The Indianapolis Colts are coming off their first season loss after falling 29-27 to the division-rival Houston Texans. While it’s not an ideal start, moments during the Lucas Oil Stadium contest gave plenty of hope and promise to what Indianapolis’ young team can accomplish in 2024. With this on tap, it’s time to look into three Colts players whose performances are raising their overall stock.

Ashton Dulin | Wide Receiver

Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin is more of a special teams ace than a pass-catcher. However, if Indy needs help at receiver, Dulin provides a good downfield target with plenty of speed. While Anthony Richardson found fellow receiver Alec Pierce first, Dulin’s play was a foot race more than a deep throw.

Dulin showed ridiculous speed after the reception and can make a tough catch when needed. With Josh Downs missing this contest put more pressure on rookie wideout Adonai Mitchell. So, for Dulin to step in and help with receiving depth while making a massive play may give him more offensive looks going forward.

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Alec Pierce | Wide Receiver

Third-year Colts receiver Alec Pierce had a career day against the Texans. He’d secure all three targets for 125 receiving yards (41.7 average) and a score, breaking Houston’s defense every time he touched the football. However, no play was bigger than his 60-yard monster score.

Pierce was likely missing the arm strength of Richardson to match his best qualities. Pierce is a deep threat through and through, so expect the former Cincinnati Bearcat to have more plays like these from Sunday. After two disappointing seasons as a pure wideout, Pierce will likely have a career-best season when 2024 concludes.

DeForest Buckner | Defensive Tackle

Three-time Pro Bowler and former First-Team All-Pro DeForest Buckner dominated against the Texans in the trenches. He’d conclude with 6 tackles (1 for loss) and 1.5 sacks (led team). Even though Indy gave up 213 rushing yards, Buckner stood out in run and pass defense. Despite sustaining a back injury, Buckner likely will push through the setback to suit up for the Green Bay Packers.

Indianapolis didn’t look great in the defensive trenches outside of Buckner, so there is immediate cause for concern with how easily the Texans dominated the line of scrimmage to compile rushing yards. But names like Grover Stewart, Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, and Tyquan Lewis will look to help improve from what was a brutal start for Charlie Partridge’s troops.

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Indianapolis will receive $19.9 million in federal grant funding for roadway and pedestrian safety improvements, enabling the city to upgrade parts of Post Road and 30th Street.

The funds make up a large portion of the $26 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation earmarked for 13 Indiana communities through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which was signed into law in 2021, created the roadway safety program.

Indianapolis’ funds will go to the design and construction of upgrades to arterial streets and these six corridors, according to a release:

• Post Road between Washington Street & 38th Street
• East 30th Street between Rural Street & Franklin Road
• Lynhurst Drive between Morris Street & West 22nd Street
• East 42nd Street between Franklin Road & Mitthoefer Road
• Franklin Road between 30th & 42nd Street
• Thompson Road between East Street & Madison Avenue 

The project includes allocations for improving or constructing 11 miles of sidewalk, 18 mid-block crossings and 538 curb ramps. Funds will also be earmarked for 71 bus boarding areas.

Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement the new federal grant money from the Safe Streets and Roads for All program is significant.

“As a recipient of a grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, Indianapolis can keep its focus on a future where none of our neighbors lose a loved one in a preventable traffic crash,” he said. “This grant will allow us to make dramatic changes in the lives of many of our residents by ensuring that they feel safe any time they take a walk, ride their bike, or wait for public transit.”

In recent months, community leaders and city councilors have started to embrace pedestrian safety culture by backing Vision Zero initiatives, an international street safety concept that aims to prevent all pedestrian deaths from car crashes.

City administrators have actively been exploring street safety measures. The city commissioned engineering firm WSP to study safety measures on 38th Street, a major arterial road connecting Indianapolis’ east and west sides.

More: Speed limits on I-465 will soon change based on traffic conditions. Here’s what to know.

The study will help the city explore options like implementing new signal timings that will reduce speeds and considering reducing the number of lanes on the street, according to Kyle Bloyd, spokesperson for Indianapolis’ Department of Public Works.

In a budget pitch before the DOT award announcement, Mayor Joe Hogsett proposed allocating each city-county councilor $1 million to address up to three of their most hazardous intersections for improvement in their districts. The funds could also be divided for park improvements, according to staff.

Michael McDaniel is the city government reporter at IndyStar. He can be reached at mmcdaniel@indystar.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures could make a run at 90° later this week.

This morning:

Comfortably cool and quiet conditions across the area this morning, with temperatures hovering into the upper 40s and low 50s.

Monday:

Quiet weather today and still relatively comfortable. Look for temperatures to be about 5 to 10° warmer than what we experienced Sunday afternoon, with highs pushing into the upper 70s to around 80°.

Monday night:

Humidity will remain low and the conditions remain quiet heading into the evening and overnight hours. Low should dip down to the low to mid-50s.

Tuesday:

The warming trend will continue as we head through the middle of the week. Humidity will remain low for our Tuesday afternoon, but temperatures will be back to above-average levels. High should reach close to the mid-80s Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday:

Warmer temperatures are on the way for Wednesday, with highs back to near 90°. Dew point temperatures still remain in the lower end, so humidity is not a big factor heading into Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday:

Thursday will likely be the hottest day, but humidity again remains relatively low. High temperatures should top out around 90°.

Needed rain on the way?

Some much-needed rain chances could return for the end of the week and into the weekend thanks to a tropical system that is right now hanging out in the Gulf of Mexico. Now this tropical system likely makes landfall around Texas by midweek and eventually fills into the Midwest by late week. As the case is usually with tropical systems, this could potentially bring some heavy rainfall, which wouldn’t be a bad thing across our area since we’ve been running pretty dry. The best chances for rain right now appeared to be Friday afternoon and evening, but some of that rain could carry over into Saturday and possibly even into Sunday as well. Seven-day rainfall estimates put the heaviest rainfall axis in the southern half of the state and then south of the Ohio River.

7 day forecast:

Meanwhile, temperatures should fall back to near-normal levels thanks to this tropical system moving in with highs into the lower 80s as we head into the weekend and early next week.