The Indianapolis Colts routed Houston last week for their first victory of the season. This week, they head east to face the Baltimore Ravens in what many are expecting to be a disastrous matchup, or will it? Baltimore enters this game 2-0, and both teams have beaten Houston.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much to glean as both Indianapolis and Baltimore literally ran over Houston. Before Anthony Richardson received his concussion, this game would feature two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the league. There still is a chance that he clears concussion protocol and can play.
But considering he’s the future of this franchise and the fact that Gardner Minshew performed well in his relief appearance, there is more than enough reason to let Richardson sit this one and get ready to face LA. Having Minshew start will also be a good opportunity for Colts fans to see what a Shane Steichen offense would look like with a far less mobile quarterback.
Without further ado, here are four bold predictions for the Colts vs. Ravens.
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Zay Flowers goes for 200 yards and two scores
Zay Flowers was a wide receiver who would have fit in very well in the horseshoe’s offense and many others. However, that was not meant to be, as Baltimore drafted him with the 22nd pick in the 2023 draft. So far, he has carved up NFL defenses for a total of 140 yards. He’s done this by catching 13 of his 15 passes (86.7%).
Considering the past two games the Colts’ pass defense has been torched, allowing a total of 574 yards on 68.4% passing, Flowers is primed for a big day. The most receiving yards in a game in NFL history is 336 by Flipper Anderson against the Saints back in 1989. Flowers won’t go off for that many, but he will go for 200 yards with two scores.
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Gardner Minshew throws for 250 yards, two scores and one INT
As mentioned near the beginning of this article, Minshew might get a chance to start this week. And if he does, there shouldn’t be too much of a drop-off in the production of the Colts’ offense. Last week, Minshew completed 82.6% of his passes for 171 yards in relief of Richardson.
The offensive output wasn’t negatively impacted when he stepped in. In fact, dating back to the preseason games, the offense hasn’t had a noticeable dropoff when either quarterback is playing. Now, with that being said, how those offenses go about producing is vastly different.
Minshew will give Colts fans a good look as to how Steichen’s offense would function if they had drafted a more pocket-based quarterback. With this Baltimore secondary banged up, the Colts’ passing offense should be able to operate better than what many initially expected when the schedule came out. This week, he’ll pass for over 250 yards with two touchdowns and one turnover.
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Lamar Jackson remains perfect against the Colts
Jackson is 2-0 against the Colts in his career thus far. In both of those games, Indianapolis was leading at halftime. Coincidentally, they scored 10 points while holding Baltimore to only one score. Unfortunately, in the second half, Baltimore scored a combined total of 45 points to Indianapolis’ 15.
In those games, Jackson has completed almost 85% of his passes, 56 of 66, for 612 yards, with a total of five touchdowns (four passing and one rushing) and only one turnover (fumble). In both games, coincidentally, he was sacked just twice and held to under 65 rushing yards. So, the Colts’ defensive strategy of not letting him run all over them has worked. Unfortunately, they just haven’t been able to get to him enough to significantly impact his passing.
Considering the Colts still don’t have a premier pass rusher, a similar result is to be expected. And if the secondary can’t hold up long enough, it could be a very long day. Jackson will again complete over 80% of his passes while not turning the ball over and throwing for 300 yards with a touchdown.
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Final result will be a one-score game
Currently, the betting line has Baltimore giving seven and a half points to the Colts. And despite what was previously stated about the horseshoe’s pass defense, this game should be a close one. Both teams have combined to score 52 points in their first two games, yet they have different records.
There are even more similarities between these two teams. Both teams rank in the top 15 in defensive scoring percentage (the number of offensive drives that end with an offensive score); Baltimore ranks 10th and Indianapolis 12th. Also, both teams rank right next to each other in turnover percentage, 15th for Indianapolis (11.5%) and 16th for Baltimore (10.5%).
Now, there are some differences between these two teams. The Colts rank sixth in sacks (8) and Baltimore ranks 12th (6). And considering Baltimore may be without their starting left tackle and center, that number could rise for the Colts. Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, both clubs average five yards per play. Also, the horseshoe is averaging 221 yards passing, whereas Baltimore is 196 yards. As previously stated, this game should be a fairly close matchup throughout and come down to a last-minute score.
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