top of page

Ravens 41, Colts 23: Henry Makes History, Lamar Runs Wild

23 hours ago
5 min read

Derrick Henry scores three rushing touchdowns, Lamar Jackson throws for 324 yards, and Baltimore opens the Jesse Minter era with 506 yards.


2026 NFL Week 1 · Final: Baltimore Ravens 41, Indianapolis Colts 23. Official team coverage · AP game report


Baltimore arrived with an avalanche


The Ravens answered an early Indianapolis touchdown with an offensive avalanche. Derrick Henry scored three times on the ground, Lamar Jackson supplied 324 passing yards and a rushing touchdown, and Baltimore finished a 41 to 23 win with 506 total yards. Jesse Minter's first game as Ravens head coach delivered immediate evidence of how punishing this offense can be when its biggest weapons operate together.


Henry's third rushing touchdown took his career total to 125, moving him past Marcus Allen into third place. The milestone belonged to a performance that was impressive long before the historical accounting: 24 carries, 144 yards and repeated evidence that Indianapolis could not keep Baltimore from reaching its preferred situations.


Derrick Henry, No. 22, lines up in the Baltimore Ravens backfield during a 2025 preseason game against Washington.
Derrick Henry (No. 22) lines up for Baltimore during the Ravens–Commanders 2025 preseason game. Photo: Joe Glorioso / All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source and license


The opening response changed everything


Jonathan Taylor scored first, but the Ravens answered with touchdowns on a Jackson run, a Henry run, a 54 yard Jackson pass to Zay Flowers and a 32 yard Henry run. Baltimore went from trailing 6 to 0 to leading 28 to 6. That sequence forced Indianapolis to chase the game instead of continuing to build it around Taylor.


Tyler Loop's 57 yard field goal at the end of the half made it 31 to 13. Indianapolis later moved within 15, but Henry's three yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter restored a commanding advantage. Baltimore kept finding a response before the Colts could turn isolated successes into a sustained comeback.


Every scoring play


Quarter / clock

Scoring play

BAL : IND

Q1 10:33

Jonathan Taylor 1 Yd Rush (Spencer Shrader PAT Failed)

0 : 6

Q1 8:20

Lamar Jackson 5 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

7 : 6

Q1 4:05

Derrick Henry 4 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

14 : 6

Q2 6:54

Zay Flowers 54 Yd pass from Lamar Jackson (Tyler Loop Kick)

21 : 6

Q2 5:04

Derrick Henry 32 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

28 : 6

Q2 2:16

Jonathan Taylor 3 Yd Rush (Spencer Shrader Kick)

28 : 13

Q2 0:00

Tyler Loop 57 Yd Field Goal

31 : 13

Q3 7:55

Spencer Shrader 58 Yd Field Goal

31 : 16

Q4 12:46

Derrick Henry 3 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

38 : 16

Q4 10:26

Tyler Warren 9 Yd pass from Daniel Jones (Spencer Shrader Kick)

38 : 23

Q4 4:09

Tyler Loop 45 Yd Field Goal

41 : 23


Compare the outcome with our earlier coverage: Ravens vs. Colts Prediction: Lamar Jackson Meets Jonathan Taylor




Explosiveness outweighed the third down count


Baltimore converted only three of nine third downs, a number that ordinarily sounds like trouble. Its 7.9 yards per play explains why that did not define the afternoon. The Ravens gained 202 rushing yards and 304 net passing yards, creating enough large gains that they did not need a huge number of extended third down sequences.


Jackson averaged almost 13 gross passing yards per attempt. Indianapolis averaged 4.7 yards per offensive play overall and finished with 251 yards, less than half Baltimore's total. The Colts scored touchdowns on all three red zone trips, but reaching the red zone often enough was the larger problem.


The complete team comparison


Statistic

BAL

IND

First downs

23

17

Offensive plays

64

53

Total yards

506

251

Yards per play

7.9

4.7

Passing yards, net

304

149

Rushing yards

202

102

Rushing attempts

37

20

Yards per rush

5.5

5.1

Third downs, converted / attempts

3 / 9

3 / 10

Fourth downs, converted / attempts

0 / 1

0 / 1

Red zone TDs / trips

3 / 4

3 / 3

Turnovers committed

1

2

Sacks allowed / yards lost

2 / 20

2 / 17

Penalties / yards

10 / 86

4 / 29

Possession

35:20

24:40





Flowers exploded before an injury changed the mood


Flowers caught five passes for 150 yards and a touchdown on six targets, all before a hamstring injury ended his day. That is 30 yards per catch, an extraordinary burst of production. Mark Andrews added four catches for 49 yards, while Chris Moore's lone reception went for 53.


Taylor remained productive with 98 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, plus 23 receiving yards. But a lost fumble added to Indianapolis' difficulties. Daniel Jones completed 19 of 31 attempts for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Colts needed more from the passing offense once Baltimore had changed the terms of the game.


Quarterbacks and offensive leaders


Player

Week 1 production

BAL · Lamar Jackson

17/25 passing, 324 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 124.2 passer rating

BAL · Derrick Henry

24 carries, 144 rushing yards, 3 TD; long 32

BAL · Lamar Jackson

7 carries, 40 rushing yards, 1 TD; long 19

BAL · Zay Flowers

5 catches, 150 receiving yards, 1 TD, 6 targets; long 54

BAL · Chris Moore

1 catches, 53 receiving yards, 0 TD, 2 targets; long 53

BAL · Mark Andrews

4 catches, 49 receiving yards, 0 TD, 6 targets; long 17

BAL · Derrick Henry

1 catches, 19 receiving yards, 0 TD, 1 targets; long 19

IND · Daniel Jones

19/31 passing, 166 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 72.8 passer rating

IND · Jonathan Taylor

19 carries, 98 rushing yards, 2 TD; long 21

IND · Daniel Jones

1 carries, 4 rushing yards, 0 TD; long 4

IND · Alec Pierce

4 catches, 61 receiving yards, 0 TD, 6 targets; long 23

IND · Josh Downs

2 catches, 37 receiving yards, 0 TD, 4 targets; long 25

IND · Keenan Allen

6 catches, 32 receiving yards, 0 TD, 6 targets; long 9

IND · Jonathan Taylor

3 catches, 23 receiving yards, 0 TD, 4 targets; long 13


All scoring and statistical tables use the final ESPN box score and play by play


Passing yards in the team table are net of sack yardage. Quarterback passing yards are gross. Receiving targets and player roles describe this game; they are not season projections.




Fantasy conclusions require both production and availability


Henry's 25 combined carries and catches produced 163 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. Jackson added 40 rushing yards to his passing output. Those are powerful role signals, though five offensive touchdowns should not be treated as a weekly floor for the team.


Flowers' hamstring is the immediate follow up. His 150 yards should be celebrated without turning the game report into a recovery prediction. For Indianapolis, Taylor's 22 combined carries and catches show that he retained substantial work despite the deficit. Alec Pierce led the Colts with 61 receiving yards, while Keenan Allen caught six passes for 32. The contrast between catches and yardage is useful when judging the passing game's depth and efficiency.




Football Nation verdict


Baltimore's opener was frightening because its rushing power and passing explosiveness reinforced each other. The Colts could not concentrate on one problem without exposing themselves to another. Indianapolis' red zone finishing was a positive, but it needs far more stops and sustained offense between those scoring opportunities. The Ravens host New Orleans next, while the Colts visit Kansas City. Baltimore has set an aggressive standard for its new era; repeating the efficiency will be the next test.


Explore every finished matchup in the Football Nation Game Recaps archive


Comments


bottom of page