INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts were supposed to come out of an offseason filled with talk about a “higher sense of urgency” and show something different on opening day.
Instead, they got rolled.
Baltimore beat Indianapolis 41-23 in Week 1, and the final score only told part of the story. The Colts were outplayed in all three phases, and the kind of sloppy, uneven showing they delivered at home is exactly the sort of performance that makes ownership’s evaluation of the general manager and head coach harder, not easier.
The first-half damage was already ugly. Baltimore carried an 18-point lead into halftime, and that might have been worse if the Ravens hadn’t been flagged six times for 55 yards in the opening half.
Even with the penalties, the game tilted fast. Special teams issues showed up early, the defense couldn’t get a grip on Baltimore’s offense, and the Ravens were comfortable enough late to have Derrick Henry waving goodbye to the home crowd with 12 minutes left after they pushed the lead to 22 points.
For a team coming off a seven-game losing streak to finish last season and a five-year playoff drought, that kind of opener is a rough look.
The Colts’ defense had no answers for Zay Flowers, who carved them up before halftime and finished with 5 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. His day ended before the break because of a hamstring injury, which made the damage feel even more jarring.
The most common pattern was Flowers finding space away from new nickel cornerback Justin Walley, who was making his first football appearance since November 2024. Baltimore never really had to adjust much because Indianapolis never found the right response.
The Ravens’ receiving group thinned out later, too, when rookie wideout Jakobi Lane left in the third quarter with an injury. That still didn’t change the flow.
The Colts’ best defensive moment came late in the first half when Laiatu Latu and Arden Key combined for a sack and strip, and DeForest Buckner recovered it. That sequence produced 7 points, but it was a brief flash in a game that otherwise belonged to Baltimore.
Derrick Henry was just as punishing. He ran for 144 yards on 24 carries and helped the Ravens stay in control after the break.
By early in the fourth quarter, Baltimore was averaging 9.0 yards per play. That’s not a typo.
It was that kind of afternoon for Lou Anaruom’s group.
The game started slipping away when Daniel Jones threw a pick over the middle on the Colts’ second drive. Roquan Smith stepped in front of the throw, which was aimed in the direction of Laquon Treadwell.
Jones had a clean pocket, but he didn’t see Smith lurking underneath. That turnover fed the Ravens’ early avalanche.
Indianapolis also couldn’t get Jonathan Taylor going, which made the passing game even harder to sustain. Josh Downs won a couple of key third-down man situations on the opening drive, but those ended up being his only catches of the first half.
After that, Jones and the air attack went quiet until some late fourth-quarter yardage. It was one of the least efficient passing performances Jones has had in a Colts uniform.
Alec Pierce didn’t change much either. The Colts came in thinking he might play around 30 snaps, and while his final line ended up at 4 catches on 6 targets for 61 yards, most of that came after the game was already slipping away.
In the first half, the Colts barely leaned on him. They tried one deep ball to Pierce, and Marlon Humphrey broke it up in impressive fashion.
Late in the third quarter, Pierce had a chance to move the chains on third down, but he couldn’t hang on to a well-thrown pass from Daniel Jones, with Nate Wiggins appearing to get a hand on it. Those are the kinds of plays the Colts will want more from out of their 100-million dollar receiver.
The bigger picture isn’t any prettier. Indianapolis has now lost its season opener 12 times in the last 13 years after finally winning in Week 1 last season.
This was also an AFC loss against a team plenty of people expect to be in the postseason mix. Week 1 can be hard to read, but the way the Colts lost this one is the part that will linger.
Quick hitters: the inactive list included LB-Austin Ajiake (hamstring), CB-Johnathan Ewardds, RB-DJ Giddens, DE-Geroge Gumbs Jr. and OL-Dalton Tucker. The Colts also had players leave Sunday’s game due to injury.
Stat of the game: even with 10 penalties in the game, the Ravens still scored 41 points, the most Indianapolis has allowed in a home opener.
Next up, the Colts head to Kansas City in Week 2 for Sunday Night Football. The Chiefs will be on a short week after playing Denver on Monday Night Football.
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Zay Flowers turned a promising opening for Baltimore into an immediate concern for the Ravens on Sunday, leaving their Week 1 matchup with the Colts because of a hamstring injury. Before heading to the sideline, the second-year receiver was doing serious damage, piling up five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown as Baltimore tried to set the tone early.
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Shane Steichen has already confirmed Pierce will play, which answers the biggest health question surrounding him. What still hangs in the air is how much of a role he will actually have on game day, and that uncertainty makes his presence one of the more interesting Colts storylines to watch as the opener gets underway. [Read more 🡒]