The NFL is back, and so, too, are Super Bowl expectations for the Baltimore Ravens. This time, though, things look a little different. The Jesse Minter era opens Sunday with a visit to the Indianapolis Colts, who are out to prove last season's strong start was no fluke.
Both teams feature quarterbacks hoping to bounce back from up-and-down 2025 seasons. Lamar Jackson struggled with injuries all year, and he rarely looked like himself. He had the highest sack rate of his career and averaged 26.8 rushing yards per game, less than half of his career average.
The Ravens' stop-and-start season came to a sudden end when Tyler Loop missed a game-winning field goal attempt in Week 18 against the Steelers, sending Pittsburgh to the playoffs. Daniel Jones, meanwhile, was playing the best football of his career by far—and some of the best football in the NFL, in fact—before a midseason leg fracture (he played through it) and, a few weeks later, a torn Achilles. Through 10 weeks, Jones led the NFL in passing yards and was fourth in yards per attempt.
The Colts fell into disarray after the injuries, slipping from 8-2 to 8-9 and missing the postseason for the fifth straight year. Both teams have several reasons to be optimistic they'll put their respective disappointing finishes in the past, and that starts Sunday. Here's what you need to know.
Lamar Jackson in a new offense: Each of the two times Jackson's changed offensive coordinators, he's won MVP. Can he make it three for three? Declan Doyle is only 30 and is calling plays for the first time, but he was the Bears' offensive coordinator under Ben Johnson last year, and Jackson has drawn rave reviews from him.
Expect more under-center play-action passes—an area Jackson has excelled—and other notable shifts in the approach. Superstar running back meeting: Over the past five seasons, Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor rank first and second, respectively, in rushing yards. Sunday, they'll go head to head.
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