Lamar Jackson has spent enough time tormenting Lou Anarumo’s defenses to make Week 1 feel less like a debut and more like a familiar problem with a new wrinkle.
That wrinkle is Baltimore’s “brand new” offense, as Jackson described it, with first-time play caller Declan Doyle taking over. The Ravens are also bringing an offensive line that has never played together before, and the interior could be a real issue. Add in a group of rookie pass catchers making their own debuts, and there’s plenty here for Doyle to sort through before the ball is even snapped.
But if there’s one thing that has consistently bothered Anarumo, it’s Jackson on the move.
Against defenses coached by Anarumo, Jackson has averaged 10 carries for 66 yards, and he has run the ball at least nine times in six of their last seven meetings. That hasn’t just been option football for the sake of option football.
It’s been a way for Jackson to keep drives alive and keep Baltimore on schedule. Even now with Anarumo in Indianapolis, the issue has not gone away.
The Colts’ numbers against quarterback runs in 2025 underline the concern: 21st in EPA (0.20), 31st in success rate (31.6%), and 29th in third-down conversion (78.9%).
So how much will Jackson run in Week 1? Probably a lot, depending on how the game unfolds.
Doyle is almost certainly building designed runs into the plan, with enough of them on the call sheet to test a defense that has had trouble handling that kind of pressure before. If Jackson ends up with 10 carries in a close game, that would not be a surprise.
Baltimore is also expected to lean heavily on 11 personnel early this season, largely because the Ravens do not appear to have tight ends they fully trust in every phase of the game. Josh Cuevas and Matthew Hibner may line up at tight end, but the expectation is that they’ll function more like slot receivers than true in-line blockers. In that sense, they’re Jokers - listed as tight ends, used as receivers.
There’s a belief that the box score after this game could show plenty of 12 and 13 personnel, but the idea is that these rookies are being asked to create matchup problems, not to play traditional tight end football just yet. Cynthia Frelund agreed with that view on “The Daily Flock” last week.
That also connects to another place Jackson has carved up Anarumo’s defenses: throwing to tight ends. Jackson has gone 70-for-97 against Anarumo-coached defenses for a 72.2% completion rate, nine touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 127.4 rating.
Mark Andrews made a living doing damage in those matchups, and while he’s not as fast or spry as he once was, the Ravens still seem likely to lean into the same kind of first-down play-action bootleg looks that showed up for the rookie tight ends in the preseason.
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Buchanans comeback from a torn ACL is moving in the right direction as well, giving Baltimore a pair of defensive situations to monitor right up to kickoff. On the other side, Colts receiver Alec Pierce is also trending toward playing after ankle surgery, which only adds to the importance of whatever the Ravens can or cannot get back on defense before the first snap of the season. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the forecast more interesting is how much it could ripple through the rest of the roster. If Gwyn settles into that role, Baltimore could be looking at a linchpin for stability up front, while other bold calls around Matthew Hibner and Nate Wiggins speak to how many young players are suddenly in line to define the next version of the team. It is still a speculative exercise, but the Ravens 2026 outlook may end up hinging on a starter few outside the building had penciled in this early. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Fans Just Got A Wild Super Bowl Flashback With Meaning Now
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Baltimore has reasons to think bigger this fall, too. Jesse Minter is settling in as the new head coach, Eric DeCosta has continued reshaping the roster, and the preseason buzz has already pushed the Ravens into the conversation as a Super Bowl contender again. So a random power outage may have been just a TV timeout to everyone else, but for Ravens fans it was a reminder of how one odd delay once preceded something far more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]