The Ravens open the season with a set of advantages that are hard to ignore, even on the road in Week 1.
Baltimore comes in with a clean injury report aside from the two defensive starters it already knew would be out in the opener - Nnamdi Madubuike and Teddye Buchanan. The Colts, meanwhile, are dealing with three of their top players coming off major surgery, and there’s still uncertainty about how those guys will hold up Sunday.
That matters in a game that already has plenty of unknowns. The Ravens are projected by the sports books and experts to win the AFC North, while the Colts are not favored to take the usually-lowly AFC South. And even with rookie head coach Jesse Minter and rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle making their first trip into this kind of setting, Baltimore is still expected to win.
It won’t be simple. There are obvious reasons the Colts can make this uncomfortable. But the Ravens also bring a few major edges into the opener, starting with Lamar Jackson.
No position in sports swings a game more than quarterback, and Jackson is as dangerous as anyone in the league. He’s getting a fast track in a dome, he’s operating in what he calls a “brand-new” offense, and that element of surprise can matter in Week 1.
Add in the fact that Lamar is 9-1 against Colts coordinator Lou Anarumo, and you can see why Baltimore likes this matchup. Jackson also has a history of running all over Anarumo’s defenses.
Baltimore also has a matchup piece on defense that could loom large: Kyle Hamilton. The Colts don’t have many impact linebackers, and their top defensive tackle is making his first appearance back from neck surgery. That puts pressure on Doyle to find ways to create offense.
Hamilton is the kind of hybrid defender who can wreck a game from just about anywhere near the line of scrimmage. He’s long, smart, and comfortable affecting the ball in multiple ways.
The expectation is that Minter will borrow from Mike Macdonald’s approach from the 2023 game against the Colts, when Hamilton was used all over the formation and caused real problems for Shane Steichen’s offense. He came off left end, the left slot, right end and right slot, knocked passes down before they crossed the line, and finished with three sacks.
No one is saying he has to duplicate that performance, but he should be central to the plan and blitzed often.
Then there’s Daniel Jones, who the Colts believe is ahead of schedule after his Achilles injury. But there’s still a real physical and mental hurdle in a return like this, especially so soon.
It usually takes at least half a season before a player is fully himself again, and it’s tough to picture fringe-MVP-candidate Jones looking fully right in his first game back against a real NFL defense. That means the Colts may have to adjust on the fly depending on what he looks like Sunday.
Alec Pierce is another variable. He missed most of the summer with a tricky ankle issue, and Indianapolis needs him to be a real deep threat if it’s going to attack Baltimore the way it has to in order to win. Even if he’s only out there as a decoy, the Colts need something from him.
Doyle also has the disadvantage of being as well-prepared as he’ll ever be. This is his first game in this role, and with so many rookies involved in the offense, there isn’t much real NFL film for opponents to study. Anarumo can adjust if the Colts start to do things outside the expected script, but in a game that figures to be tight, the team with the lead has the edge.
Baltimore could very well come out sharp and then face a tougher fight once the Colts and their staff settle in and start reacting to what Minter and Doyle are doing. And long term, the Ravens will have to manage a roster with a lot of older players and the wear that comes with an NFL season. But none of that changes the reality in Week 1.
In Other News...
Lamar Jackson Looks Reborn In Ravens Offense But One Concern Looms
Lamar Jackson opened the season looking every bit like the version of himself the Ravens had been waiting for. In Baltimores Week 1 victory, he completed 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another score, a strong reminder of how dangerous he can be when the offense is working around his full skill set. The offseason hire of Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator already appears to have made a difference, helping Jackson bounce back after a difficult previous season and get the ball to multiple playmakers in rhythm.
Zay Flowers was one of the biggest beneficiaries, catching five passes for 150 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. His early exit introduced the kind of concern that can change the tone of an otherwise encouraging opener, especially for an offense that looked far more explosive with Jackson distributing the ball across the field. The Ravens got the kind of start they wanted from their quarterback, but the health of one of his top targets will now be worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Zay Flowers Exit Leaves Ravens Facing An Immediate Passing Game Concern
Zay Flowers had already given the Ravens exactly the kind of explosive start they wanted in Week 1 against Indianapolis, piling up five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. He was listed as questionable to return at halftime and was spotted on the sideline without a helmet as the second half began, a frustrating turn for a Baltimore passing game that had leaned on his big-play ability early.
For a Ravens offense that has spent much of camp trying to sharpen its aerial rhythm, losing Flowers in the middle of such a productive afternoon was an immediate concern. His availability for the rest of the game was the first question, but the larger one was how Baltimore would handle the passing attack if the injury kept him from being a full-participant going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Enter Week 1 With One Big Question Against The Colts
The Ravens open their season on the road against the Colts, and the biggest storyline is the first game of the Jesse Minter era after the club moved on from longtime coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore kept its core intact, including Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and also added veteran help on the edge with Calais Campbell and Trey Hendrickson, giving this roster a familiar backbone even as the sideline changes around it.
Indianapolis brings its own set of questions into Week 1 after a season that started well before fading late, and the hope there is that better health from players such as Daniel Jones and DeForest Buckner can spark a rebound. For Baltimore, though, this feels like an early test of how quickly a new coaching staff can settle in, especially on the road against a team that believes it still has more upside than it showed a year ago. [Read more 🡒]