts Colts’ future
The Colts and veteran slot cornerback Kenny Moore II, one of the franchise’s longest-tenured active players, have mutually agreed to pursue a trade this offseason, a league source confirmed to IndyStar on Friday
Moore, who has spent nine of his NFL seasons in Indianapolis after emerging from the 2017 draft an undrafted free agent and landing with the Colts following a training camp spent in New England, would be the second team captain dealt this offseason (along with linebacker Zaire Franklin) — should a trade partner be found before the 2026 season ramps up — and second bonafide team leader, along with former No. 1 wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Coming off a start to a season where the Colts sprinted out to an 8-2 start to hold the top spot in the AFC, only to finish on a seven-game slide that often featured a crumbling defense in high-pressure moments, longtime Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard pledged early this offseason to get “younger and faster” on defense.
The notion has often been associated, in particular, with the team’s front seven, but in the Colts’ secondary, which one could argue is almost bursting at the seams with starting-caliber talent, Moore is far and away the most veteran member at the nickel corner position — a spot on the field that future second-year corner Justin Walley may be primed to slide into in order to get the rehabbing former third-round pick on the field with the outside corner spots spoken for by All-Pros Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward.
Given the Colts’ lack of a clear-cut starting strong safety alongside free safety Camryn Bynum, there was reason to wonder, too, if Moore could be asked — or even challenged in camp alongside other challengers for the role — to look at moving to safety, in order to both allow Walley a spot in the starting lineup while maintaining Moore’s veteran leadership, experience and tenacity.
In 14 games in 2025, Moore logged a single interception in an early season road game against the Titans — one he returned for a 32-yard touchdown. The veteran corner also forced two fumbles, registered 1.5 sacks, recorded 55 tackles (three for a loss) and had three quarterback hits. Though some of his numbers didn’t show it — his tackle numbers marked a career-low since his rookie season, and his single interception marked just his third campaign in nine seasons without at least two picks — Moore’s 2025 season was among his best while targeted in coverage, even if he at times looked to have lost half a step while working his way back from an Achilles strain that cost him three games in the early half of the season.
In a way, Moore’s toughness as a blitzer and capabilities in the run game seemed like a solid fit for the veteran nickel corner in first-year defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s system in 2025 — particularly for a team that also lost starting strong safety Nick Cross to free agency last month. But in seeking a deal that could net the Colts a mid-round pick, Indianapolis’ crowded secondary room is likely now to have easier avenues for a 2025 camp standout in Walley or new young additions in cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt or safety Juanyeh Thomas to find their way onto the field this fall.
In 2026, Moore enters the final year of a three-year, $30 million deal signed in the 2024 offseason that again (for the second time) made the now-30-year-old the highest-paid nickel corner in NFL history. Including a base salary of $9.49 million, Moore is set to count $13.11 million against the cap this next season, including a $3.2 million prorated signing bonus the Colts paid as part of his deal two years ago. In October, the Colts and Moore mutually agreed to restructure his contract, converting $4.75 million into more bonus money while adding three void years onto the end of his deal of $950,000 each. At the time, the move created $3.8 million in cap space for the Colts over the rest of the 2025 season.
Already with roughly $26 million in cap space open a month into free agency, trading Moore would save the Colts more than $7 million against the cap for this season while saddling them with just over $6 million in dead cap in accounting for Moore’s previous signing bonus money.
Trading Moore would mean the Colts’ sixth lost starter from its 2025 roster (and fourth on defense), a class that also includes Franklin, Cross, Pittman, offensive tackle Braden Smith and defensive end Kwity Paye. Indianapolis is also presently involved in seeking out, or listening to, offers for one-time starting quarterback and 2023 fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson Sr.
Off the field, the Colts would lose in Moore the team’s three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee — including each of the past two seasons, along with 2021.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers arrested a man Tuesday for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and possession of marijuana according to an Thursday IMPD Downtown District Facebook post.
Police pulled over 33-year-old Malcolm Murray at the intersection if East Ohio Street and North Delaware Street because Murray did not have a license.
Police asked Murray if he had any weapons in his car and he told the officers no.
Police asked Murray to leave the car and Murray put down a crossbody bag that he was wearing.
Narcotics detection K-9 Bruce identified narcotics odor in the car. Police searched the car and found a handgun and marijuana inside the crossbody bag.
Police say that Murray tried to blame the female passenger saying, “Ain’t that your gun.”
Police arrested Murray for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and possession of marijuana.
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