Indianapolis Colts Miss the Playoffs for the Fifth Straight Season The Indianapolis Colts (8-7) have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. The Houston Texans (11-5) beat the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) by the final of 20-16 on Saturday inside SoFi Stadium to clinch a spot in the AFC Playoffs. Entering Saturday, the Colts knew they would be eliminated from playoff contention if the Texans beat the Chargers. This is now the fifth straight season that the Colts have missed the playoffs. The last time Indianapolis made the playoffs was back in the 2020 season. The Colts have just two games remaining in the 2025 regular season. They host the Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) this afternoon at 1 p.m. They will then wrap up the regular season the following weekend at the Texans.
Indiana Pacers drop their Eight Straight Game Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each scored 28 points, and the Miami Heat ran away in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 142-116 on Saturday night. Norman Powell scored 23 for the Heat, who won for the second consecutive night. Miami outscored Indiana 44-22 in the final quarter, after leading 98-94 going into the last 12 minutes. Miami had 83 points in the second half and had a 60-23 edge in bench scoring. Nikola Jovic scored 19 for Miami, with the Heat outscoring Indiana by 35 points in his 25 minutes. The Heat scored at least 140 points for the sixth time this season and seventh time in 2025, after reaching 140 points seven times — combined — from 1988 through 2024.
Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith returned after missing 19 games with a shoulder injury. He scored nine points in 19 minutes. “He has worked extremely hard to get back to this point,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “And so now we’ve got to navigate this thing the right way.” The Heat were again without Tyler Herro (toe) and Bam Adebayo (back). Both are progressing, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Herro has been limited to six games this season and has missed nine of Miami’s last 10 — while Adebayo has missed the last two, with nagging things that were turning into bigger issues. “He really needed this time … he’s dealing with some (things) because of overcompensation,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo. “I think he’s feeling a lot better each day.” The Pacers remain on the road tomorrow night when they take on the Houston Rockets.
ECHL Players Strike Ends after two days and Three Indy Fuel Games Postponed The ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association have a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement to end a strike that lasted two days. The league and union on Saturday night announced the deal that still needs to be ratified by the board of governors and the full player membership. A total of 28 games had been postponed Friday and Saturday since the PHPA went on strike. The sides released no details about the CBA that they believe will bring players back to work. They had been engaged in talks since January. It was not immediately clear when play would resume in the 30-team North American minor hockey league two tiers below the NHL.
In two separate social media posts made Saturday the Indy Fuel announced the scheduled away game that night against the Wheeling Nailers and the Dec. 28 home game against the Toledo Walleye had been postponed. The announcements came less than 24 hours after the postponement of the Fuel’s away game Friday night against in-state rival Fort Wayne, along with twelve other ECHL games. Tickets purchased for Sunday’s home game against the Walleye will be honored on the rescheduled date, the team said in a statement.
During the strike, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association, which represents ECHL players, cited travel for back-to-back games, a holiday break, guaranteed contracts, health benefits during the offseason and player compensation as unresolved issues. The PHPA claimed the ECHL’s offer “failed to meaningfully address key health, safety, and economic issues and misrepresented the impact of the proposed financial changes.” Meanwhile, the league said its offer made on Dec. 25 was the best offer and that “any future offers likely will need to account for losses in revenue attributable to missed games from a player strike.” “This deal rewards players and ensures the sustainability of our teams and league so that it can continue to offer an entertaining and financially accessible product to our fans and provide our incredible players with as many opportunities to play and compete,” a statement from the ECHL read in part.
Indianapolis Colts announce Sauce Gardner and Bernhard Raimann are Available for Today’s Game vs Jacksonville The Indianapolis Colts have released an injury report update and announced roster moves ahead of the team’s penultimate regular season game this afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts say cornerback Sauce Garner and offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann are expected to play during the team’s home matchup against the Jaguars. Meanwhile, wide receiver Ashton Dulin has been activated from the injured reserve list and is also expected to play Sunday. Dulin has been on IR since Nov. 25 after suffering a hamstring injury.
Gardner, who was acquired by the team at the trade deadline in a deal that sent Adonai Mitchell and two draft picks to the New York Jets, has not played since injuring his calf during Indy’s Nov. 30 loss to the Houston Texans. Raimann injured his elbow during the team’s Dec. 14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and did not play during the Dec. 22 game against the 49ers. On the heels of Friday’s announcement that the team was shutting down defensive tackle DeForest Buckner for the year after he aggravated a neck injury during the 49ers game, the Colts announced they have also placed wide receiver Anthony Gould and tight end Drew Ogletree on injured reserve. Gould injured his foot during the Dec. 7 game against Jacksonville and has not played since. Ogletree injured his neck during the Dec. 22 game against the 49ers. The team also signed defensive tackle Chris Wormley to the 53-man roster and elevated center Jimmy Morrissey and guard Josh Sills to the active roster from the practice squad. The Colts are set to square off against AFC South rival Jacksonville at Lucas Oil Stadium today at 1 p.m.
Noblesville Boom Falls at Home to the Texas Legends The Noblesville Boom (1-2), NBA G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers, fell to the Texas Legends, 122-112, on Saturday night at The Arena at Innovation Mile. Jalen Slawson delivered a career performance, leading the Boom with a personal-best 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while adding eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Kyle Guy posted 23 points and a career-high 15 assists, and Au’Diese Toney contributed a season-high 21 points along with six rebounds. Miles Kelly powered the Legends with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 7-of-11 from three-point range. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who recently spent time with the Indiana Pacers, finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Sheldon Edwards added 24 points, while Dalano Banton recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists.
After shaking off early rust, the Legends edged out a two-point lead (27-25) at the end of the first quarter, thanks to 11 points from Sheldon Edwards. Jalen Slawson kept the Boom close with 12 first-quarter points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, including two made threes. Noblesville surged in the second quarter, opening the frame on a 22-2 run to build an 18-point lead with 5:36 remaining. After weathering an eight-point burst from Texas, the Boom closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 60-42 advantage into the break. The Legends clawed back in the third quarter behind Kelly’s 16 points, trimming the deficit to 12 (93-81) entering the fourth. Trailing by 14 early in the final period, Texas stormed back with a decisive 28-6 run, seizing an eight-point lead with 3:38 left. During the surge, the Legends claimed their first lead since the opening quarter. The Boom struggled in the fourth, shooting just 1-of-6 from deep and 0-of-4 from the free-throw line, as Texas outscored Noblesville 41-19 to secure the win. The Boom wrap up their two-game homestand against the Grand Rapids Gold today at The Arena at Innovation Mile. Coverage will be available live on NBA TV, tipping off at 5 p.m.
Notre Dame Defensive Back Karson Hobbs to Enter the Transfer Portal On Saturday it was reported that Notre Dame defensive back, Karson Hobbs, will enter the transfer portal. Hobbs had a rough start to the Notre Dame football season in 2025. While no single player can be blamed for either of Notre Dame’s two losses in 2025, Karson Hobbs’s dropped interception late against Texas A&M is a moment that will haunt Notre Dame fans for quite some time. While it was similar to DJ Brown’s dropped interception against Ohio State in 2023 that would have won the game for the Irish, Brown was a fifth-year senior.
Hobbs did improve over the course of the season, but it was in limited playing time as Dallas Golden replaced him on the depth chart at nickel behind DeVonta Smith. Of Notre Dame’s 8 transfer portal departures (so far) 5 of them are defensive backs. Notre Dame is still lined up to return an incredible secondary of Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Adon Shuler, and Tae Johnson next season along with guys like Luke Talich, Dallas Golden, and Mark Zachery. The Irish have almost annually dipped into the portal to pull out a nickel every year — and I expect them to do so once again this time around.