Baltimore's past and present meet in Indianapolis as the Colts and Ravens, both coming off highly disappointing 2025 campaigns – for different reasons – start fresh in 2026.
Each team finished 8-9 last season, the Colts losing their final seven games after sprinting to an 8-2 start, injuries to QB Daniel Jones and DT DeForest Buckner – and the cascading effects of their absences – among those that derailed what had seemed like a surefire playoff bid.
The Ravens were a missed field goal in the regular-season finale away from reaching the postseason – despite a down year from QB Lamar Jackson, who wasn't fully healthy himself and the loss of DL Nnamdi Madubuike. But even still, a team with arguably the most loaded roster in the league underachieved,
triggering the firing of longtime coach John Harbaugh. Moving forward, the Ravens are now coached by rookie Jesse Minter, who's hardly unfamiliar with the organization after serving as an assistant under Harbaugh from 2017 to 2020.
Minter managed to recruit highly regarded Declan Doyle as the new OC, and his arrival has seemingly revitalized Jackson, who's bought into his new play caller and a system derived from Ben Johnson's in Chicago. Madubuike is back for a defense that also added pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Whatever grace period Minter's team enjoys almost surely won't be forthcoming in Indy, where coach Shane Steichen and longtime GM Chris Ballard probably need to replicate last year's start – then improve on it – if they want to remain employed. Whether last year's expensive trade for CB Sauce Gardner and a heavy salary cap investment in Jones and Alec Pierce, who's never really been a lead receiver, during the offseason proves well considered should be known soon enough.
Colts vs Ravens odds, moneyline, over/under
Opening lines:
- Spread: Ravens -4.5
- Moneyline: Ravens -205; Colts +172
- Total: 49.5
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Ravens at Colts score predictions
Adam Kaufman: Ravens 24, Colts 17
Lamar Jackson is 11-1 indoors in his career. No, it's not the largest sample size, but pretty telling, don't ya think? Jackson's healthy following an injury-shortened 2025 that helped derail Baltimore's season and ultimately led to an offseason coaching change. Jesse Minter replaced John Harbaugh, bringing his defensive background to a team hoping, with any luck, to take Jackson deeper in the postseason than he's ever been. The Colts are motivated to show they've put last year's season-ending seven-game skid behind them, but Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce are coming off significant injuries, and we don't know how quickly they'll look like their old selves. Jackson is a known commodity. I'm taking the former MVP in a setting he historically dominates.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Ravens 26, Colts 21
It's a battle of running it back vs. opting for wholesale change. The reconfigured Ravens might have more to iron out than the Colts, but they also have a significantly higher ceiling than Indianapolis if they can sort through myriad changes on both sides of the ball. Here's guessing they figure out enough to start off the Jesse Minter era on the right foot.
Nate Davis: Ravens 30, Colts 20
Jackson has thrived under new coordinators in the past, with both of his league MVP awards coming in Year 1 with a new playbook. And the Colts will only be able to guess at how Doyle will have calibrated the attack to the superstar's multi-dimensional talents. Though Jones and Pierce will be back in the lineup after rehabbing their injuries, the Colts' offense was starting to come unglued last year before the quarterback popped an Achilles in Week 14 – and Ballard subsequently had to part with players like WR Michael Pittman Jr., DE Kwity Paye and others amid the cap reallocation. RB Jonathan Taylor and TE Tyler Warren certainly warrant copious attention, but advantage Jackson and a Ravens defense that should be flying around anew under Minter's watch.
Richard Morin: Ravens 24, Colts 10
We've got Daniel Jones -- coming off a major injury -- being asked to overcome a scary defensive unit. Sure, the Colts are at home, but I just don't see Indianapolis putting up more than one touchdown here. The Ravens have the quarterback, the weapons and the trenches to control all phases of this Week 1 bout. The overhauled Ravens may need to iron some things out as they go, but they should be able to learn on the job.
Where to watch Ravens at Colts
- Matchup: Colts vs. Ravens
- Date: Sept. 13
- Time: 1:00 p.m.
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
- TV: CBS
NFL Week 1 Sunday picks and predictions
- Buccaneers at Bengals
- Saints at Lions
- Jets at Titans
- Ravens at Colts
- Falcons at Steelers
- Bears at Panthers
- Browns at Jaguars
- Bills at Texans
- Dolphins at Raiders
- Packers at Vikings
- Commanders at Eagles
- Cardinals at Chargers
- Cowboys at Giants
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ravens at Colts: Predictions, picks and odds for NFL Week 1 game
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