The Colts walked into their 2026 opener with a new look and a familiar result.
Indianapolis scored first inside Lucas Oil Stadium, but Baltimore took control almost immediately and rolled to a 41-23 win that once again put the Colts’ season-opening woes on display. The defeat was Indianapolis’ 11th in its last 13 season openers, with one tie mixed in.
The night began with a scripted start that actually worked for the Colts. Daniel Jones, making his first start back after the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season, dropped back seven times on a nine-play opening drive.
Indianapolis leaned on the pass early, and Jones hit Josh Downs on a 25-yard slant, then went back to him after using motion to identify man coverage for another 12-yard gain. Alec Pierce added a 13-yard catch to move the ball to first-and-goal, and Jonathan Taylor finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for the game’s first lead.
That was as good as it got for Indianapolis.
Baltimore answered with four touchdowns on its first five possessions, with the only interruption coming on a goal line stand by the Colts at the 3-yard line. The Ravens piled up 506 total yards, with 202 on the ground and 324 through the air, and quickly turned a one-score deficit into a runaway.
The swing started on Baltimore’s first scoring drive, which took just three plays. Lamar Jackson faked play action and hit Zay Flowers for a 49-yard gain down the left side, with Flowers beating rookie cornerback Justin Walley on his first NFL regular-season snap. Two plays later, Jackson kept it on a read option and scored from seven yards out to put Baltimore ahead 7-6 for good.
The Colts’ next possession unraveled in a hurry. Taylor was stopped for a 2-yard loss, and Jones’ next throw was picked off by Roquan Smith, giving Baltimore the ball in Colts territory.
A chop block penalty pushed the Ravens back from third-and-1 to third-and-16, but Jackson still found a way to rescue the series. What looked like a dead end at midfield turned into a 16-yard scramble after he slipped away from Arden Key and DeForest Buckner, then Jackson helped set up Derrick Henry’s 4-yard touchdown run three plays later.
Flowers kept burning the Colts secondary in the first half, finishing with five catches for 150 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown before leaving with a hamstring injury. Henry added a 32-yard touchdown later as Baltimore stretched a 6-0 deficit into a 28-6 lead in 20 minutes.
Indianapolis did have one defensive spark late in the second quarter. Key and Laiatu Latu combined to hit Jackson and force a fumble, which Buckner recovered inside the red zone.
Taylor turned that takeaway into points with a 10-yard run and a 3-yard touchdown, trimming the margin to 28-13. He finished with 98 rushing yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.
Still, Baltimore owned the half almost everywhere that mattered. The Ravens had 326 total yards before intermission, while the Colts managed just 112. Indianapolis opened the game with the kickoff and still spent most of the night chasing.
Henry kept the pressure on after halftime. Spencer Shrader kicked a 58-yard field goal on the Colts’ first drive of the second half, but Henry answered with his third touchdown, something he has done eight times in his career. He ended with 144 rushing yards on 24 carries and three scores, moving into third on the NFL’s all-time career rushing touchdowns list.
Jones added a late 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Warren to make the final score look a little less severe. He went 19 of 31 for 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and after the opening script he was held to 14 of 24 for 107 yards. Pierce led the Colts with four catches for 61 yards before leaving in the first quarter with a wrist injury.
The numbers told the rest of the story. Indianapolis went 3 for 10 on third down and finished with 251 total yards, less than half of Baltimore’s output.
The Colts now head to Kansas City for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Dating back to last season, Indianapolis has dropped eight straight games, and with only three primetime games on the schedule this year, the Colts cannot afford to keep digging the hole any deeper.
In Other News...
Colts Already Face One Ugly Question After Week 1 Collapse
The Colts season opener in Baltimore offered an early reminder that September can expose a lot more than just a final score. Indianapolis fell 41-23 to the Ravens, and the frustration came not only from the loss itself but from the way the defense handled the game, especially in the secondary. With veteran Kenny Moore gone after requesting his release, nickelback Justin Walley was thrust into a tougher role, and the problems around him quickly became part of the story.
Lou Anarumos defense now has an uncomfortable standard to answer after a rough debut, and Shane Steichens offense did not look like the group that had the cleaner game plan. Baltimores first-time head coach Jesse Minter appeared to have his team better prepared, even as the Colts showed enough fight to keep swinging late. The bigger question for Indianapolis is whether this was a one-game stumble or the first sign that the issues run deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Have A Bigger Concern Than The Final Score Against Baltimore
The Colts left Baltimore with more than just a lopsided loss to sort through after the Ravens rolled to a 41-23 win in Jesse Minters debut on the sideline. Indianapolis got a big day from Derrick Henry, who ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns while moving past Marcus Allen into third place on the NFLs career rushing touchdowns list, but the result still put a spotlight on how much ground the Colts have to make up after a shaky outing.
Baltimore, meanwhile, found its own jolt from an aggressive game plan under offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, with Zay Flowers piling up a career-high 150 receiving yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. For Indianapolis, the final score was only part of the issue - the larger concern is how a defense that entered the day looking for answers now has even more to fix, and it comes with the uncertainty of how long Flowers will be sidelined hanging over the Ravens' offensive momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Bring Back A Veteran Corner As Pressure Builds In Crowded Secondary
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For a team trying to sort out roles in the back end, adding a player with Taylor-Britts track record adds both depth and a little more intrigue. He arrived after his run with the Bengals, and his profile comes with on-field value as well as off-field baggage, so his return is the kind of move that can reshape a crowded room while still leaving questions about how the Colts plan to use all of their options. [Read more 🡒]