The Indianapolis Colts opened the 2026 season with a 41-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and there really is no way to sugarcoat it.

Baltimore finished with 506 total yards and controlled the ball for 35:20. But several Colts position groups were dragged down by the failures around them, so not every grade can be judged in a vacuum.

Let’s get into it.

QB — C

Daniel Jones did not look great, but I am not ready to bury a quarterback playing his first meaningful football since tearing his Achilles.

Jones went 19-of-31 for 166 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while taking nine QB hits and two sacks behind an offensive line that rarely gave him time.

RB — B+

Jonathan Taylor was Jonathan Taylor, finishing with 98 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

The fumble hurts, but he was still Indianapolis’ most reliable weapon. Seth McGowan did not get a carry, but his explosiveness showed up with 164 kickoff return yards.

WR — B-

There was not much this group could do with Jones under pressure all afternoon, but there also was not enough separation.

Alec Pierce led the room with 61 yards. Solid overall, but Indianapolis desperately needed more explosives.

OL — D+

This group made Jones’ job nearly impossible.

Baltimore hit him nine times and sacked him twice, with pressure constantly collapsing the pocket. The run blocking improved late, but Indianapolis lost the trench battle badly.

TE — B

Tyler Warren only finished with three catches for 13 yards, but he still found the end zone and gave Indianapolis one of its few positive moments through the air.

The volume was not there, but Warren did his job when his number was called. In an offense that struggled to consistently move the ball, that was enough for a solid grade.

DL — C-

The Colts got two sacks and four QB hits, but made very little overall impact.

Baltimore rushed for 202 yards, including 144 and three touchdowns from Derrick Henry, despite Jovaughn Gwyn making his first career NFL start at center.

LB — F-

At times, this group could have stayed home and made about the same impact.

Indianapolis finished with zero tackles for loss, struggled badly against the run and got almost nothing from the second level. CJ Allen never saw the field defensively.

CB — D

Zay Flowers had 150 receiving yards in the first half alone.

That pretty much tells the story. This is still a talented cornerback room that deserves some time, but Week 1 was rough.

S — C+

Cam Bynum handled the green dot and A.J. Haulcy’s NFL debut was encouraging, but neither safety made a game-changing play.

Haulcy finished with 10 tackles, and this group was far from the biggest defensive problem.

ST — D

Spencer Shrader missed the opening extra point, while Baltimore averaged 30.2 yards on five kickoff returns.

McGowan’s return work and Shrader’s 58-yard field goal helped, but the coverage units gave Baltimore too much.

The biggest takeaway is how much these grades affected one another.

Bad pass protection made Jones look worse. Baltimore scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, while two Colts turnovers kept sending a defense that could not get stops right back onto the field.

Week 1 was ugly. Now Indianapolis has to prove it was just Week 1.

Recommended Articles