Week 1 against the Ravens is going to tell the Indianapolis Colts plenty about who they really are.
This is a team that enters 2026 with a healthy Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor and DeForest Buckner, which means the excuses are running out fast. The Colts have enough talent to win this opener, but Baltimore is a real test right out of the gate. And if Indianapolis is going to quiet the people who still think it isn’t all that good, the first game of the season is the place to do it.
The biggest questions start with Jones. He tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season and was limited until training camp, when he became a full participant.
He sat out the preseason, but that wasn’t really a surprise. Jones already knows Shane Steichen’s offense, so the work in practice was enough.
What remains unclear is whether he can still move the way he used to. His legs have always been a sneaky important part of his game, and after he broke his fibula last season before the Achilles injury, it was obvious that limited mobility changes what he can do.
The expectation is that he’ll be fine. The Ravens will be the first real answer.
Another major storyline is Sauce Gardner and whether he can start turning coverage into takeaways. He’s already one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, but the interception totals haven’t matched the reputation.
In four seasons, Gardner has just three picks, and two came in his rookie year. Still, opposing quarterbacks don’t exactly avoid him because they want to; they avoid him because he clamps down so well.
He’s allowed just 54.1 percent of the passes thrown his way to be completed on 244 targets. Gardner has talked this offseason about wanting more interceptions.
Week 1 is the first chance to see if that turns into reality.
Then there’s the defense around him, which looks different after the offseason departures of linebacker Zaire Franklin, safety Nick Cross and edge rusher Kwity Paye. The Colts wanted more athleticism on that side of the ball, but Baltimore is a tough place to measure that idea.
The rookies are also not expected to make a huge impact in this matchup. CJ Allen has already been injured twice before the season, which has slowed his growth, and safety AJ Haulcy has been banged up as well.
So the question is simple: do the changes actually make the defense better?
On offense, the Colts also have to figure out what life looks like without Michael Pittman Jr. The easy assumption is that preseason addition Keenan Allen steps into that role, but that’s not really how this should work.
Pittman was getting too many targets before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the offseason, and Alec Pierce needs more involvement. Pierce, though, had ankle surgery in March and has only recently returned to practice.
That means the passing game could be messy early, with Tyler Warren likely seeing a major bump in targets and Allen not coming close to the 111 Pittman got in 2025 from the Indianapolis Colts.
All of that leads to the biggest question of all: do the Colts actually look like a playoff team?
This is a make-or-break year for a lot of people in the organization, and Indianapolis needs a fast start. The team had one last season before injuries and a much tougher level of competition dragged things off course.
The schedule doesn’t ease up now. Baltimore comes first, then the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, and more difficult opponents after that.
The Ravens missed the postseason last year, but they were dealing with injuries of their own, and when healthy they’re absolutely capable of getting there. If the Colts handle Week 1, it could be the beginning of something real.
In Other News...
Colts Week 1 Matchup Just Changed In A Big Way
The Colts Week 1 trip to Baltimore already had plenty of intrigue, and now the matchup looks a little different up front. Ravens defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike will not play after a neck injury required surgery, a notable loss for a defense that likes to set the tone in the trenches. For Indianapolis, that could matter immediately, especially in a game where Jonathan Taylor and the Colts run game figure to be central to the plan.
Indianapolis still has its own questions to sort through, of course, with DeForest Buckner anchoring one side of the line and Quenton Nelson again set to be a major factor in how the offense holds up. Tanor Bortolini is part of that conversation too as the Colts keep working through the details that always matter in an opener. But Madubuikes absence removes one of Baltimores most disruptive pieces, and it gives the Colts a little more room to attack a test that was never going to be simple. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Add A Defensive Piece Theyve Wanted For A While
The Colts quietly filled a roster need they had been monitoring for a while when they claimed Kapena Gushiken after the Eagles waived him at the end of training camp. Indianapolis plans to work him primarily at nickel defensive back, with special teams also part of the picture, which gives the newcomer a clear lane as he tries to settle into a team looking for added flexibility on the back end.
Gushikens immediate task is less about making a splash and more about absorbing the Colts defensive playbook as quickly as possible. For a player coming in after training camp, the challenge is jumping from a different system into one that can ask plenty from the nickel spot, and the early focus will be on getting comfortable enough to help wherever the coaching staff needs him most. [Read more 🡒]
3 Colts Who Could Decide Whether Week 1 Gets Away Fast
The Colts do not have to look far to find the players whose first regular-season snaps could say a lot about how far this opener can go. Jalen Travis is moving into a full-time starting job at right tackle, Arden Key is part of the defensive end rotation the defense will lean on against Baltimore, and Justin Walley is set to open the year as the nickel cornerback after missing his rookie season because of injury.
Each one is stepping into a role that carries more weight than a normal Week 1 assignment. Travis has to help stabilize the edge, Key has to bring dependable pressure and run support, and Walley has to hold up in the slot in a game where the Ravens can force defenses to cover every inch of the field. If one of those spots wobbles early, the Colts could be chasing the game fast, and the way those three handle the moment may matter well beyond Sunday. [Read more 🡒]