Indianapolis, IN
Keys to a Win Over Bills for Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are 4-5 heading into a daunting defense of Lucas Oil Stadium against the 7-2 Buffalo Bills. With a lot at stake for Indy in this game and pressure mounting for a win against a red-hot Bills team, here are the five keys to getting it done on Sunday afternoon for the Colts.
Force Josh Allen into Mistakes
Bills superstar signal-caller Josh Allen has shown a propensity to throw incompletions and interceptions throughout his illustrious seven-year, two-time Pro Bowl career. However, 2024 hasn’t been the case for Allen. This year he’s playing on a Herculean level of efficiency with 168/262 completions for 2,001 passing yards, 17 touchdown tosses to 2 interceptions. He’s also tacked on 47 carries for 211 rushing yards, 22 first downs and 3 rushing touchdowns. In short, Allen is incredible as a quarterback.
What this means is the Colts have to provide consistent pressure in the trenches and eyes on the QB given his abilities running. While Allen may not have Stefon Diggs anymore, Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir, and Keon Coleman make up more than enough for the MVP candidate to distribute the football effectively. The Colts will have their hands full in forcing Allen into mistakes, but it’s documented that it can happen, giving Gus Bradley added motivation to continue his recent hot streak as Indy’s defensive coordinator.
Bounce Back Game for Jonathan Taylor
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has provided the most consistent offense for Shane Steichen outside of wide receiver Josh Downs. However, in week nine’s debacle loss against the Minnesota Vikings, Taylor fell flat as a runner, arguably being the biggest reason Joe Flacco and Co. couldn’t move the football with gusto. The former Wisconsin Badger concluded poorly with 13 carries for 48 rushing yards (3.7 average), and no scores.
Now that Anthony Richardson is benched, Steichen will need to get more creative with his run schemes to jar Taylor loose, putting him into more 1-on-1 situations to take advantage of. Taylor’s X-Factor is one-cut, unrelenting speed and power, so the play calls, blocking, and Flacco must improve to help the former All-Pro. It can’t be stressed enough that Taylor’s 2024 has a lower ceiling with a pocket-passing QB under center rather than an athletic field general who makes defenses questions their every read, regardless of prep. We’ll see what Steichen can do against the Bills’ defense.
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Interior Pressure
If the Colts want any chance at stopping Allen, they’ll need a big performance from Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner. However, it won’t be easy, as Allen hasn’t been put on the turf often, sustaining just 11 sacks through 9 games started. Luckily, Stewart and Buckner are healthy and coming off a strong performance against the Vikings. Buckner finished with 6 tackles and a sack while Stewart erupted, concluding with 2.0 sacks, 4 tackles (1 for loss), and a fumble forced for a Kenny Moore defensive TD.
Allen is the toughest QB test so far for this Colts’ defense, so it won’t be on Stewart and Buckner solely to produce. Defensive ends Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, and Dayo Odeyingbo will be integral in keeping Allen as contained as possible. However, there’s something to be said about defensive pressure in the face of any QB. If the Colts can get the best out of Stewart and Buckner against Allen, there’s a chance they can shock the Bills and limit their offensive charge.
Contain Shakir and Kincaid
While the Bills did recently acquire Cooper, he’s only been in Buffalo for a very short time. However, he’s already found the endzone and has snagged 5 catches for 69 receiving yards. But, so far in 2024 it’s been the duo of wide receiver Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid that have led the receiving charge for the Bills. Starting with Shakir, the third-year pro leads Buffalo with 42 catches for 471 receiving yards (11.2 average), and 2 touchdowns.
Tight end Kincaid is not far behind Shakir with 32 catches for 332 receiving yards (10.4 average), and 2 receiving touchdowns. While the Bills also have the deep threat Coleman, it’s Shakir and Kincaid that the Colts’ coverage must worry about most. Players like Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Kenny Moore II, and Sam Womack III will be paramount in sticking with these two Bills playmakers.
Joe Flacco Must Be Better
The Colts benched Richardson for Flacco because it gave them ‘the best chance to win now.’ While Steichen took a lot of blame for the recent primetime loss, it’s Flacco that was under center, not Indy’s frontman. Flacco looked aged, immobile, and behind the adjustments from the defense when he faced the Vikings. After looking solid in previous starts, Flacco had a big setback performance, finishing 16/27 for 179 passing yards, 0 touchdowns and an interception.
Flacco was also sacked 3 times and appeared rushed into bad throws that are otherwise routine for an NFL QB. The differences between a Richardson and Flacco-led offense are night and day, but Flacco is more efficient, calculated, and experienced. If weapons like Downs, AD Mitchell, and Alec Pierce can make plays and help get Flacco into rhythm, it will open up the rest of Steichen’s offense to compete with Allen on the other sideline.
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Indianapolis, IN
Lions Matchup Huge Opportunity for Colts’ Anthony Richardson
The Indianapolis Colts need everything they can to defeat the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium tomorrow afternoon. While there are plenty of players to highlight in this cross-conference battle, all Colts fans’ eyes will be on quarterback Anthony Richardson and whether he can build on a solid week 11 victory. Bleacher Report‘s Brad Gagnon believes this game against the mighty Lions will be a big one for Richardson’s outlook.
Is the sudden resurgence of Anthony Richardson a sign of things to come or an aberrational performance from a dude who is talented enough to put those together on occasion? Sunday’s matchup with the Lions will be telling.
– Brad Gagnon | Bleacher Report
Richardson can’t let up with Detroit, as the Lions have an impressive 14 interceptions led by safeties Kerby Joseph (7 interceptions) and Brian Branch (4 interceptions). The Lions also boast a solid run defense, ranking 5th in the NFL with 94.8 yards allowed per contest. In short, while the Lions’ defense is exploitable without defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone, they still take the football away from reckless passers.
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How Richardson plays at home tomorrow against arguably the Super Bowl favorites will paint somewhat of a picture of what type of quarterback he can be. The Colts offense has great weapons like Jonathan Taylor, Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce to help Richardson progress Shane Steichen’s attack. Still, it will need to be at 100mph to keep up with a scary Lions offense led by coordinator Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff.
The Colts are still in the mix for a playoff hunt in the AFC but will probably see their toughest game of 2024 when Detroit visits the Circle City. The Lions’ brutalizing offense has put up 52 points on two occasions this year (Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars), so the Colts can’t afford many miscues on offense or defense. However, Richardson’s performance will likely decide if the Colts are or aren’t in the game.
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Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis man leads class action lawsuits claiming rental discrimination
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man is leading two class action lawsuits, accusing two separate housing providers of discriminatory practices in their rental policies.
Marckus Williams and the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana are suing Tricon Residential and Progress Residential, two nationwide housing providers that collectively managing more than 130,000 properties.
Williams tells I-Team 8 that he had long since served his time for a felony conviction, and even had his record expunged, when both housing providers denied his rental applications.
“This is not just me. This is an everyday thing for people who have felonies,” Williams said.
Williams says he’s changed since being convicted on drug charges in 2012. He now co-owns the Indy Fresh Market, a grocery built to serve an Indianapolis food desert.
“I did my time, I came home, I’m an advocate for the community,” Williams said.
Amy Nelson, the executive director of Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, says the lawsuits are aimed at ending “blanket bans” on criminal and eviction history. The center advocates for applicants to be judged on a case-by-case basis.
“Past histories, past crimes should not always be continually held against us,” Nelson said. “People deserve second chances, particularly those who paid their debt to society.”
The housing center’s lawsuit against Progress alleges “arbitrary criminal history policies.”
It claims a Progress “blanket ban” on renting to people with felony convictions led to Black applicants being disqualified at a rate more than eight times than the proportion of white people disqualified, between 2012 and 2021.
The housing center says Tricon’s ban on renting to people with felonies disqualified Black applicants more than five times the amount of white applicants in the last seven years.
Tricon Residential told I-Team 8 in a statement, “Tricon Residential adheres to all fair housing laws and believes the allegations in this suit are baseless. We review resident applications fairly, ethically, and objectively, employing a ‘blind’ screening process not dissimilar from procedures used to review applicants for mortgages, apartment rentals, car leases, and credit cards.”
A spokesperson for Progress Residential said, “As a leading professional property manager, we are committed to promoting a fair and equitable screening process for all applicants. Although we do not comment on pending litigation, we take these allegations seriously and are currently reviewing the claims made in the lawsuit.”
Both class action lawsuits are still adding plaintiffs nationwide.
The housing center asks that anyone who believes they have experienced similar discrimination involving this company to contact them.
Indianapolis, IN
2 call for change to prevent sexual harassment in Indiana politics
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two members of Indiana’s best political team on Friday said a major cultural change is needed in Indiana politics to prevent sexual harassment.
Senate Democrats reelected Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, as Senate minority leader on Monday after the IndyStar revealed two female former staffers and a female former intern accused Taylor of sexually harassing them over several years. Taylor did not deny the allegations in a statement to the IndyStar but has refused to answer any questions about the allegations since. He made only a vague reference to them in his Organization Day remarks on Tuesday. The allegations against Taylor come barely four months after three former administration and campaign staffers revealed a pattern of sexual harassment by Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett’s former chief of staff and deputy mayor, Thomas Cook.
Dana Black, podcast host and former deputy director of engagement for the Indiana Democratic Party, told “All INdiana Politics” that men have a responsibility not only to not subject women to unwanted sexual advances, but also to dissuade other men from doing so. She said she knows Taylor personally and is “incredibly disappointed” by the allegations against him.
“Somebody needs to stand up to these men who feel like it is okay to do whatever they feel like doing,” she said.
Mario Massillamany, chair of the Hamilton County Republican Party, has lobbying experience at the Statehouse. He said the General Assembly needs stricter policies governing lawmakers’ behavior not only toward their staff and interns, but also toward lobbyists and others who work there every day.
“There is a serious problem at the Statehouse as it pertains to protecting interns, as it pertains to protecting lobbyists, and protecting other people that deal with that,” he said.
“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sunday on WISH-TV.
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