The Baltimore Ravens open their 2026 season with an opponent that could be considered the franchise’s first rival: the Indianapolis Colts. Jesse Minter will make his head coaching debut against Shane Steichen; the two will face off directly when the former’s offense and latter’s defense are on the field.
The Ravens also will also face a familiar coordinator on Sunday: Lou Anarumo, who was the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals for six years. Against his defenses, the Ravens averaged
nearly 29 points a game over 12 regular-season matchups. Can they continue that success under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle?
Winning in the trenches
Ravens fans know as well as any fanbase that an offense can only go as far as its offensive line can take it. Lamar Jackson is a truly unique talent, but in crunch time, in the playoffs, he has to be able to rely on his protection. The Ravens’ front office reshaped the interior of the line this offseason with three new starters. The team reunited with left guard John Simpson in free agent, drafted right guard Vega Ioane in the first round of April’s draft, and held a summer-long competition that finally yielded Jovaughn Gywn as the starting center. On Sunday, the trio will face their first test as a unit and begin their journey to ‘being their best when their best is needed.’
The Colts’ formidable trio of defensive tackles will offer stiff opposition. Superstar DeForest Buckner is a do-it-all weapon who’s averaged nearly half a sack a game over his entire career. He recorded six or more sacks in eight of his 10 years, and he’s no less effective in the run game. Since 2020, he has partnered with Grover Stewart to form one of the league’s best interior duos. Stewart is an underrated, perfect complement to Buckner: a run-stuffing, nose tackle specialist who takes on double teams with ease and clears the way for Buckner to make splash plays. The last piece of the puzzle is Adetomiwa Adebawore. The Colts decided not to re-sign Neville Gallimore this offseason after Adebawore took a step in his game in 2025 with a career-high four sacks. He now looks to be a massive part of the rotation, in a contract year nonetheless.
Between Buckner and Stewart plugging holes in the run game and Adebawore subbing in for pass rush, the Ravens are going to find out early in the season if their new interior O-line has the stuff to pave the path to a Super Bowl.
Best on best: WR1 vs. CB1
The Ravens decided to lock up Zay Flowers with a $35 million APY deal this offseason that will him in Baltimore until 2031, and for good reason. Flowers has improved every year of his career, and after back-to-back 1,000-yard, Pro Bowl campaigns, he looks like true No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He is an elite route-runner, both when separating against man coverage and finding soft spots vs. zone, with the ability to torch defenses with the ball in his hands. Flowers is also just 26 years old entering his fourth season, so he still has room to grow.
The expectation is that Flowers will see a ton of Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner on the other side of the line. Gardner, the No. 4 pick in 2022, is one of the better corners in the league. He started out of the gate hot, posting elite PFF grades his first two seasons before taking a step back in 2024 and 2025. He spent more time shadowing opposing teams’ top receivers after arriving in Indianapolis last year, and after a full offseason in the defense, he could do so even more often in 2026.
There is still a lot we don’t know about how the Ravens offense will operate, but a hefty target share for Flowers is a virtual certainty. We’ve seen him find success against other elite corners like Christian Gonzalez, Pat Surtain, and Derek Stingley, so keeping that trend up against Gardner would be a great way to open the season.
1st test for Jesse Minter’s secondary
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens’ defense will be looking to put two frankly horrendous seasons in the rearview. Their performance was way below the standard in Baltimore.
Enter new head coach Jesse Minter, one of the league’s brightest defensive minds. Just look at what he did in Michigan in 2023, with the Chargers the last two seasons, and even in his first preseason games in Baltimore. More specifically, Minter’s speciality is the secondary, and he’s working with the best collection of talent in his career.
Last year, the Ravens ranked second-worst in the league against the pass, allowing 247.9 yards per game – tied, coincidentally, with Indianapolis. Meanwhile, when Daniel Jones was healthy, the Colts fielded a top-10 passing attack with Jones posting career-highs in nearly every traditional passing category. He has a ton of weapons, including Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Tyler Warren, and new addition Keenan Allen, not to mention Jonathan Taylor out of the backfield. That group will be a good first test for the Ravens to see if Minter’s influence can erase the last two years of defensive struggles.
