Indianapolis, IN

Two ways to watch Colts vs. 49ers FREE STREAM today | Philip Rivers

Published

2 days ago

December 22, 2025

Two ways to watch Colts vs. 49ers FREE STREAM today | Philip Rivers

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INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers makes his second start since coming out of retirement to lead the Indianapolis Colts against San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” today – Monday, Dec. 22 – at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This game is available on multiple streaming services for free.

What channel is Colts vs. 49ers Monday Night Football?

Today’s game will broadcast live on ABC and ESPN with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Eastern.

Two ways to watch Colts vs. 49ers for free

DIRECTV (free trial and $40 off your first month)
FuboTV (free trial and $25 off your first month)

The most flexible non-free option is Sling TV, which now offers new users a Day Pass for $4.99, Weekend Pass for $9.99, Week Pass for $14.99, Monthly for $45.99 and Season Pass for $199.99 for five months and $45.99 per month thereafter

This game is also available on the ESPN app streaming service, which now offers an Unlimited Plan for $29.99 per month (or $299.99 for entire year) and the Select Plan for $12.99 per month (or $129.99 for entire year). The ESPN app replicates its previous coverage of select games and broadcasts on ESPN Plus.

Who is announcing Colts vs. 49ers?

Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analyst) will be the announcers while Laura Rutledge and Tom Rinaldi report from the sidelines.

What are the latest odds for Colts vs. 49ers?

Spread: IND: (+5.5), SF: (-5.5)

Moneyline: IND: (+225), SF: (-280)

Point total: 46.5

Odds from DraftKings

How to Watch COLTS – 49ERS

What: NFL Week 16: Indianapolis Colts vs. San Francisco 49ers
When: Dec. 22, 2025
Time: 8:15p.m. Eastern
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis, Ind.
Channel: ABC and ESPN
Best Streaming Options: DIRECTV (free trial and $40 off first month), FuboTV (free trial and $25 off first month) and Sling TV (half off first month and daily, weekend, weekly, monthly and season pass)

What is FuboTV?

FuboTV, which features a free trial and $25 off your first month if you sign up for the Pro or Elite plans, is a streaming service that offers over 200 channels. It offers sports, entertainment, news, business and more. The service also offers on-demand options, including full television shows. You may access this service on multiple devices, including computers, phones, tablets and more.

There are four plans which are Latino, Pro, Elite and Premier ranging from $32.99- $99.99.

What is DIRECTV?

DIRECTV, which offers a free trial and $40 off your first month, lets you enjoy live TV and on-demand services without a contract through multiple packages. These include the entertainment package, the choice package + sports pack, the ultimate package + sports pack. The prices range from $79.99-$109.99.

What is Sling TV?

Sling TV users can now get a Day Pass for $4.99, Weekend Pass for $9.99, Week Pass for $14.99, Monthly Pass for $45.99 and Season Pass for $199.99 for the first five months and $45.99 per month thereafter. You can also subscribe to either the Blue package or the Orange package depending on your viewing preferences. Sling Blue allows up to three streams at a time and Sling Orange allows one stream at a time. Both the Blue and Orange packages are $23 for the first month, then increase to $45.99 per month thereafter.

Here is more information on this matchup from the AP:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The last time Philip Rivers suited up inside Lucas Oil Stadium, he and his Indianapolis Colts teammates clinched a playoff spot.

A lot has changed in those five years.

Rivers left the NFL, started coaching high school football in Alabama, became a grandfather and shocked the world by coming out of retirement and nearly leading the Colts to a victory last week in Seattle.

He returned to his former team with old friend Shane Steichen calling the plays for a franchise under new ownership. And on Monday night, he’ll be playing in front of a near capacity home crowd — something he didn’t get to do during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic year.

Still, two things have not changed: Rivers remains stuck on 134 career wins and the Colts haven’t reached the playoffs since he was Indy’s starter the last time. The 44-year-old quarterback believes he can achieve both over the next three weeks or he wouldn’t be playing.

“I know the NFL is a big deal and this, and it can be whatever it can be,” Rivers said after rejoining the Colts. “But to me, it’s like ‘Hey, you get to play football, potentially, for four more weeks and maybe then some.’ And as long as I can live with the results, both good or bad, and go back home and move on, then I was willing to go for it, and I was able to get to that place mentally.”

While many around the league — from Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons — lauded Rivers’ effort to make a comeback, most were intrigued to see how Rivers would play.

Yes, he does have some physical limitations, and, yes, concerns about his mobility, his ability to throw deep and the long layoff prompted Steichen to take a safer approach in last week’s 18-16 loss at Seattle.

While Indy leaned heavily on its ground game and a short passing game to protect Rivers from taking needless hits, he still went 18 of 27 with 120 yards and threw an interception on Indy’s final offensive play.

The Colts (8-6) lost their fourth straight game to remain one spot outside the AFC’s seven-team playoff field, and Rivers acknowledged this week he must be better over the final three games to save Indy’s fading playoff hopes.

Still, the 49ers (10-4) know what they’re up against. Three years ago, when San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was looking for stability at quarterback, he reached out to Rivers. Because the need didn’t actually arise until the NFC championship game, Rivers never signed.

But after studying last week’s tape, Shanahan believes Rivers still has what it takes.

“I see a guy who knows how to play the position as good as anyone,” Shanahan said. “I think he had 27 throws in that game and every ball goes right to the exact spot. He attacked their coverages great. He played against a very good pass rush and was able to get rid of the ball. He’s one of the best quarterbacks I’ve ever watched, and he definitely helped that team.”

Can Rivers get it done at his age? Only time will tell.

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Indianapolis, IN

Everything Taylor Swift said about Indy in the Eras Tour docuseries

Published

8 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Everything Taylor Swift said about Indy in the Eras Tour docuseries

Stop the presses: Taylor Swift talked about Indianapolis.

Yes, little old us! From the biggest artist in the world’s lips to millions of TV screens across the world, a major Indianapolis moment. We’re even on a nickname basis: She said “Indy.” She likes us, she really likes us!

The Circle City gets a shoutout from Swift and some serious screen time in the fourth episode of “The End of an Era,” the new Disney+ documentary series chronicling Swift’s record-smashing Eras Tour. The six-episode series features behind-the-scenes footage of Swift, her family and friends and the Eras Tour crew throughout her two-year globetrot that clocked 149 shows in 51 cities, including three shows in Indianapolis in November 2024.

Several notable names pop up in the series — Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Swift’s fiancé Travis Kelce, for one, along with her pop protégés Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams. But the real star of the show in episode four, “Thank You for the Lovely Bouquet”? The downtown Indianapolis JW Marriott, of course.

The hotel is known for plastering graphics of the people, teams and events du jour on the side of its 376-foot building, and Swift got more than a casual nod when Indianapolis relished in the Taylor Treatment. In case you missed it, a so-much-larger-than-life image of Swift — classic red lips, body suit and boots, pink acoustic guitar in hand — graced the building.

Abrams, who opened for Swift in Indianapolis during her Nov. 1, 2 and 3, 2024 shows, spotted the graphic first and texted Swift about it while she was in transit.

“Gracie texted me and she was like, ‘I knew you were tall, but check this out,’” Swift, who stands 5-foot-10, said in the documentary. “I’m on the side of the hotel, like a million feet tall.”

The tribute struck a chord with Swift. Remember that unfortunate “sexy baby” line from “Anti-Hero,” the lead single off her 2022 album “Midnights”? The one where she envisions herself as this colossal omen “slowly lurching toward your favorite city”?

Turns out, being emblazoned on one of Indianapolis’ most notable structures isn’t all that dissimilar.

“I used to have this joke, and that’s part of why I wrote ‘Anti-Hero.’ It’s like, ‘I’m a 5-foot-10 woman followed around by 500-foot-tall monster shadow, and this monster just knocks over buildings and wreaks all this havoc,” Swift continued. “Me being that size tall and I’m a hotel, it’s like, ‘Eh, that’s kind of how it feels sometimes.’”

Local efforts to transform downtown into Swift City paid off in documentary screen time. Cameras captured the friendship bracelet décor strung across The District Tap, renamed street signs like Ready For It Road and Long Live Lane and groups of fans dancing and singing at the corner of Meridian Street and Georgia Street. (And if you crane your neck and really squint, you’ll catch the IndyStar sign outside our former home at the Circle Center Mall.)

Indianapolis had the rare distinction of closing out the Eras Tour’s U.S. dates with Swift’s Nov. 1-3 run of shows. That run also came days before the 2024 presidential election, and the significance of the timing wasn’t lost on Swift.

“The one thing I can provide for people is an escape, like nothing could ever or should ever bother any of us. And nothing will for three-and-a-half hours,” Swift said in the documentary. “I’m glad that I will have given just 100% girlhood and hope and belief and sweat and effort, because that’s the job.”

Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.

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Indianapolis, IN

Shoppers find calm amidst holiday rush at Fashion Mall at Keystone

Published

20 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Shoppers find calm amidst holiday rush at Fashion Mall at Keystone

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Procrastinators on Tuesday hit the Fashion Mall at Keystone to snag those last-minute gifts.

There were lines to get to shops, including jeweler Pandora, but that didn’t stop 8-year-old Blane Randolph from getting something for his mom. He’s looked at getting a frame or bracelets. “It feels good, because I like giving stuff to people.”

The National Retail Federation has estimates consumers are each budgeting an average of $890 for seasonal items, and that holiday sales in the U.S. will surpass $1 trillion.

Experts say buying at brick-and-mortar stores means having last-minute gifts in hand without worrying about shipping.

James Payer of the Fashion Mall at Keystone on the north side of Indianapolis described the shoppers as calm this season. “The stress level isn’t as stressful as it used to be, because people have a plan and they’re executing that plan.”

He recommended grabbing a coffee or a gelato while shopping to enjoy the experience.

Besides the big box stores, News 8 got a chance to stop by a local gift shop called Silver in the City in downtown Indianapolis and spoke to shopper Jennifer Courteney. “I love shopping small and making sure we’re using stores that are local and not big box stores for everything, so it’s really important to shop small and support local business on Mass Avenue.”

She got little baby socks with meatball prints, and a Star Wars book for a new dad. She didn’t seem too frazzled by the last-minute shopping.

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Indianapolis, IN

Why former starting CB Jaylon Jones is buried on Colts depth chart

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Why former starting CB Jaylon Jones is buried on Colts depth chart

INDIANAPOLIS — The fall Jaylon Jones has taken down the Colts depth chart has been one of the most surprising developments of this season.

Jones, a full-time starter in his first two years in Indianapolis, played only four defensive snaps against the 49ers on Monday, a night when Jones was the team’s clear-cut fifth cornerback despite injuries to Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward.

Monday night’s game was the fourth time in seven games that Jones has played fewer than five snaps, and from the sounds of it, even an abysmal defensive performance that hemorrhaged 440 yards and 41 points is no guarantee that Jones will be elevated on the depth chart for this week’s game against Jacksonville.

“We evaluate each guy each week, and certainly, everything will be up at that position to be evaluated going forward,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “We’ll look at all avenues.”

The team’s reluctance to play Jones stems from a hamstring injury that plagued the third-year cornerback throughout the summer.

Jones first suffered the hamstring injury during organized team activities in the summer, injured it again a couple of days into training camp and pulled it significantly again in the season opener, robbing Jones of precious time to learn how he fits in Anarumo’s scheme.

“Obviously, starting the year with the injury kind of set him back,” Colts defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said. “If we would have had him throughout all of training camp and continuing to play, obviously, I think he plays better.”

Jones has never been through an injury like that one.

He dealt with a significant hamstring injury in college that forced him to miss the first two games of a season, but Jones had never missed that much time before.

The experience taught him something.

“Trusting my process, man, understanding I need to do all the right things, make sure my body’s ready to go and I’m available,” Jones said. “A learning experience.”

The time in the training room seems to have driven a wedge between Jones and the field. Jones has played 149 defensive snaps in seven games this season, starting against Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, but he hasn’t been able to hold onto that spot consistently. In those snaps, Jones has limited opponents to 9 of 18 passing for 117 yards, a touchdown and an 89.4 rating when he’s the nearest defender in coverage, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

But Indianapolis has consistently chosen trade pickup Mekhi Blackmon over Jones in a pinch; now, undrafted rookie Johnathan Edwards and street free agent Cameron Mitchell have passed a player who started 27 games the past two seasons and played 1,932 snaps for the Colts. Of those three, only Blackmon has a better rating against him than Jones (88.4) and he’s given up a higher completion rate.

Henderson rebuffed a question last week about whether Jones is a poor fit for Anarumo’s defense.

“None of them are perfect,” Henderson said. “Even the best ones have things in their game you wish you could tweak and change. … You try to grow them in the area he needs to grow, keep him confident in the areas that he’s really good at. If he’s in, use him to his strengths.”

Indianapolis believes the 6-2, 200-pound Jones is best suited to playing against tight ends.

“He’s doing well in the role that he plays,” Henderson said. “He’s going to go guard the really good tight end pass-catchers in this league.”

From a philosophical standpoint, the role sounds weighty, particularly for an Indianapolis defense that has given up the second-most yards in the NFL to tight ends this season.

Practically, Jones is playing more of a bit part.

Anarumo has talked a lot about getting more defensive backs onto the field to avoid pitting a tight end against linebackers regularly, and Jones seems to be the perfect solution.

Except that the Colts actually reserve those looks for a handful of passing situations each game. If a team attacks Indianapolis on first or second down, an opposing tight end is often looking for holes in the zone against Colts linebackers Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt.

“We don’t go into any game looking at linebackers covering tight ends at all,” Anarumo said. “Our deal is to try to match up, and that would be more in the true passing situations. … That was a little bit of the predicament last night.”

Jones is handling his reduced role without complaining publicly.

He has tried to focus on his own game, rather than the decisions that have kept him on the sidelein.

“Looking in the mirror, being consistent within myself, within my game,” Jones said. “Once I do that, I think it takes care of everything else. … Being consistent with my process, zoning in on the little details. I’m just happy doing my role, playing my role, trying to help my team win games.”

But it has not been easy.

“In moments like this, just growing,” Jones said. “I think I became more of a man this year, just because there’s going to be adversity in the road, there’s going to be bumps in the road, things like that, but I’m just doing my role, doing what I can for this team so we can win games.”

Even though it’s hard to play a big role in a team’s wins or losses when a cornerback spends all but a handful of snaps on the sideline.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

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