Minter era begins successfully as Ravens demolish Colts

The Baltimore Ravens arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium to kick off a new era for the franchise, as Jesse Minter took charge of the team following the end of John Harbaugh’s remarkable 18-year tenure. Baltimore’s underwhelming 8-9 campaign in 2025 saw them miss the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, and Minter’s first task was to restore a defense that had lost much of the dominance associated with the Ravens in recent years. With Lamar Jackson healthy and Derrick Henry returning to lead the ground game, Ravens fans would have hoped this to be a shoo-in if they’re to be a Super Bowl threat this season. For the Indianapolis Colts, the opener was their opportunity to prove that the dramatic collapse last season was an aberration rather than a sign of deeper problems. Indianapolis raced to an impressive start in 2025 before quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, with the team eventually finishing 8-9 after losing its final seven games. Now healthy again, Jones returned to lead an offense featuring star running back Jonathan Taylor.

The Colts’ offense picked up exactly where it left off prior to Jones’ season-ending injury, as they flew down the field for an easy score as Jonathan Taylor punched it in from the goal line, following on from his 20 touchdowns in the 2025 season.

The game script for the contest became apparent after Baltimore responded with a touchdown of their own in just over 2 minutes of game time later, with Zay Flowers gaining huge yardage on a downfield throw, allowing Jackson to run in his first of many touchdowns this year.

Roquan Smith stepped in to pick off an ill-advised throw by Jones not long later, which the offense, on the back of an inhumane, but no longer surprising, scramble from Jackson on 3^rd and long, made the most of, as Henry got on the board for the first time in 2026.

Having now shut down the Colts’ offense after a hot start, the Ravens completely took control of the game in the space of 3 minutes. First, it was Zay Flowers (150 first half receiving yards) slicing through the Indianapolis defense with ease to find the end zone, and after another punt from Rigoberto Sanchez, Henry had his 2^nd score of the afternoon with a 32-yard dash, blowing the lead out to 22 points.

A much needed momentum shifter for the home side came through a forced fumble by Jackson, which Taylor turned into his 2^nd touchdown shortly after. Nonetheless, it was the Ravens with a much-deserved lead of 18 points going into the main break.

Despite the result being almost undisputable by the half, the last news that Baltimore fans wanted to hear was the ruling out of Flowers and rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane with injuries, leaving them very undermanned at the position for at least the remainder of the afternoon.

Well and truly in control, Jackson and the Ravens offense methodically worked their way down the field in a time-consuming manner, where Henry eventually put emphasis on the result, punching one in for the 3^rd time, to go with 163 yards from scrimmage for the game.

Tyler Warren picked up a touchdown late in the piece, but it was nothing more than a consolation prize. A dominant 41-23 victory for Baltimore on the road in Indiana.

While it’ll be an anxious wait for Ravens fans to find out the extent of Flowers and Lane’s injuries, which Jesse Minter had no update on in his press conference post-game, they can be very content with what they saw from their team on both sides of the ball today. Jackson looked his best self, and Henry looks like he could play for another 10 years despite his age for his position.

Daniel Jones deserves some lenience in his first game since a significant injury, but the team was as frustrating as ever. A leaky defense combined with an inconsistent offense is not a recipe for success, and with 2 teams poised as superior contenders in the AFC South, significant improvement is needed as soon as next week.

Touchdowns
Baltimore: Henry 3, Flowers, Jackson
Indianapolis: Taylor 2, Warren

Top Performers
Baltimore: Henry, Flowers, Jackson, Humphrey, Smith
Indianapolis: Taylor, Key, Buckner

Injuries
Baltimore: Flowers (hamstring), Lane (wrist), Tampa (knee)
Indianapolis: N/A

Crowd: 69,049 at Lucas Oil Stadium