Indianapolis, IN

5 things to watch as Colts starters face Bengals backups in preseason finale

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

5 things to watch as Colts starters face Bengals backups in preseason finale

CINCINNATI — A chance to see the Colts starting lineup get extended action has finally arrived.

Indianapolis is planning to play its starters for roughly a quarter and a half in Thursday’s preseason finale in Cincinnati, an 8 p.m. kickoff against the Bengals that will be televised on WXIN-59 and Amazon Prime.

The matchup should be interesting.

The Colts and Bengals have already squared off, practicing against each other with Paycor Stadium looming in the background Tuesday, and both offenses left the practice field wanting more.

But the two teams are planning to treat the preseason finale differently, a development that must be kept in mind when the preseason game kicks off Thursday night.

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How do Colts starters handle Bengals backups?

Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen believes his starters need to see significant game action, considering there will be 17 days between Thursday night’s preseason game and the Sept. 8 season opener against the Texans.

“We’ve got to get the players ready to roll,” Steichen said. “Go out there and play, get that game-like experience before, obviously, Week 1 gets here.”

Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor is taking a different approach.

Bengals starters will not play against Indianapolis, marking the second consecutive preseason game that Cincinnati holds its starting lineup out of action. Because of Taylor’s decision, the Indianapolis starters will get their work against Cincinnati’s second and third-teamers, a development that puts pressure on both Colts units to perform.

Anthony Richardson’s accuracy

Richardson’s performance in the passing game has been up and down since Indianapolis started playing other NFL teams.

The second-year starting quarterback struggled against Denver in the preseason opener and started slow in Tuesday’s joint practice against Cincinnati, sandwiching those performances around an efficient, big-play pair of joint practices with the Cardinals, the only blemish coming when rains in Westfield turned into a downpour.

Richardson will likely be playing with one hand tied behind his back on Thursday; the Colts likely do not want to call a bunch of quarterback runs, considering the potential for injury.

Colts news: Why Colts fans shouldn’t worry about Anthony Richardson’s play in the preseason

But even if Indianapolis isn’t running its full offense, the Colts would like to see an efficient, accurate Richardson attacking the Cincinnati secondary on Thursday night. Indianapolis might build its offense around his dual-threat skills in the regular season, but he’s still going to need to make throws on a consistent basis for the Colts to get where they want to go.

Secondary opportunities

Uncertainty remains in the Indianapolis defensive backfield, the only position group where a clear group of starters has not been solidified.

Presumably, former second-round pick JuJu Brents will start at cornerback next to Kenny Moore II and Jaylon Jones when the regular season begins, but Brents has seen limited preseason action due to injuries to his shoulder and nose. Brents did not practice against Cincinnati on Tuesday; Dallis Flowers has struggled at times in training camp, but it is fair to wonder if Brents’ lack of availability has left an opening for Flowers to earn early playing time in the regular season.

But cornerback is far more settled than the safety position.

After weeks of playing Nick Cross at free safety, the Colts moved Cross to strong safety and shifted Julian Blackmon to free safety in the joint practice against the Bengals, at least when Indianapolis wasn’t playing Blackmon at strong safety and Rodney Thomas II at free safety with the starters. Nearly a month into training camp, Steichen acknowledged the Colts are not set at safety.

“We’re looking at all that stuff right now,” Steichen said. “The guy that makes the most plays here (will start). … We’ll make that decision when it needs to be made.”

One complicating factor?

Cincinnati’s top two quarterbacks, Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, will not play on Thursday, leaving Logan Woodside to test the Indianapolis starters.

Running back race

Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull have a lot at stake Thursday.

The two young backs have been competing for the No. 3 running back role, a position that could be elevated to the primary backup spot early in the season, depending on the prognosis of Trey Sermon’s hamstring injury.

From the outside, the battle appears to be close.

Goodson has 13 carries for 50 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason; Hull has 12 carries for 42 yards and a score. Hull has two catches for 20 yards in the preseason; Goodson has 2 catches for a single yard. Goodson got the first snaps against the Cardinals last week, but Hull took plenty of first-team reps in the joint practice against Arizona.

And the battle might be for more than just the No. 3 running back spot.

If Sermon is expected to be healthy by the start of the regular season, Goodson and Hull might be competing for a spot on the 53-man roster, depending on the team’s needs at other spots.

Injury instability

No one likes to acknowledge the threat of injury.

The Colts would like to get through this game healthy, then make their roster decisions without too many meetings with the medical staff.

But the reality is that injuries in the preseason finale often make the team’s 53-man decisions for them. When third-year tight end Jelani Woods suffered a significant toe injury that will require surgery against Arizona last Saturday, a cloudy picture at tight end likely became much more clear. On the other side of the coin, Raekwon Davis’s return from high blood pressure issues this week puts the focus on a trio of defensive tackles — Adetomiwa Adebawore, Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson — competing for what might be just one spot.

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Indianapolis, IN

Rain & storms will return soon, hot & humid next week

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

Rain & storms will return soon, hot & humid next week

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Rain & storm chances are returning later in the week and it’ll really heat up next week.

TUESDAY EVENING/NIGHT:
Mostly sunny during the evening with fair skies and comfortable conditions overnight. Lows will be in the 50s for the 2nd night in a row.

WEDNESDAY:
Partly cloudy skies overall with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s for most of Central Indiana. While most of the day should remain dry, there is a chance of a few showers & storms during the evening.
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
Partly to mostly cloudy. Chance of a few showers & storms. Lows in the low to mid 60s.

THURSDAY:
Variably cloudy. Chance of a few showers & storms. Highs in the lower 80s.

THURSDAY NIGHT – FRIDAY:
Scattered rain & storms are looking more likely. Some heavy rain is possible and early projections suggest another 1-3” could fall across parts of Central and Southern Indiana. We’ll continue to monitor for some severe weather potential, but as of Tuesday afternoon no part of Indiana is in an official outlook from the Storm Prediction Center. Temperatures may only be in the upper 70s on Friday if we end up with more clouds and rain/storms.

WEEKEND:
Warm temperatures in the 80s are on track along with a chance for a few showers & storms both days. Humidity levels will be rising and the heat index by Sunday afternoon could be well into the 90s.
NEXT WEEK:
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A hot and humid weather pattern is likely going to establish itself again over the Great Lakes region. While there could be a few stray storms from time to time and perhaps even a storm complex or two rolling in from the west, the main storyline will involve hot & muggy air. Highs are expected to push into the lower 90s with heat indices in the 100 to 105 range.

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Indianapolis, IN

Dry Tuesday before rain and storms return | June 23, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Press Room

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — We’re in for a much better Tuesday, after all of the recent wet weather. High pressure is bringing us sunshine and comfortable temperatures today, but don’t get too used to it—rain and storms are heading back our way by Wednesday night, and we’re tracking a flooding threat heading into the weekend.

Today:

Finally, a day to enjoy! High pressure is firmly in control, giving us plenty of sunshine and comfortable conditions.

Highs today will be pleasant, ranging from the mid-70s across northern Indiana to around 80 degrees in the south.

Tonight:

Clear skies continue with lows dropping into the mid-50s to lower 60s.

Wednesday:

Another nice day as high pressure continues to dominate. We’ll see plenty of sunshine with highs climbing into the low to mid-80s. Humidity will remain low, making it feel comfortable despite the warmer temperatures.

Wednesday Night into Thursday: Heavy Rain Threat

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop Wednesday night as moisture increases significantly. There will be much more moisture in the atmosphere by the evening hours, which opens the door for heavy downpours overnight.

Thursday should be mostly dry during the day as weak ridging builds in behind the overnight activity. However, another round of storms could develop late Thursday ahead of a warm front moving in.

Thursday Night through the Weekend: More Heavy Rain

A storm system will move through Thursday night, bringing moderate to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Rainfall totals could exceed 2 inches in many locations, raising flash flooding concerns.

The big concern is training storms. When storms repeatedly move over the same areas, rainfall totals can quickly add up, leading to localized ponding and minor flooding. Low-lying areas, poor drainage spots, and areas near creeks and streams will be most vulnerable.

Sunday and Beyond: Heat and Humidity Return

Rain and storms will finally push northeast of the area by Sunday, giving us a break. But the break from rain comes with a price—heat and humidity.

By Sunday, high humidity and southerly breezes will boost afternoon temperatures near 90 degrees. Heat indices could approach mid- to upper 90sby early next week.

7-Day Outlook:

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Indianapolis, IN

Graham Rahal: Indianapolis Has a Crime Problem

Published

23 hours ago

June 22, 2026

Press Room

Graham Rahal: Indianapolis Has a Crime Problem

Rahal says Indy has a worsening crime problem, with shootings and unsafe events.
He wants to create job opportunities for inner-city youth to address the issue.
Rahal challenges the city to come together and provide more opportunities for change.

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS–Indycar driver Graham Rahal says Indianapolis has a crime problem and it has to be dealt with.

On June 19th, Rahal said in a tweet that Indy has turned into a complete dump and it’s sad to say the least. He also said that there was a car event and security guarding the cars wouldn’t stay because they didn’t feel safe as there were numerous kids running around with guns.

“We have a problem that has increased and gotten worse and worse and worse. And to be silent about it and to be deaf to it is a major issue. And what’s scary in today’s society isn’t left, right, or center, contrary to what people believe. It simply is acknowledging when there is a problem and doing what we can to correct the problem,” said Rahal in a Monday interview with Query and Company on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.

He said there were at least four shootings in one weekend after his tweet went out.

“So people can get mad at me. When you have four shootings in one weekend, that’s unacceptable. And we cannot be tone deaf to the fact that this isn’t a Democrat, Republican, whatever issue. This is a societal issue that we all need to come together,” said Rahal.

Rahal says if a change isn’t made culturally, then Indianapolis and the surrounding areas will have further issues.

“I had my building shot last year. Okay. Cost me $31,000. I couldn’t prosecute the kids. They were juveniles. They would never turn over their identities to me. I said, I don’t want to prosecute them, bring them here and I’ll give them a job. We’ll put them to work. They can earn the windows, but also hopefully build pride working for our companies and hopefully build a future for them too. This wasn’t to take a shot at them. It was to create an opportunity of change, bring them here,” said Rahal.

Rahal said looking at him as the “villain” in this scenario doesn’t help.

“How about we all come together? We find a way to create a solution, left, right center, provide opportunity, provide places in the workplace, like at GRP, like at my buildings for inner city kids to come get an opportunity to change their lives, to work for something, to have pride in something. I’m all in on doing it, but I challenge everybody in the city to do the same things. We can’t continue to be tone deaf to what’s gone on,” said Rahal.

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