Indianapolis, IN
Colts’ Taylor after elimination: Raise the standard
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Indianapolis Colts will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season after what players characterized as an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
The 45-33 loss to a Giants team that entered the game with the NFL’s worst record should prompt a re-evaluation from all of the team’s players and staff, running back Jonathan Taylor said.
The Colts allowed the most points in any meeting with the Giants since 1950 and gave up a season-high point total. That left many Colts stunned and silent.
But not Taylor.
“I think the standard has to be raised,” he said after a 125-yard rushing performance. “The playoffs have to be the standard. Those teams that get in year in and year out, that’s their standard. That’s the bottom floor. It’s like, ‘Listen, we’ve got to get in. And they know it’s tough but they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to fight, scratch and claw to make sure every year that is the standard that you uphold.’
“For us, 2020 was the last time we got in. We’ve got to get in. You’ve got to get in order to establish that standard. Like, ‘Listen, the Indianapolis Colts’ standard is the playoffs.’”
Indianapolis (7-9) entered the game with realistic playoff hopes after the Denver Broncos’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. The Colts needed a win against the Giants and a win over the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 and a bit of help elsewhere to clinch the AFC’s final playoff berth.
But Sunday’s loss meant they failed to check the most important box in their playoff scenarios. The Colts have not won a playoff game since 2018 and have not managed an AFC South championship since 2014, when they advanced to the conference championship game.
Sunday’s loss was the third time in four seasons the Colts had a must-win situation in the final weeks of a season and fell short. In 2021, the Colts inexplicably lost to the 2-win Jaguars in Week 18 when facing a win-and-in scenario.
Last season, the Colts played a home game against the Houston Texans in the season finale that would determine the division champion. Indianapolis lost that game, too.
Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. went to the postseason as a rookie in 2020 and hasn’t been back since, offering a hard-learned lesson.
“It’s frustrating, especially when my first year we actually did make it and I just thought, ‘Hey, every year, we’re going to do this,’” he said. “And I quickly have been humbled. We’ve just got to do something different. I don’t know what that is.”
The Colts watched Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers put on a dominant performance, with seven catches for 171 yards and touchdowns of 31 and 59 yards. All told, the Giants put together six plays of 30 yards or longer.
Entering the game, New York had just nine such plays in its previous 15 contests.
“Embarrassing,” linebacker Zaire Franklin called it. “It’s disappointing. Just flat out beat. What we put out defensively is just beyond acceptable.”
Now, the Colts face questions about what comes next. They brought back their roster nearly entirely intact from last season’s 9-8 team, banking on a slew of veteran re-signings in hopes of taking the next step.
Instead, they’ll finish with fewer wins and, arguably, took a step back. What will all of it mean for the roster, coach Shane Steichen, quarterback Anthony Richardson and eighth-year general manager Chris Ballard?
“Every year, every team is different,” Taylor said. “Next week, that’ll be the last time that all 53 guys are in that locker room.
“That’s the reality of the business. But when you have a season and it doesn’t turn out how you want, it could be more changes than usual.”
IndyGo serves 22,000 riders daily who rely on it for jobs and healthcare. The funding is voter-approved and separate from road budgets.
IndyGo paratransit services have possible 57% rate hike
Ryan Malone appreciates IndyGo paratransit rides. He has vision impairments and MS. He talks about the rides and the proposed 57% fare increase.
The April 14 letter titled, “Indianapolis doesn’t prioritize pothole repairs” raises a fair frustration shared by many drivers, but it misrepresents priorities, ignores dedicated funding streams, cherry-picks numbers and overlooks how IndyGo delivers broad, measurable value that helps roads and the city overall.
The 2026 Indianapolis city budget directs unprecedented funding to roads. The Department of Public Works’ most recent capital plan included $218 million for transportation infrastructure in 2026, in addition to key investments in additional snow removal and road maintenance equipment. DPW’s transportation capital funding has nearly tripled since 2016. Since that time, the city has resurfaced 1,279 lane miles and strip-patched 1,169 more.
The city is prioritizing basics; roads got a massive boost even with tighter revenues.
The state funding formula has disadvantaged Indianapolis by using two-lane road mileage and ignoring urban complexity. But House Enrolled Act 1461 shifts to a lane-mile formula and provides $50 million extra annually to Marion County — and state law restricts those funds to construction and reconstruction of local streets.
There are several points aimed at IndyGo that are worth correcting and adding important context the public should understand about this critical city service.
The claim that IndyGo’s $432 million budget “could go a long way toward streets” is the most misleading. The 0.25% income tax was voter-approved in 2016 — with nearly 60% voting yes — specifically and exclusively for public transit. These locally raised dollars leverage up to a 400% federal match, multiplying their impact several times over and ensuring Indianapolis captures funding that would otherwise go elsewhere. Diverting them would break a voter promise.
The “less than 2% uses the bus” stat is a classic distortion. IndyGo’s 2025 ridership included 6.7 million trips, or nearly 22,000 riders Monday through Friday. Transit serves disproportionately low-income, senior, disabled and car-free residents who rely on it for jobs, healthcare and school. It isn’t a luxury — it’s mobility infrastructure.
Public transit isn’t in competition with roads; it complements them. Every $1 invested in public transit generates $5 in broader economic activity. The Red Line alone delivered more than $7 per $1 invested, and IndyGo’s BRT network has already attracted more than $1.2 billion in corridor development.
By completion of the Blue Line, IndyGo will have paved more than 90 miles of Indy streets and built or repaired more than 1,300 ADA ramps. Nearly 7 million riders take cars off the road — fewer vehicles mean less congestion and less wear-and-tear on pavement, directly reducing potholes.
Potholes are real, but scapegoating IndyGo distracts from the actual balanced progress underway. Indianapolis is a world-class city with a great future, and the best is yet to come.
Richard Wilson is treasurer of the IndyGo Board of Directors.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) — Purdue University has received a $20 million commitment from the Ricks Family Foundation to establish the Purdue Institute for Healthcare Systems Innovation at the Indianapolis campus.
The institute in the Mitch Daniels School of Business aims to improve health care efficiency and effectiveness, the university said in a news release issued Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Christina Ricks and her husband, David A. Ricks, the chair and CEO of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., are the primary leaders of the foundation.
James “Jim” Bullard, a dean for the Daniels School of Business, said in the release, “Considering the health care situation in the U.S. today, there is a clear need for rigorous, market-informed research that challenges conventional thinking and drives new solutions. This institute will allow Purdue to lead that work and make a lasting difference.”
As Purdue works to develop its relatively new Indianapolis campus, the university recently announced that plans for a 12-story apartment building on recently acquired canal property in Indianapolis are now on hold as the university develops its campus, Mirror Indy reported.
This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.
INDIANAPOLIS — A woman was critically injured in a shooting on the northeast side of Indianapolis Tuesday night.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 5500 block of East 41st Street around 8:45 p.m. to investigate a shooting. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult female with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
Per IMPD, the victim was transported from the the scene to a local hospital in critical condition. Police reported that hospital staff later provided them with an update that indicated the victim remains in critical condition.
Investigators believe the shooting occurred inside a residence on 41st Street. One shell casing was found in the front yard of that residence near its driveway. Police do not believe that stray shell casing is related to the shooting in any way.
Law enforcement detained a person of interest during its investigation of the shooting. IMPD has not yet provided any of the detainee’s identifying information like sex, age or name.
Police do not believe the shooting poses any ongoing threat to the public. Investigators are, however, still encouraging area residents to call IMPD at (317) 327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477 to pass along any information they may have on the shooting.
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