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Keys for the New England Patriots to beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday | Sporting News

Published

8 seconds ago

November 28, 2024

Keys for the New England Patriots to beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday | Sporting News

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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Indianapolis, IN

Stumped on Black Friday? IndyStar’s poll and local shopper’s guide is here to help

Published

8 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Stumped on Black Friday? IndyStar’s poll and local shopper’s guide is here to help

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:

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

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Indianapolis, IN

Indianapolis man dies in head-on collision with semi on US 421

Published

16 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Indianapolis man dies in head-on collision with semi on US 421

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.

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Indianapolis, IN

Colts Drop in ESPN Power Rankings After Embarrassing Lions Loss

Published

24 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Colts Drop in ESPN Power Rankings After Embarrassing Lions Loss

The Indianapolis Colts (5-7) were no match for the red-hot Detroit Lions (10-1), as the Colts fell to the NFC’s top team 24-6.

Self-inflicted wounds were the theme of the day for Indy. The offensive line committed five penalties, wiping away big plays while allowing a 46% pressure rate on the day. The tight ends also did not have a banner day, dropping passes and not executing when given the opportunity.

Ultimately, the supporting cast around Anthony Richardson made too many mistakes for the team to overcome, resulting in the worst loss of the season for Indy.

Because of the brutal loss, the Colts saw a drop in the Week 13 ESPN NFL power rankings. The Colts fell from 19th to 21st in the rankings, dropping below the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) at 20th. Indy is the only 5-7 team in the league, but the Bengals are ranked higher despite having a worse record.

By falling to 21st, ESPN believes the Colts are a bottom-third team in the NFL this season. It is hard to argue with that fact, as the Colts have largely lost to better teams in the league while taking care of business against the bad teams. The Colts only have one win against a team with a winning record this season, a 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3).

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) runs with the ball in a blue jersey.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) runs with the ball Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, during a game against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Included with the power rankings, the NFL Nation reporters were asked to look at the ESPN Analytics’Football Power Index (FPI) rankings for offense, defense, and special teams, and assess if the rankings portray an accurate picture of the team. Here are the current FPI rankings for the Colts:

Offense: 22nd
Defense: 20th
Special Teams: 13th

Holder believes these rankings to be fairly accurate for what the Colts have produced this season.

“These rankings seem about right when looking at the Colts’ inconsistent results and current 1-4 stretch,” Holder wrote. “They have shown flashes of promise in all areas, but there are fundamental issues undermining every phase of their team. The offensive line is suddenly an issue, which is severely limiting what was a solid running game. Defensively, the Colts are 17th in scoring defense (22.8 points), but that’s offset by giving up 375.8 yards per game (28th). Special teams would be better if not for kicker Matt Gay’s occasional misses (his 87.5% field goal percentage ranks 21st).”

The Colts will look to climb both the power rankings and FPI rankings this Sunday when they take on the New England Patriots (3-9). A win before their bye week would go a long way toward getting the Colts back on track.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.

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