Nate Wiggins didn’t just have a solid opener for the Ravens. He put together the kind of Week 1 that makes you start talking about him as the corner Baltimore has been waiting for.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Baltimore’s 41-23 win, Wiggins erased his side of the field. He was targeted twice and allowed zero catches. That’s the kind of line that jumps off the page, especially for a young corner trying to take the next step.
The Ravens’ defense had some uneven moments against Jonathan Taylor, but the back end did its job. Daniel Jones finished 19-for-31 for 166 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, along with a 72.8 passer rating. Against Baltimore’s secondary, he never really found much room to work.
Wiggins was at the center of that. He finished with 34 coverage snaps and, according to Next Gen Stats, was the only corner in Week 1 with at least 25 coverage snaps to allow 0 receptions. That’s a clean day at the office, and it came with a pass breakup that looked every bit like a corner winning on timing, positioning, and confidence.
The Ravens even highlighted the play on social media, and the message was simple: “LET'S GO NATE!!!”
For Baltimore, this matters because the cornerback room needed someone to rise. The safeties are not the question heading into 2026; the bigger issue has been getting enough from the corners. Wiggins looked like the answer on Sunday.
That’s a sharp turn from last season, when he struggled badly and allowed the second-most yards in coverage in the NFL. It made his development one of the biggest offseason storylines. Baltimore took him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Week 1 offered a reminder of why.
There’s also a clear change behind him. The Ravens moved from Zach Orr calling the defense to head coach Jesse Minter running it, and that shift matters for the secondary.
Minter’s track record with the Los Angeles Chargers was strong: over two seasons as defensive coordinator, his defenses never allowed more than 206.9 passing yards per game. The year before he returned to Charm City, that unit gave up the fifth-fewest passing yards in the league at 179.9 per game.
That’s a very different picture from Baltimore’s 2025 pass defense, which tied for the second-worst mark in the league at 247.9 passing yards per game.
Wiggins had already shown flashes before. As a rookie, he picked off 1 pass for a pick-six, broke up 13 more, and earned a 72.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Last season was a setback, but Sunday suggested the talent never went anywhere.
There’s still a long way to go, and the Colts’ receiver group wasn’t exactly loaded. Alec Pierce was also dealing with a heel injury. But Wiggins still delivered a performance that stood out.
He’ll get another test in Week 2, when the Ravens are expected to see plenty of Chris Olave and the New Orleans Saints. If Wiggins keeps trending this way, that matchup should tell us even more about just how real this breakout can be.
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That approach makes sense because the Saints did not look like a soft landing in their Week 1 loss to the Lions. New Orleans moved the ball well enough to remind opponents that an opening-week defeat does not always mean an easy follow-up, and that is the sort of early-season wrinkle the Ravens have learned not to brush aside. Baltimore is favored, but this is the kind of matchup fans have seen wobble before, which is why the focus inside the locker room has been on the job ahead rather than the record next to the opponent's name. [Read more 🡒]