After a difficult offseason following a disappointing finish, we all watched the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. The Baltimore Ravens and the other 31 NFL franchises held Top 30 visits and Pro Days before the 2026 NFL Draft, followed by rookie minicamps, OTAs, training camps, and, lastly, the preseason.
Week 1 was well worth the wait. The Ravens traveled slightly north to tackle the Indianapolis Coltsat Lucas Oil Stadium. There weren't many surprises in terms of inactives: quarterback Joe Fagnano, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt, cornerback Chandler Rivers, linebacker Teddye Buchanan, guard Emory Jones, defensive tackle Nnamdi Maduibuike, and WR Devontez Walker.
Baltimore will enjoy the flight homethanks to a 41-23 road win. Lamar Jackson is now
5-3 in season openers as the Ravens' starting QB. He had previously thrown 15 TDs and two interceptions in season openers while averaging 242.5 yards. He notched 324 yards, a TD pass, and a 123.0 passer rating in this one while completing 17 of 25 attempts. He also ran for 40 yards and a TD on seven attempts.
LAMAR JACKSON TOUCHDOWN!!!
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 13, 2026
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The good things we saw during the Ravens' win over the Colts
Derrick Henry is now third all-time in rushing touchdowns (125) after scoring on the ground three times in this one. He moves past the great Marcus Allen. His first of the season earned an assist from a Roquan Smith interception. That's Smith's fourth pick as a Raven.
ROQUAN SMITH INTERCEPTION!!!!
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 13, 2026
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Derrick Henry has tied Marcus Allen for 3rd all-time with 123 rushing TDs 🚨
— BET99 Canada (@BET99CA) September 13, 2026
His live line is OVER 1.5 total TDs at -160.
Another rushing TD moves Henry into sole possession of 3rd all-time 👀 pic.twitter.com/x3PbFKxGTa
The stars put in work as Lamar Jackson scored as a rusher and passer. His first TD toss of the campaign landed in the waiting hands of Zay Flowers, and the latter did the rest, making his way into the end zone 54 yards later. Flowers had a big day as he also snagged a 49-yard reception in this one during the Ravens' first drive.
ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 13, 2026
ZAY FLOWERS WITH A 54-YARD TOUCHDOWN!!!!!
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Derrick Henry scored three rushing TDs for the eighth time in his career. Zay Flowers has tied Mark Andrews forthe most 100-yard receiving performances in franchise history.
Here's another positive takeaway. Tyler Loop nailed his first two field-goal attempts of the season. The first was a 57-yarder. That already equals last year in some respects, as he only connected on one of four attempts from beyond 50 as a rookie. Baltimore dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 35:20,
The bad news from the Ravens' win at Indianapolis
Zay Flowers unfortunately left this one with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Shortly afterward, Jackson lost another weapon. Ja'Kobi Lane was ruled out of this one after suffering a wrist injury. Their injuries will be a conversation piece this week.
From a football standpoint, there isn't much to complain about here. It's hard to beat this team up after a 1-0 start and a road performance like this. Still, the Ravens will no doubt be discussing a few things in team meetings this week. The Colts' first offensive drive produced some teaching tape.
Baltimore's defense took the field first and surrendered a long drive that ended with a Jonathan Taylor rushing touchdown (though Indianapolis missed the extra-point attempt). That nine-play drive covered 65 yards and took 4:27 off the clock. Later, with the game firmly in their control and momentum at the time, Baltimore gift-wrapped seven points for the Colts offense.
A fumble with just over four minutes remaining in the first half led to another Jonathan Taylor rushing TD four plays later. In total, Taylor racked up 98 yards on 19 carries and scored twice, but what are you going to do? It's Jonathan Taylor, for crying out loud.
The downright ugly
Again, there isn't much to lose sleep over from a fan's standpoint, but we're all thinking like coaches we'll unfortunately never become here. A team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations will leave Indianapolis with teaching points and an expected message. 'Let's not beat ourselves.'
After the first two offensive drives ended with TDs, Baltimore's third was short-circuited in the red zone by penalties. One negated a Ja'Kobi Lane TD reception. Three plays later, an incomplete pass on fourth down turned the ball over on downs. Even later, a nice-looking third-down conversion to Rashod Bateman just past the two-minute warning was negated by a Vega Ioane holding penalty in the first half.
There was a lot to like about what we all saw. Declan Doyle and Jesse Minter executed nice game plans. Still, if you ask any coach, they'll tell you they can live without the self-inflicted errors. Ten Ravens penalties resulted in a loss of 86 yards. That will need to be cleaned up, but it'seasier to do so with a win in the back pocket.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Good, bad, and ugly from Ravens' Week 1 win over Colts
