Colts hope to rebound from 2nd loss while the Falcons try to regroup from 3-game skid in Berlin

Atlanta (3-5) vs. Indianapolis (7-2) in Berlin, Germany

Sunday, 9:30 a.m. EST, NFL Network

BetMGM NFL Odds: Colts by 6 1/2

Against the spread: Falcons 4-4; Colts 6-3

Series record: Colts lead 15-3.

Last meeting: Falcons beat Colts 29-10 in Atlanta on Dec. 24, 2023.

Last week: Falcons lost to Patriots 24-23; Colts lost to Steelers 27-20.

Falcons offense: overall (15), rush (15), pass (15), scoring (28).

Falcons defense: overall (4), rush (23), pass (1), scoring (T-13).

Colts offense: overall (2), rush (8), pass (T-2), scoring (1).

Colts defense: overall (16), rush (4), pass (26), scoring (7).

Turnover differential: Falcons plus-4; Colts plus-3.

QB Michael Penix Jr. The former Indiana Hoosier returned from a bruised bone in his left knee last week and delivered a strong performance. He was 22 of 37 with 221 yards, three touchdown passes and 19 yards rushing. But he's struggled to string good performances together in back-to-back games this season. If the Colts continue to be a high-scoring team, Penix will need to be on top of his game.

CB Sauce Gardner. The New York Jets traded the two-time All-Pro to Indy on Tuesday, giving him less than 48 hours to get acclimated to his new team before heading to Berlin. He cleared the concussion protocol Thursday and coach Shane Steichen had said if he did, he would likely play Sunday. That means his first appearance with the Colts will come in Europe, giving everyone a chance to see how quickly he picks up the new defensive scheme — and how much he can help this ailing pass defense.

Falcons run defense vs. Jonathan Taylor. Despite gaining only 45 yards against the Steelers, Taylor still leads the NFL in rushing. Time will tell whether it was just a blip — or if the Steelers created a blueprint to contain him in future games. Taylor and the Colts will have something to prove with what a likely run-heavy strategy against a run defense that is allowing 124.4 yards per game. If the Falcons continue to struggle against the run, it's could be a big game for Taylor.

Falcons: Guard Matthew Bergeron (ankle), LB Leonard Floyd (hamstring) and OT Storm Norton (foot) did not practice Wednesday or Thursday though guard Chris Lindstrom (foot) was a limited participant Thursday after sitting out Wednesday. ... LB J.D. Bertrand (knee), CB Mike Hughes (neck) and DT LaCale London (shoulder) were limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday. ... S Jessie Bates (knee) and DT Zach Harrison (knee) were limited participants Thursday after doing all the work Wednesday.

Colts: Indy announced Thursday that Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner will not travel with the team because of a neck injury that has kept him out of practice. DEs Samson Ebukam (knee) and Tyquan Lewis (groin) and receiver-kick returner Anthony Gould (knee) continue to miss games. CB Kenny Moore II (Achilles tendon) and WR Michael Pittman Jr. (glute) returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday.

The Colts won the first 10 games in the series from 1966-89. Since then, the rare matchups have evened out. Atlanta got its first win in 1998 and is 3-5 over the past 27 years. ... The Falcons are 1-7 as the road team but the series has never been played at a neutral site. ... Atlanta's career passing leader, Matt Ryan, played his first 14 NFL seasons with the Falcons. He played his final season in Indy. ... The Colts have six players with Georgia connections while Atlanta has five players with Indiana ties.

Atlanta and Indy are playing their second international games in three years. Jacksonville defeated the Falcons 23-7 in London in 2023. The Colts defeated New England 10-6 in Frankfurt, Germany, also in ’23. Atlanta is 1-2 all time in international games. ... The Falcons have lost three straight and are tied for third among fewest sacks allowed (11) in the NFL. ... RB Bijan Robinson has not rushed for more than 40 yards or scored a touchdown since Oct. 13. ... WR Drake London has three 100-yard games this season, including last week's game in which he caught nine passes for 118 yards and a career-high 3 TDs. ... OT Jake Matthews has the league's longest active streak of consecutive regular-season games started at 186. ... S Jesse Bates III is one of five active NFL players with 25 or more interceptions. ... Rookie S Xavier Watts, a Notre Dame product, has 44 tackles and two interceptions this season. ... Last week, three Atlanta players (Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London and Jalon Walker) had multiple sacks in a single game. It was the first time the Falcons did that since 2005. ... Despite last week's six-turnover game, Indy still averages a league-high 3.25 points per drive — the league's fourth-best total since 2000. ... The Colts are the only team in the league to score 20 or more points nine times this season. ... Indy also has the sixth-best third down conversion rate (45%) and the best fourth down conversion percentage (88.2% on 15 of 17 chances). ... QB Daniel Jones leads the league with 2,404 yards passing. He's also thrown for a TD and run for a TD in four games this season. ... Taylor needs one TD run to break a tie with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore (63) and two pass Hall of Famer Edgerrin James for the most TD runs in franchise history. He also needs 105 yards for his fourth 1,000-yard season. ... With eight games remaining, Tyler Warren needs four catches to pass Dwayne Allen (45) for the franchise receptions record by a rookie tight end. He also needs 118 yards to pass Ken Dilger (635) for the second most by a Colts rookie tight end. ... Michael Pittman Jr. is the only receiver with a TD catch in six or more games this season. ... Indy's defense has allowed just seven points in the final two minutes of either half and just 2.04 yards per play in the red zone this season. ... The Colts have missed only one field goal all season.

Taylor. With the Colts looking to rebound after last week's performance, Colts coach Shane Steichen acknowledged he could have given Taylor more carries. Don't expect Steichen to make the same mistake again, and against a Falcons defense struggling against the run, Taylor is the safest play.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (5) scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) runs against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) runs against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) forces a fumble by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) during the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

MIAMI (AP) — It has been nearly three decades since a Democrat held the mayor’s office in Miami, a span of futility the party is hoping to reverse during a special runoff election this week in one of the last electoral showdowns before next year’s midterms.

While it is a local race, this election has become the latest test of the nation’s political mood nearly a year into President Donald Trump’s second term.

Trump and other big-name Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott, have weighed in for the conservative candidate, former city manager Emilio Gonzalez, in the otherwise nonpartisan race. Nationally known Democrats, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have offered support on behalf of Eileen Higgins, a Democrat who served on the county commission before winning a runoff spot last month.

An upset for the Democrats on Tuesday would give the party an additional burst of momentum heading into a crucial election year when control of Congress will be at stake, especially in a region that has become increasingly friendly turf for Republicans and where Trump plans to build his presidential library.

Higgins, who lives in the Cuban enclave of Little Havana and had represented a district that leans conservative, proudly wears the label of “La Gringa,” a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans. A Spanish speaker herself, Higgins has focused her campaign relentlessly on local issues such as the cost of housing while capitalizing on national ones, including the treatment of immigrants under the Trump administration in a city with sizable Hispanic and foreign-born populations.

“I have been a Democrat serving in a primarily Republican district, and all I have done is work for the people,” she told The Associated Press.

Miami is Florida’s second most populous city, behind Jacksonville, but is the epicenter of the state’s diverse culture and is among the nation’s most prominent international destinations, giving its mayor an outsize platform.

The city of 487,000 is part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped last year, handily defeating Democrat Kamala Harris after losing the county to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. A loss for Gonzalez would be perceived in Florida as a setback for the GOP and Trump.

Christian Ulvert, Higgins’ campaign manager, said early returns of mail ballots are encouraging. About 44% had been cast by registered Democrats as of Thursday, a day before early in-person voting began, compared with about 30% by registered Republicans.

“What you’re seeing is great Democratic enthusiasm and turnout that matches that enthusiasm,” he said.

Higgins, who would be the first non-Hispanic mayor of Miami in almost 30 years if elected, said she is confident she will receive support not only from Democrats, but also from unaffiliated voters and some Republicans because of her work as an elected official.

Her pitch to voters includes finding city-owned land that could be turned into affordable housing and cutting unnecessary spending. She was asked during a recent forum sponsored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce if she would try to turn the more ceremonial role of mayor into a full-time job and not take on other work, something that raised ethical concerns for the current mayor, term-limited Francis Suarez.

“I do not have outside employment now. I was a full-time commissioner. I’m going to be a full-time mayor,” Higgins said as the interviewer continued to press her about whether that meant not accepting any outside employment.

In a blunt-talking style, Higgins responded sternly: “All right, do I have to say it more clearly? No! It’s a full-time job.”

While Latino voters nationally have traditionally leaned Democratic, Republicans in Florida have found strong backing among Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan immigrants, who resist socialist inclinations likened to the ones from the governments they fled. Trump tapped into those sentiments in winning Miami-Dade County last year, a turnaround from his 30 percentage point loss there to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Yet some Florida Republicans began sounding the alarm after November’s elections, when Democrats secured wins in nationally watched governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. Both winning candidates had strong performances with nonwhite voters, and the Democratic winner in the New Jersey race received two-thirds of the Hispanic vote, according to the AP Voter Poll.

Those results were largely seen as a reflection of concerns over rising prices and the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican whose district includes the city of Miami, called the elections elsewhere a “wake-up call.” Ileana Garcia, a Florida state senator who in 2016 founded the group Latinas for Trump, has said about immigration arrests that “what we are witnessing is inhumane.”

Gonzalez, a former director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Republican President George W. Bush, said during a debate sponsored by Miami's CBS affiliate that he supported immigration arrests against those who committed crimes. But he demurred when the moderator said most of those arrested had not committed violent offenses: “But this is a federal issue," Gonzalez said. "This is not an issue that has to do with the mayor of Miami.”

Higgins has spoken about Miami’s signing on to a federal program that delegates immigration authority to local police, county sheriffs and state agencies and said she would find legal options to unwind that decision to rebuild trust between residents and law enforcement.

“When we start to enforce whatever shenanigans is coming out of the federal government to just randomly pick people up, we could erode that trust,” she said.

Higgins has received support from Florida Democrats looking to show the party still has a foothold in the formerly swing state.

Some Democrats who could be considering a presidential run in 2028 also are backing her campaign. Buttigieg encouraged voters in a video to make a plan to vote for her, and U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona planned to join her on Sunday for early voting stops.

Many of the local issues at play in the race resonate nationally, including income inequality and one of the nation’s least affordable housing markets.

Gustavo Ascani, a 30-year-old Miami voter, said the city has long-standing problems that need addressing. He said he has not decided whom he will vote for, but said tackling homelessness and traffic is a priority for him.

“Maybe Republicans have overlooked, after having locally been in power for so long, certain issues that are important for the people in Miami,” Ascani said.

Robin Peguero, a former prosecutor who is running for the chance to challenge Salazar for her congressional seat, said voters’ concerns center around affordability, an issue that has become a focal point of both parties after Democrats' wins in New Jersey and Virginia.

That includes the sharp health insurance premium spikes expected to start Jan. 1 after subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expire. The Obama-era health law remains popular in South Florida, and recent polling shows most people who will be affected by the increases blame Trump and Republicans.

“It’s kitchen table issues, whether it’s an election for local officials or whether there is an election for the president,” Peguero said. “It’s a rejection of what is happening in this country.”

Gustavo Ascani, a digital content creator, speaks about the upcoming Miami mayor runoff election, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner and candidate for Miami mayor Eileen Higgins, speaks at a Miami Chamber of Commerce event Thursday, Dec. 4, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

FILE - Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, laughs with Emilio Gonzalez, director and chief executive officer of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, center, and Jose "Pepe" Diaz, Miami-Dade County commissioner, left, after a news conference at Miami International Airport, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner and candidate for Miami mayor Eileen Higgins, speaks at a Miami Chamber of Commerce event Thursday, Dec. 4, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)