INDIANAPOLIS — The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2026 season with a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and questions about whether one of the NFL’s most talented rosters could rebound from last season’s disappointment. It took one afternoon for Baltimore to provide an encouraging first answer.
The Ravens overwhelmed the Indianapolis Colts 41-23 on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, giving Jesse Minter his first victory as an NFL head coach and opening the season 1-0. Baltimore trailed 6-0 after Indianapolis’ opening possession before responding with four consecutive touchdowns and eventually taking a commanding 31-13 advantage into halftime.
More important than the final margin was how Baltimore won. Lamar Jackson looked healthy and explosive. Derrick Henry controlled the game on the ground. Zay Flowers created chunk plays through the air. And Minter’s defense produced the kind of momentum-changing takeaways that can turn a close game into a rout.
Jackson’s performance may have been the most encouraging development of all.
After injuries limited him during a disappointing 2025 season, Jackson immediately looked comfortable in first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s system. The two-time MVP completed 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards and another score on seven carries.
Jackson’s numbers were impressive, but the explosiveness of Baltimore’s passing attack stood out even more. Flowers caught five passes for 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. Jackson also connected with Flowers for a 49-yard completion that helped set up his rushing touchdown as Baltimore quickly erased Indianapolis’ early lead.
That is potentially the biggest difference Doyle can bring to this offense. Baltimore already knows Jackson and Henry can overwhelm opponents on the ground. If the Ravens can consistently generate explosive passing plays without abandoning their rushing identity, defenses face an almost impossible choice. Commit additional defenders to Henry and Jackson, and Baltimore can attack downfield. Play lighter boxes to protect against the pass, and Henry can punish them.
Indianapolis learned that lesson quickly.
Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns, repeatedly wearing down a Colts defense that had no answer once Baltimore established control. His performance complemented Jackson almost perfectly. Instead of asking Jackson to carry the offense for four quarters, Baltimore could alternate between explosive passes and a bruising rushing attack.
For an offensive line that entered Week 1 with three new starters on the interior — John Simpson, Jovaughn Gwyn and rookie Vega Ioane — Baltimore’s production was particularly encouraging. Indianapolis entered the matchup with a defensive front featuring DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, making the line one of the Ravens’ biggest preseason questions. Baltimore responded by producing 324 passing yards from Jackson and 144 rushing yards from Henry.
The defense had its own statement to make.
Jonathan Taylor gave Indianapolis some success, rushing for 98 yards and two touchdowns, but Baltimore repeatedly created the type of disruptive plays Minter wants his defense to generate. Roquan Smith intercepted Daniel Jones, while Marlon Humphrey forced a fumble from Taylor that Baltimore recovered. Those two takeaways helped the Ravens turn a six-point deficit into a 28-6 advantage during the first half.
Jones, playing his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in December 2025, finished 19 of 31 for 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Indianapolis eventually cut into Baltimore’s lead, but much of that production came after the Ravens had already taken firm control of the game.
There are still areas Baltimore will need to clean up. Allowing Taylor to score twice shows the run defense was not flawless, and the Colts finished with 23 points despite trailing 28-6 at one stage. More concerning is Flowers’ hamstring injury, especially after fellow receiver Ja’Kobi Lane also exited with a wrist injury. Flowers had already accounted for 150 receiving yards in less than two quarters, demonstrating just how important he could be in Doyle’s offense.
Still, Week 1 was about what Baltimore needed to see after an offseason of change.
Minter’s defense created turnovers. Doyle’s offense produced explosive plays. Henry remained one of football’s most imposing runners. Jackson looked like Jackson again. Even rookie kicker Tyler Loop contributed, drilling a 57-yard field goal to send Baltimore into halftime ahead 31-13.
One victory does not answer every question surrounding a team with championship expectations, especially against a Colts squad coming off an 8-9 season. But Baltimore could hardly have asked for a better first impression.
The most promising part of the 41-23 victory was not simply that the Ravens scored 41 points. It was that they showed multiple ways to win. Jackson hurt Indianapolis through the air and on the ground. Henry controlled the rushing attack. Flowers stretched the field. The defense created extra possessions.
For a Ravens team attempting to return to the postseason and reestablish itself among the AFC’s legitimate Super Bowl contenders, Week 1 looked less like the beginning of a rebuilding process under a new coaching staff and more like a reminder of how dangerous Baltimore can be when its best players are healthy and producing.
The Ravens return to Baltimore for their Week 2 home opener against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 20.
