Pre-Snap Points: Minter Era Begins In Indy

A fresh season breeds fresh expectations.

The Baltimore Ravens are set to begin a new era under rookie head coach Jesse Minter when they travel to Lucas Oil Stadium for a date with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Week 1 will offer a chance to make a statement for two teams looking to wipe the slate clean after finishing the 2025 season with an 8-9 record.

Here’s what to watch in an early test for two teams looking to turn the page in 2026.

Head-to-Head History

The Colts hold an 11-7 all-time record against the Ravens, dating back to the teams’ first matchup in October 1996.

Baltimore’s last matchup against Indianapolis was their only loss against the franchise in the Jackson era. The team fell 22-19 in a Week 3 game in 2023 after defeating the Colts in both 2020 and 2021. The Ravens’ last two contests against Indianapolis have both required overtime to determine a victor.

In their last five games against the Colts, Baltimore owns a 3-2 record, averaging 22 points scored and 18.6 points allowed.

Indianapolis starting quarterback Daniel Jones has faced the Ravens twice in his seven-year career, both while the former first-round pick was with the New York Giants. Jones was defeated by Baltimore in 2020 before earning a 24-20 win over the team in a 2022 game that fans unfortunately remember all too well.

Jackson is averaging 271.3 passing yards per game and a 115.3 passer rating in his three career games against the Colts. Indianapolis is one of two AFC teams against which the two-time MVP has never thrown an interception (the other is the Denver Broncos).

Baltimore’s Biggest Storylines

Doyle begins his journey as the youngest offensive coordinator in football.

The firing of longtime head coach John Harbaugh also brought about the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who took the job to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

The team brought in former Chicago Bears 30-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to succeed Monken.

The offense averaged 27.9 points per game under the guidance of Monken, the third-most by a team over the last three seasons.

That leaves some big shoes to fill for the youngest offensive coordinator in NFL history.

Chicago finished sixth in offensive yards per game (369.2) and ninth in points per game (25.9) last season. Doyle will begin his quest as one of the league’s youngest minds to bring Baltimore’s offense back to the top of the league.

Hendrickson makes his Ravens debut.

After their blockbuster deal for Maxx Crosby crumbled, the Ravens turned to former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, whom they signed to a four-year, $122 million contract back in March.

Hendrickson, 31, missed Cincinnati’s final nine games after suffering a hip injury that required surgery in December. In his last fully healthy season, the former third-round pick posted a career-high-tying 17.5 sacks and led the Bengals in pressures for the fourth consecutive season.

The four-time Pro-Bowler is behind just Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt for the most sacks by a single player since 2020 (74.5).

Baltimore did not have a player with double-digit sacks last season after having three across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Hendrickson’s journey toward reaching that threshold starts Sunday.

Baltimore is searching for its first Week 1 road win since 2022.

The Ravens have been on the road in each of their past two season openers, both of which were absolute gut-wrenchers.

Baltimore was defeated 41-40 by the Buffalo Bills in last season’s opener and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 the year before. The last time that the Ravens won a Week 1 game on the road was in 2022 as they toppled the New York Jets 24-9 at MetLife Stadium.

Across the last two seasons, the team owns an 11-6 record (.647 winning percentage) in away games.

Colts Scouting Report

The Colts began the 2025 season as one of the hottest teams in the league, starting 8-2 over their first 10 games before a seven-game losing streak spat them out at 8-9. Indianapolis has finished below .500 in three of their past four seasons and have been absent from the playoffs since 2020.

A season ago, the Colts accumulated 345.6 offensive yards per game (ninth in NFL) and 27.4 points scored per game (eighth in NFL). Their ninth-place finish in total yards per game is the highest of the Shane Steichen era.

Defensively, Indianapolis conceded 349.8 total yards per game last season, ranking 23rd in the NFL and one spot ahead of the Ravens. They also allowed 24.2 points per game (21st in NFL).

Opposing Players to Watch

Jonathan Taylor, RB

The Colts offense is spearheaded by superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, who is coming off a season in which he posted a career-high-tying 18 rushing touchdowns.

The 27-year-old has eclipsed 1,400 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, including a 2025 campaign where he led all ball carriers in rushing attempts (323). Taylor also amassed a career-high 883 offensive snaps during his most recent season in Indianapolis.

Minter is all too familiar with the former Wisconsin Badger after facing him in Week 7 of last season as the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers. Baltimore’s rookie head coach struggled to contain Taylor, who rushed for 94 yards and three scores as Indianapolis thrashed the Chargers in a 38-24 victory.

The three-time Pro-Bowler cooled off toward the end of last season, failing to exceed four yards per carry in each of his last five games of the year.

Tyler Warren, TE

Another key piece to the Indianapolis scoring unit, Tyler Warren is looking to build off an 817-yard, four-touchdown rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old hauled in 76 receptions on 106 targets a season ago, ranking second to just Michael Pittman Jr. for most receptions and targets by a Colts pass catcher. Warren averaged 10.8 yards per reception, placing 10th-highest among NFL tight ends (min. 50 targets).

With Pittman no longer a member of the squad and Jones fresh off a late-season Achilles tear, Warren looks to be a focal point of a Colts offense that has not won a game since Nov. 9, 2025.

DeForest Buckner, DL

Indianapolis’ defense allowed the seventh-least rushing yards per game last season (101.9), largely in part to the presence of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.

Though he missed seven games with injury, the three-time Pro-Bowler still made his mark, notching 43 tackles and 22 defensive stops during his 10th NFL season. Buckner also recorded four sacks on 36 pressures, grading out as the second-best pass rusher on the Colts by Pro Football Focus.

The veteran recorded a team-best 4.4 missed tackle percentage (min. 250 snaps), which also ranked eighth among NFL defensive tackles (min. 400 snaps).

Neutralizing Buckner is going to be a top priority for Baltimore’s new-look interior offensive line.

Cam Bynum, FS

The biggest contributor from the Colts’ secondary from 2025 was none other than safety Cam Bynum.

A 2025 free agency signing from the Minnesota Vikings, Bynum accounted for a team-leading five turnovers forced last year, including four interceptions. The 28-year-old allowed the seventh-lowest passer rating by a safety with at least 300 coverage snaps (66.3) while also being graded by PFF as one of the best tackling defensive backs in the NFL.

Bynum flourished in Indianapolis’ opener last season, intercepting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins’ first drive of the year. In his first five games of 2025, the former fourth-round pick allowed 36 yards on three receptions with two interceptions and a pass broken up.

Bynum has faced the Ravens once in his five-year career, logging 11 tackles and an interception in the first start of his NFL career. Keeping the ball out of his reach will be crucial for Baltimore’s offense.

Payne’s Top Props

Here are some of my favorite props for Sunday’s contest between the Ravens and the Colts (props via FanDuel Sportsbook).

Lamar Jackson Over 220.5 Passing Yards

Yes, Jackson only averaged 196.1 passing yards per game in 2025. Yes, he only exceeded 221 passing yards four times in 2025.

But, it’s a fresh slate and the two-time MVP is playing a team against which he historically prospers. Jackson is averaging 271.3 passing yards per game on 8.4 yards per attempt in three career games against Indianapolis, mostly because of a 442-yard performance against the franchise in 2021.

The Colts tied Baltimore for the second-most passing yards per game allowed in 2025, conceding a whopping 247.9 over the course of the season. Despite a 4-1 start to last season, Indianapolis allowed 221 or more passing yards in each those games.

The Colts’ defense is coached by Lou Anarumo, who Baltimore is familiar with as the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator for six seasons from 2019-2024. Jackson is averaging 261.7 passing yards per game across his last six games against an Anarumo-coached defense.

Mark Andrews Over 3.5 Receptions

The Colts were notoriously lackluster against tight ends a season ago.

Indianapolis allowed six receptions per game to tight ends in 2025, which was the seventh-worst by any NFL team. Anarumo-led defenses have averaged 6.3 receptions allowed to tight ends over the past three seasons, including 2023 and 2024 campaigns where the Bengals finished at the bottom of the league in receptions conceded to tight ends.

Mark Andrews, Baltimore’s three-time Pro Bowl tight end, has 15 receptions over his last two games against the Colts. The 31-year-old has also logged at least four receptions in nine of his last 11 games against an Anarumo-lead defensive unit.

Despite the hype surrounding fourth-round rookie Matthew Hibner, Andrews will anchor Baltimore’s tight end position as one of the team’s top targets to start the season.

Derrick Henry Anytime TD

The King is returning for his 11th NFL season! And we are expecting it to start with a trip to the end zone.

Derrick Henry is coming off consecutive seasons with 16 touchdowns, nearly averaging a score per game across his last two campaigns. The five-time Pro-Bowler has scored in both of his last two Week 1 contests in addition to six touchdowns across his last three games of the 2025 season.

Henry has scored in four of his five career games against an Anarumo-led defense, including a touchdown in each of his last three. In his last game against the Colts, the 32-year-old reached the end zone twice for the Tennessee Titans.

Henry has a knack for scoring touchdowns and it seems inevitable that he will do so on Sunday.

What are your predictions for the Ravens-Colts season opener? Do you think Baltimore comes out on top to start the Minter era?

The post Pre-Snap Points: Minter Era Begins In Indy appeared first on Russell Street Report.

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