That was not a pretty game for theIndianapolis Colts.
The Colts lost their season opener against the Baltimore Ravens 41-23. It is their biggest loss in an opener since they were blown out 46-7 against the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.
The game started out promising for Indianapolis with a nine-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard touchdown by running back Jonathan Taylor. However, Baltimore went on to score 28 unanswered points after that.
Taylor found the end zone one more time late in the second quarter to make it 28-13, but the Ravens got a field goal right before halftime to make it 31-13 at halftime.
Here is a look at the good, bad, and ugly following Indianapolis’ loss to Baltimore in the season opener:
The Good
Penalties: In a game
where not much went right for the Colts, at least they did not have a lot of penalties. While Baltimore finished the game with 10 penalties, Indianapolis only had four penalties for 29 yards. The fact that they were not making self-inflicted mistakes in regards to penalties is something they can build on for the rest of the season.
Jonathan Taylor: It may not have been Jonathan Taylor’s best game, but he had the best game out of anyone on the Colts offense with 19 carries for 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Indianapolis needs to figure out their passing attack so Taylor can have more opportunities, but at least he was able to still have a good day (minus the fumble).
The Bad
Not much went right: The Colts were simply outplayed by Baltimore. The Ravens had twice as many passing yards as they did, as quarterback Daniel Jones failed to top 200 yards the entire game. Baltimore also had twice as many total yards, with 506 yards compared to Indianapolis’ 251 yards. Especially after how their division rivals, the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, looked in their season openers, Indianapolis does not look like a competitive team right now.
Defensive line: Indianapolis’ pass rush struggled to contain Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson who finished the game with over 300 passing yards and 40 rushing yards. They got him on the ground twice, including a strip sack that set up Taylor’s second touchdown. The Colts also could not contain running back Derrick Henry who ran all over them for 144 yards and three touchdowns. This is not sustainable for the rest of the season.
The Ugly
Secondary play: Indianapolis was not able to contain Baltimore’s top receiver, Zay Flowers, who put up 150 receiving yards and a touchdown. The secondary did not have a single interception and gave up multiple passes of at least 50 yards. Indianapolis will not get far this year if they cannot stop teams in the run game or the pass game and allow teams to put up over 40 points.
Turnovers: Turnovers are always game-changing. Indianapolis had their first on the second drive of the game, which gave the Ravens a short field to work with and set up a touchdown to extend Baltimore’s lead to 14-6 in the first quarter. Their second turnover was a fumble by Jonathan Taylor, which also led to a Ravens touchdown. They have to improve their ball security if they are going to win games this season.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts vs Ravens: Good, bad and ugly from Week 1 loss
