The New England Patriots will take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Gillette Stadium for a Week 13 AFC battle.

Neither team has been overly impressive this year with both unable to secure a winning record through the first 12 weeks of their 2024 campaigns. In fact, both squads have had issues on both offense and defense at points this year.

If Jerod Mayo’s team wants to earn their fourth victory of the year, especially against a franchise that hasn’t been much better than his, this is what they’ll have to do.

Avoid pre-snap penalties

New England doesn’t need to help out other teams by moving backward consistently, yet they did just that last week, receiving five offensive penalties on either false starts or offensive offsides.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made his feelings clear about those mistakes earlier this week.

“There’s no question, that’s horse crap in my opinion,” Van Pelt said. “We went down there with the intent, and one of our main objectives of the game was the operation. That was a huge one, and that’s pre-snap. We talked about not going backward on first down or second down, and we went backward. We were digging ourselves out of holes, especially in the first quarter. That’s just an area of just locking in… That was disappointing. The most disappointed as I’ve been. It was more like a dang preseason game.”

Contain Colts CB Anthony Richardson

Richardson is a phenomenal athlete who can affect the game with his huge arms and legs, and the Patriots haven’t really played a mobile quarterback this year.

In his 12 starts of his first two seasons, Richardson has thrown eight touchdowns, but he’s also ran for seven himself. He’s built like former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, and he has some of that running ability, especially in close.

New England’s defensive front will need to step up and keep him from converting short-yardage attempts.

Protect Drake Maye

The offensive line has been a huge issue all season. Not only are they struggling with the pre-snap penalties, but they’re also just getting flat-out beat.

Demontrey Jacobs was abused last week by Miami Dolphins rookie pass-rusher Chop Robinson, and it led to his benching. Starting left guard Michael Jordan had struggled so much against stunts that he was released earlier this week.

It will be intriguing to see what changes New England makes for Sunday, but they have to protect their franchise quarterback.

Win the turnover battle

Speaking of that franchise quarterback, he’s been too loose with the ball. Whether it’s the five fumbles (four lost) or seven interceptions that he’s thrown, he’s putting his defenses in bad positions too often. He may feel like he has to do everything, but sometimes it’s better to throw the ball away or take a sack.

The defense also hasn’t held up their end of the bargain when it comes to takeaways. They’ve only recorded nine takeaways this year and have just two in their last six games.

DeMarcus Covington’s unit needs to give their offense more changes to score, or they can score themselves, as Christian Gonzalez did last week on the fumble-return touchdown. 

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My most vivid memory of Black Friday was quickly retreating from the bargain sock bin at my hometown Fred Meyer store while two moms escalated their war of words over who grabbed that pack of discounted Nike youth tube socks first.

I was maybe 12 or 13 on that day when I realized that I didn’t want anything that bad. And while I’ve been back to disperse doughnuts to hungry shoppers for service projects and to report on the annual shopping spree, I haven’t bought anything before noon on the Friday after Thanksgiving since.

Still, passions about Black Friday run deep, rooted in family traditions and stances on capitalism, consumerism and commercialism of the holidays. Whether you plan to be in line for doorbusters today and Friday, do all your holiday shopping online, or rely on a Christmas Eve sprint for C-store gift cards, IndyStar has resources (and a poll for fun) for your holiday shopping needs.

IndyStar poll: When do you start your holiday shopping?

Let’s start with the fun. As a Target checker told my wife earlier this week, “The deals are the deals. I tell people to shop now.”

Black Friday doesn’t hold the same sway on retailers’ bottom lines and shoppers’ holiday budgets as it did in pre-internet, pre-pandemic times. With shoppers’ spending spread across a broader timeline and set of online and brick-and-mortar retailers, we figured we’d check in on Indy’s shopping habits. Take the poll below to weigh in on your holiday shopping plans:

IndyStar Black Friday 2024 guide: Store hours, Small Business Saturday and more

If you need some holiday shopping ideas, IndyStar has a lot to offer. Check out these stories for store hours, gift ideas and much more:

Want Black Friday 2024 sale ads? Best deals, Nov. 29 store hours at Walmart, Home Depot, Kohl’s

Small Business Saturday: 6 Indy-area corridors where you can shop local this holiday season

Surplus shopping: $32 TVs? $5 Star Wars playsets? Surplus sellers offer shoppers big discounts

Help others Looking to help this holiday season? How you can shop for Indianapolis kids, families in need

Indianapolis Colts football gift guide: Best Black Friday deals for fans this holiday season

Indiana Fever basketball gift guide: Best Black Friday deals for fans this holiday season

Indiana Pacers basketball gift guide: Best Black Friday deals for fans this holiday season

Finally, show your favorite news source some love with IndyStar merch

Here’s a little-known fact: IndyStar can help you show off your Indianapolis pride with a wide variety of merchandise. From T-shirts and tote bags to hats, mugs and more, you can rep the Circle City and the 317 in style.

Visit usatodaystore.com/overview/lookbooks/indianapolis-star to browse, and check out some highlights below.

‘Greetings From Indianapolis’ tee 

Send a little Hoosier hospitality with our “Greetings from Indianapolis” tee — classic and as friendly as the city itself. Available for $28.75 in a variety of styles and colors. >>Purchase Here 

‘Icons of Indianapolis’ tote bag 

Carry a piece of Indy pride with our tote, featuring iconic images that celebrate everything we love about the Circle City. Available for $26.25 in a variety of styles and colors. >>Purchase Here 

‘Indianapolis Image Search’ jigsaw puzzle 

Piece together the heart of the Circle City with our Indianapolis puzzle — perfect for fans of Indy and a fun challenge! Available for $43.75. >>Purchase Here 

NAPOLEON, Ind. (WISH) — A 47-year-old Indianapolis man died in a head-on collision with a semitractor-trailer on Wednesday morning in southeastern Decatur County, Indiana State Police say.

Joseph L. Arthur died in the crash reported just before 7 a.m. Wednesday on U.S. 421 near County Road 700 East. That’s a rural area with a few homes just northwest of the Decatur County border with Ripley County, and about a 15-minute drive southeast of the city of Greensburg.

Investigators think Arthur was driving a 2010 Pontiac “passenger vehicle” southbound on U.S. 421 when, for an unknown reason, he lost control, crossed the centerline, and collided with a northbound 2014 Freightliner semi pulling a trailer, according to a news release issued Wednesday night from state police.

Michael S. Olsen, 55, of Charlotte, Michigan, was driving the semi, which burst into flames after the crash. He exited the semi with minor injuries, state police say.

Crash reconstructionists, who had not completed their work as of Wednesday night, believe speed may have been a factor in the fatal crash.

U.S. 421 was closed in both directions for about five hours for the crash investigation and cleanup.