With the Ravens kicking off the Jesse Minter era and the 2026 season with a convincing 41-23 victory in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The Colts trimmed the deficit to 31-16 midway through the third quarter and 38-23 with under 11 minutes remaining. Old habits die hard as you wondered if Baltimore would finish, but the 10-play, 43-yard drive draining more than six minutes and ending with a 45-yard field goal slammed the door.
2. That was also one of the few possessions devoid of the penalties that plagued the offensive line throughout the afternoon. Dwayne Ledford’s group wore down Indianapolis with the ground game in the second half and protected well at times, but it’s tough to gain traction drawing so many yellow flags.
3. The stat sheet showed only one tackle from Trey Hendrickson, but the eyeball test reflected how disruptive and close he was repeatedly. Per Next Gen Stats, Baltimore had a 58.6% pressure rate and two sacks with him on the field and only a 20% pressure rate without him out there.
4. Travis Jones was a monster inside as he made two tackles for a loss and was credited by Pro Football Focus with two pressures and four defensive stops. No player has missed the presence of Nnamdi Madubuike more than Jones, so having both on the field is an exciting thought.
5. Lamar Jackson’s scramble on third-and-16 was amazing enough, but it came as he was facing his first handful of live-game bullets in over eighth months. That said, asking defenders who were instructed not to hit quarterbacks all summer to flip the switch against Jackson doesn’t sound all that fair either.
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6. I alluded to this in my postgame column, but Zay Flowers is rapidly becoming the player not named Jackson this offense can least afford to lose. That’s no disrespect to what Derrick Henry is still doing in his age-32 season, but the offense just wasn’t the same without Flowers.
7. Though the initial optimistic outlook on Flowers’ hamstring remains paramount, Ja’Kobi Lane fracturing his wrist is a major bummer for him and hurts the ceiling of this passing attack. The rookie was very involved early, and you hate to see this derail the momentum and confidence he built all summer.
8. Chris Moore went from being elevated from the practice squad Saturday to shining as a kick returner and recording the second-longest gain of the day as a wide receiver. That 53-yard reception was longer than any catch the 33-year-old veteran made over his first five seasons with Baltimore.
9. Though a 19-yard reception was negated by a penalty, Rashod Bateman being blanked isn’t how you wanted his season to begin, especially considering Flowers exited early. Injuries could open the door for Devontez Walker and Elijah Sarratt to get opportunities, but Baltimore really needs Bateman to step up.
10. Despite all the preseason discourse about Mike Green entering his second year, Tavius Robinson played over twice as many snaps and registered a sack and a game-high four quarterback hits. His ability to rush from the interior in passing situations makes it even more appealing to keep him out there.
11. Yes, Jonathan Taylor popped a couple more long runs than Jesse Minter would like, but using so much shell coverage and nickel and dime personnel will leave you more vulnerable against the run. That’s a tradeoff — within reason, of course — for limiting the big passing plays that cost you games.
12. Though I was less impressed by Pittsburgh taking down old friend Cooper Rush and Atlanta than Cincinnati beating Tampa Bay, it was a good start for everyone not named Cleveland — oof — in the AFC North. I suppose the more things change, the more they stay the same.
