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The Ravens didn’t need long Sunday to show the Indianapolis Colts — and the NFL — what they’re capable of.
In a 41-23 win at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Ravens brought fireworks to kick off coach Jesse Minter’s new era. Quarterback Lamar Jackson went 17-for-25 for 324 yards and a touchdown and added 43 rushing yards as a fast-starting offense rolled up 506 yards against an overmatched Colts defense.
The Ravens’ 41 points matched the team’s season high from last year, when it routed the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, 41-24.
Running back Derrick Henry had 24 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns, flashing his potential in coordinator Declan Doyle’s new under-center-heavy attack. Wide receiver Zay Flowers had five catches for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, which bothered him during training camp.
The Ravens’ dominant win was far from perfect. Their run defense was leaky (102 yards allowed). They had 10 penalties, more than they had in any game last season. And they lost not only Flowers but also rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) and reserve cornerback T.J. Tampa (knee) to injuries.
But the Ravens’ game-changing ability was obvious throughout. They scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives and were perhaps a blown block away on a bold fourth-down call from a fifth score. Flowers and Henry were at the tip of the spear.
Flowers had a 49-yard catch to the Colts’ 2 on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage, then scored on a 54-yard catch-and-run play in the second quarter. Henry scored from 4 yards and from 32 yards to give the Ravens a 28-6 lead later in the second quarter.
On defense, the Ravens forced two first-half turnovers and held the Colts to three conversions on 10 third downs. On special teams, kicker Tyler Loop impressed, nailing a career-long 57-yard field goal as the first half expired. So did wide receiver Chris Moore, who had a big kickoff return and a 53-yard catch.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor had 19 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns, including the game’s opening score. But the Ravens held quarterback Daniel Jones to 166 yards and a touchdown on 19-for-31 passing. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith had a first-quarter interception and a game-high 11 tackles, and he helped hold Indianapolis to 251 yards overall.
This is what it can look like
Imagine telling your Ravens friends that, on Sunday, the offense would lose wide receiver Zay Flowers to a first-half injury, outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson wouldn’t have a sack and the team would have more penalties than it did in any game last year. Then imagine telling those same Ravens friends that it wouldn’t matter.
The Ravens looked for real Sunday, manhandling a solid Colts team with an explosive offense, an opportunistic defense and encouraging special teams play. If the best is yet to come — if the offensive line improves, if Nnamdi Madubuike can help, if Flowers’ injury is minor — the Ravens’ potential is best-in-the-NFL good.
Which was fair to believe all along. But Sunday’s performance showed that faith was well deserved.
— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter
Bouncing back from the first hard knocks
The Ravens dominated the preseason, but as Banner columnist Kyle Goon pointed out, there was always one unknown. How would this coaching staff respond to a true challenge? Indianapolis quickly provided one. After the Colts sliced through the supposedly revamped defense for an easy touchdown, Jesse Minter made the required adjustments. His unit dominated the rest of the half. The bigger challenge, however, came from within after two wide receivers, Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane, were ruled out. The offense faltered, but new play-caller Declan Doyle started cooking up responses, getting guys like Lajohntay Wester and Chris Moore the ball and using his tight ends. Against a better team the response might not have been enough, but in its first real test this coaching staff passed.
— Giana Han, NFL reporter
Derrick Henry is the hammer the Ravens need
My head is still swimming with thoughts from a truly eventful first impression of the Ravens, but it’s hard to step back from this: How great is it to have Derrick Henry in the backfield? Not only was the heavyweight back a force during the first three quarters, but he also helped put the game away when Baltimore needed him to — what a novel concept.
Henry is now third all time in career rushing touchdowns, behind only Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson. Yet, on the verge of turning 33, he is somehow still in his prime. It’s a blessing to have a back as durable, hard-nosed and quick-footed as Henry in the backfield, and it’s fortunate for the Ravens that they now have coaches who are willing to ride his carries to victory. With the receiving corps banged up, Baltimore needed him as much as ever.
— Kyle Goon, columnist
New coaching staff makes strong first impression
Jesse Minter and his staff didn’t call a perfect game — the defense leaked a bit in the second half and the offense struggled without Zay Flowers. But there was much to be excited about on both sides of the ball. Before Flowers’ injury, Declan Doyle’s offense diced up Indianapolis. The creativity of Minter and Anthony Weaver’s unit was a delight to watch. Penalties were an issue, but they are to be expected for a brand-new staff in Week 1. This isn’t a finished product, but there’s plenty to build on.
— Paul Mancano, “Banner Ravens Podcast” cohost and audience editor
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