The Ravens know exactly where the danger starts in Week 1, and it starts with Jonathan Taylor. But if Baltimore wants to leave Lucas Oil Stadium with a win over the Indianapolis Colts, it can’t treat Taylor like the only problem on the field.
Indianapolis has other pieces that can swing the game, and Baltimore will have to handle them too. Tyler Warren, Bernhard Raimann, DeForest Buckner and Cam Bynum all give the Colts different ways to make life miserable for the Ravens.
Warren might be the most immediate threat after Taylor. The tight end came flying out of the gate in 2025, piling up 50 catches, 617 yards and 4 touchdowns over his first 10 games before the production dipped late.
Over his final seven games, he finished with 26 receptions, 200 yards and 1 touchdown. Baltimore will hope that late-season slide carries over.
Daniel Jones will be looking Warren’s way early. It’s his first game back after tearing his Achilles in December, so quick throws to Warren figure to be part of the plan as he settles in.
And once the ball is in Warren’s hands, the damage can come fast. He produced 474 of his 817 receiving yards after the catch, which ranked 13th in the NFL last season.
Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton will have plenty to do if Baltimore wants to keep Warren from turning short completions into chunk plays.
Up front, Bernhard Raimann is the tackle who could tell the story of Baltimore’s new pass rush. The Ravens brought in Trey Hendrickson, Zion Young and Calais Campbell after their 2025 pass rush was basically absent, and Raimann is the kind of test that shows whether that group is ready.
He posted an 82.0 PFF grade last season, good for 12th among offensive tackles, and he’ll be charged with protecting Jones’ blindside. If Baltimore can get past him, the backfield could get crowded in a hurry.
That matters even more because Jones may not look fully like himself right away. Achilles tears are brutal, and his ability to move and escape pressure could be limited in his first game back.
That puts a huge spotlight on Raimann, with Hendrickson likely seeing plenty of him. Week 1 feels like a big early assignment for Baltimore’s new edge group.
Then there’s DeForest Buckner, who could make the middle of the Ravens’ offensive line a problem zone right away. Baltimore is starting three new interior linemen on Sunday: center Jovaughn Gwyn, rookie guard Vega Ioane and veteran guard John Simpson.
That group has promise, but it’s unproven, and Buckner is the kind of rusher who can expose any hesitation. He had only 4 sacks last season, but his 74.9 pass-rush grade ranked 17th among interior defensive linemen, according to PFF.
The Ravens can’t afford the kind of interior trouble that hung around Lamar Jackson for much of the 2025 season. Gwyn, Ioane and Simpson have to hold up if Baltimore wants to keep Buckner from wrecking the pocket.
And finally, there’s Cam Bynum, a safety who brings takeaways and celebrations in equal measure. He led the Colts in turnovers in 2025 with 4 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery, and he’s exactly the kind of player who can change a game in one snap. Baltimore has to keep the ball away from him.
That’s especially true because the Ravens want to push explosive plays under offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. But in a game where turnovers could decide everything, the ball security piece has to come first. The numbers back that up: of the 13 teams with a positive turnover differential in 2025, 10 made the playoffs, and of the 15 teams with a winning record, 11 won the turnover margin.
Baltimore already knows Taylor is the headline. The rest of the Colts are the reason Week 1 could still get messy.
In Other News...
Zay Flowers Just Eased One Big Ravens Concern Before Week 1
Zay Flowers took a meaningful step for Baltimore on the second injury report of the 2026 season, going from limited to full participation after dealing with a hamstring injury. For a Ravens offense that wants its top receivers available and ready from the start, that kind of update matters even this early in the week, especially with Week 1 approaching and the usual early-season caution still in play.
The Colts also had a busy report, with A.J. Haulcy, Drew Ogletree, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Anthony Richardson all receiving status upgrades. Alec Pierce remained limited with a heel injury, though Indianapolis still expects him to play Sunday, leaving the biggest eye on Baltimore's side squarely on Flowers and whether the relief in his status holds through the rest of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Derrick Henry Just Earned Rare Praise That Ravens Fans Will Love
Scott Hanson, the longtime host of NFL RedZone, recently put Derrick Henry in some pretty rare company, and it is the kind of recognition Ravens fans can appreciate. Hanson singled out Henry as one of the greatest red zone players of the NFL RedZone era, mentioning him in the same breath as Christian McCaffrey while pointing to the kind of scoring presence that has defined Henrys career.
For Baltimore, the praise lands because Henry has already been exactly what the team hoped for when the field gets tight and the end zone gets close. He sits among the all-time leaders in rushing touchdowns and remains a major part of the Ravens offense, a reminder that even as the league keeps changing, Henry is still one of the toughest finishes in football to stop. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Open Week 1 With A Huge Nnamdi Madubuike Concern
The Ravens are heading into Week 1 with a notable hole in the middle of their defense, as defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will not play against the Colts while he continues to work back from neck surgery. Madubuike has returned to practice, but he has not yet cleared the full week of work needed to be available for game action, leaving Baltimore to open the season without one of its most important interior defenders.
There is still optimism that Madubuikes absence will be short-lived, which gives the situation a different feel than a long-term setback. Baltimore is also monitoring linebacker Teddy Buchanan, who did not fully practice this week as he continues recovering from ACL surgery, so the first week of the season already brings a little extra uncertainty to a defense that expected to have more answers by now. [Read more 🡒]