Colts Receive Massive Wake-Up Call in Thrashing by Ravens

The Indianapolis Colts put together an uninspiring performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DeForest Buckner summed it up perfectly after the Indianapolis Colts were utterly embarrassed by the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 41-23.

"Plain and simple, we got our ass whooped."

The talk all offseason was how the Colts believed they could be the same team that went 8-2 to begin the 2025 season. They believed the 0-7 finish to last season was not indicative of what this group was truly made of.

However, on an afternoon when Indy had the chance to prove it, they put forth an uninspiring performance by all three phases, causing boo birds to ring out from thousands of fed-up fans at Lucas Oil Stadium before the game even reached halftime.

"Definitely an eye opener," Jonathan Taylor said. "Definitely a wake-up call."

The wake-up began on the Ravens' first offensive possession of the day when the Colts allowed Baltimore to score today in just three plays. A 49-yard catch-and-run by Zay Flowers followed by a Derrick Henry rush and Lamar Jackson keeper into the end zone opened the floodgates.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ravens finished with 506 total yards as the Colts had hardly any answers. Jackson finished with 324 passing yards and a touchdown, adding 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 150 of those yards went to Flowers, who accumulated his total in the first half alone after suffering a hamstring injury.

Henry also dominated the Colts on the ground, racking up 144 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second time in Henry's career that the future Hall of Famer rushed for three touchdowns in a game at Lucas Oil Stadium, with the first coming as a member of the Tennessee Titans.

Lou Anarumo's bunch was repeatedly embarrassed throughout the afternoon as the Ravens made it look easy.

"Obviously we’ve got to be better," Shane Steichen remarked. "We’ve got to coach better. We’ve got to play better. Obviously, they had a ton of yards. I think they had over 500 yards of offense. So, we’ve got to be better there."

The offense wasn't much better. Daniel Jones was under pressure for much of the afternoon as the Ravens brought plenty of blitzes throughout the game. Jones was a pedestrian 19-of-31 (61%) for 166 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the offense failed to establish any consistency.

The Colts were able to get Taylor going, as the Pro Bowl running back finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns. However, Taylor also coughed up a fumble after a 14-yard catch-and-run that was recovered by the Ravens.

Indy's offense carried the team to its hot start last season, and Sunday showed there is plenty of work to be done to get back to that point.

"Just not good enough," Jones said. "Obviously, didn't play well enough on offense. Didn't move the ball well. Didn't score. Didn't take care of it. A lot of things we set out to do every game, we didn't accomplish."

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) lets a pass fly as Baltimore Ravens safety Malaki Starks (24) closes in Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The bottom line is that the Colts' performance on Sunday cannot happen again. The team is too talented and has invested too many resources into prominent players to get blown off the field in the manner that they did. It may have been an 18-point loss, but the margin of victory should have been much larger had the Ravens not shot themselves in the foot with 10 penalties.

The good news for the Colts is this is only Week 1, and there is a lot of football left to be played. There is plenty of time to go back and clean up the plethora of mistakes that were made on Sunday and play more sound football moving forward. Plenty of teams have looked abysmal in their first game of the season only to turn around and be contenders by the end of the year.

But the turnaround must start next week, and the opponent does not get any easier. The Colts will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday Night Football in Week 2, providing another test to see where this team really is. The Colts know they do not have much margin for error moving forward.

“The good thing is we have a bunch of veteran guys that know it’s a long season," Buckner explained. "But, this is a good gut check for the entire team. Every single one of us. We’ve got to be better, including myself. We’ve got to be better each and every day, have a sense of urgency like you said, and move on to the Chiefs.”

It is hard not to overreact after seeing what the Colts put on the field on Sunday. In a season where the owner has said "the sense of urgency has never been higher," the team looked the exact opposite of urgent. They looked lethargic, lost, and unprepared.

There is still plenty of time to fix it. Turn things around, and Sunday's game will be a mere afterthought. Continue in this direction, and Sunday's game will mark the beginning of the end of this tenure's run in Indianapolis.

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