The Ravens open the season Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the early read from The Banner’s sports staff is pretty clear: Baltimore has enough talent to leave with a win, even if the first game of a new era doesn’t come out perfectly clean.
The biggest thread running through the picks is the battle on the ground. Kyle Goon sees a game built around run control, pointing to Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor as two of the league’s premier backs.
But with Henry working alongside Lamar Jackson, he believes Baltimore is set up to lean on the run more effectively than Indianapolis can with Daniel Jones, whose mobility remains limited as he returns from an Achilles injury. Goon also flagged the Colts’ defensive front, but said DeForest Buckner is “starting to age,” and that the Ravens’ retooled offensive line and Henry’s style should be too much for Indy to handle.
Giana Han expects the Ravens’ defense to arrive ahead of the offense, which was also the feel around training camp. That makes sense with so much change on Baltimore’s offensive side, since Jackson and most of the starters have not run Declan Doyle’s system in a real game.
Still, she pointed out that the defense is making a smoother transition because Jesse Minter’s system is much closer to Zach Orr’s than Doyle’s is to Todd Monken’s. Han’s pick: Ravens 27, Colts 14.
Jonas Shaffer urged some caution about writing off Indianapolis. The Colts, he noted, had the NFL’s best offense over the first two months of the 2025 season, and many of those key pieces are back.
Even so, he leaned Baltimore because of what he called a potentially elite defensive spine, with Travis Jones, Calais Campbell, Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks giving the Ravens an edge in the middle of the field. He also gave Baltimore the health advantage with Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers over Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce.
His pick: Ravens 27, Colts 21.
Childs Walker also saw reasons the Colts could make this uncomfortable. He pointed to premium front-seven pieces like DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu, along with Indianapolis’ 38-point showing against Jesse Minter’s Chargers defense last October.
But he said the injury picture still favors Baltimore, with Jones and Pierce both coming off significant injuries. Walker expects Minter to make life difficult for Jones, then Jackson and Henry to deliver enough explosive plays in Declan Doyle’s offense to get the Ravens to 1-0.
His pick: Ravens 27, Colts 20.
Brandon Weigel focused on the scale of Baltimore’s offseason changes: a new coaching staff, a new offensive scheme centered more on timing, and several new faces on the roster. He acknowledged that the Ravens may not look fully polished right away, especially with Lamar Jackson’s footwork changes, a rookie guard and a fourth-year center making his first career start on the interior line, and a defensive front that could be missing its best inside presence.
Even so, he landed on the same basic conclusion as the others: Baltimore still has the more talented roster. His pick: Ravens 23, Colts 21.
The guest picker, James Boyd of The Athletic, highlighted another matchup to watch: Ravens center Jovaughn Gwyn making his first NFL start against Colts nose tackle Grover Stewart. He said Indianapolis should have the edge there, but Baltimore still has Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry headlining the offense.
Boyd also noted Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s familiarity with Jackson from their years of meetings in Cincinnati; Jackson is 9-1 against Anarumo, with 22 touchdown passes and three interceptions in those matchups. On the other side, Boyd said Daniel Jones looked fully healthy leading up to the season after surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon nine months ago, and he did not view Jones’ play during Indianapolis’ 8-2 start last year as a fluke.
Even with that, Boyd still said it is hard to imagine Jones outplaying Jackson, even against Baltimore’s revamped offense under Declan Doyle.
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Zay Flowers Just Eased One Big Ravens Concern Before Week 1
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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
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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 🡒]