Preview: Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens

It’s primetime football season, Colts fans. The Indianapolis Colts travel to Baltimore squaring off against a tough Ravens squad. Will Indy be able to contain Lamar Jackson? Can Carson Wentz move the football down the field against Baltimore’s defense? Let’s dive into our weekly game preview, closing it out with our prediction.

Last season, the Colts had Baltimore on the ropes until head coach John Harbaugh made a key second half adjustment. Lamar was 10-of-10 throwing the football against Indy’s zone-heavy defense, finding the holes with easy precision. That’s the key tonight, especially with Baltimore’s dominant ground attack.

The Ravens’ defense has always been a stalwart unit. Will the Colts move the ball against a front seven built with length and speed similar to their own? That’s the big question, so a lot of pressure once again falls on backups Chris Reed and Julien Davenport.

If the Colts want to keep this game close, this needs to follow a similar script we saw in 2019 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Dominant trench play to go along with ball-control style football.

Baltimore knows what’s coming: Jonathan Taylor with a heavy dosage in the power running game. So, with that being said, it’s going to fall on Carson Wentz’s shoulders to get this one done. Will Wentz be able to move the ball down the field against a beat up Ravens secondary? Michael Pittman Jr. should continue to be fed at high volume as he ascends into WR1 status officially.

How healthy is Darius Leonard? If Leonard looks gimpy and not 100 percent, Lamar is going to be targeting him early and often in quick concepts and zone reads. Indy needs a vintage Maniac performance, especially against a quarterback his prototype is pretty much built to stop.

Will the Colts be able to keep it close? We’ll find out how good this football team can truly be this season in a tough environment against a likely playoff squad.

It’s hard to envision Indianapolis winning this game, quite honestly. However, I do think the Colts keep this one closer than many expect. If the offense is efficient, while Lamar is bottled up running around, that’s a solid strategy to keep it a one-possession game late.

The Ravens are simply a more talented football team, so they hold the overall edge here.

Indianapolis falls to 1-4 on the season, now with a make-or-break few weeks ahead of them to survive.