INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said all offseason the “sense of urgency has never been higher” for her team. She even turned the phrase “find a way” into the franchise’s season-long mantra after it has seemingly lost its way amid a five-year playoff drought.
“We have everything we need this year to get where we need to go,” Irsay-Gordon said during training camp in July.
No one could tell Sunday. The Colts were outclassed in every phase as the Baltimore Ravens cruised to a 41-23 season-opening victory.
“Obviously, (it) was not good enough from start to finish,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said of his team’s performance. “We’ve gotta coach better. We’ve gotta play better in order to get better. We’ve got a long season ahead of us. We’ve gotta clean up the mistakes. We had a lot of them.”
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Sunday’s abysmal outing served as a stark reminder of how far away the Colts’ glory days are and, heck, how far away even last season is.
After they started 8-2 in 2025 and lost their last seven games amid a slew of injuries, Irsay-Gordon justified retaining general manager Chris Ballard for a 10th season and Steichen for a fourth because she thought the first half of that campaign was who the Colts really are.
“It’s like we pressed pause on a movie and now we’re pressing play, and we get to see what happens at the end,” Irsay-Gordon said at the league’s annual meeting in March.
So far, the sequel is off to a nightmarish start, and neither Ballard nor Steichen should feel safe after being at the helm of such an embarrassing showing.
The Ravens’ 41 points were the most the Colts have given up in a season-opening home game since 1954, which was 30 years before the team moved — fittingly — from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Additionally, the Ravens’ 506 yards of total offense were their 10th most in a single game in franchise history. The only reason it wasn’t ninth (508 yards) is because Lamar Jackson lost 3 yards on three straight kneeldowns to end the game.
Reminded afterward of how porous the Colts defense was, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner muttered “goddamn” as he shook his head in disgust. The team captain then offered a louder, just as succinct response.
“Plain and simple, we got our ass whupped,” Buckner said.
Jackson provided his usual magic that’s turned him into a two-time league MVP, perhaps none more obvious than his 16-yard scramble in the first quarter. Facing third-and-16, Jackson dropped back and immediately faced heavy pressure from Buckner and Colts defensive end Arden Key. Both looked like they had swallowed Jackson for a surefire sack that would’ve taken Baltimore out of field goal range, only for Jackson to duck under both of their arms and scamper downfield for 16 yards and a first down.
It was the kind of Houdini act that only Jackson can pull off, though his heroics weren’t the theme of the Colts’ defensive woes, according to All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.
“A lot of the mistakes were self-inflicted wounds,” Gardner said. “Somebody was just open or something like that.”
Lamar Jackson had 364 yards of total offense (324 passing, 40 rushing) as the Ravens moved the ball at will vs. the Colts. (Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images
Buckner added that the defense had a tough time getting lined up properly, which he couldn’t pinpoint a reason for. Fellow team captain Cam Bynum, however, took full responsibility. The sixth-year safety is wearing the green dot for the first time in his career this season and calling the defense. But even still, how could the Colts look that disjointed and unprepared after so much talk about execution and urgency? After so many people declared that things would be different?
“I don’t think the standard was met,” Bynum said.
Wide receiver Josh Downs, speaking from an offensive perspective, echoed the same sentiment.
“I can’t explain it,” said Downs, whose only two catches came on Indy’s opening drive. “Honestly, we gotta be better. There’s no excuse.”
The Colts briefly looked like they’d taken Irsay-Gordon’s message of urgency to heart. They opened the game with a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by quarterback Daniel Jones, who appeared in his first game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon nine months ago.
Jones completed 5 of his 7 passes for 59 yards to help the Colts reach the red zone before Jonathan Taylor capped the drive with a 1-yard score. However, that success was short-lived as kicker Spencer Shrader missed the ensuing point-after attempt wide right, the Colts defense subsequently gave up a three-play, 51-yard go-ahead touchdown drive and Jones was picked off by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith on Indy’s second offensive possession.
“Obviously, didn’t play well enough on offense,” Jones said. “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. So I think, yeah, a lot to learn from and grow from here.”
Things unraveled even further later in the first half. After Ravens receiver Zay Flowers broke free for a 54-yard touchdown reception, in which the Colts missed several opportunities to bring him down thanks to their poor tackling angles and techniques, Baltimore scored again just five plays later after Taylor lost a fumble. Ravens superstar Derrick Henry then dropped the hammer with a 32-yard touchdown run that effectively put the game out of reach well before halftime.
The score got so out of hand that the Colts were booed by the fans at Lucas Oil Stadium, many of whom began exiting in the third quarter. Taylor, who finished with two touchdowns, called Sunday’s performance a “wake-up call.” But again, how could a team that claims to have aspirations of contending for an AFC South title, which it hasn’t won since 2014, get caught sleepwalking?
“No one wants to come in the home opener and put that on display,” Taylor said. “But the biggest thing is we gotta go back to work.”
Steichen was adamant that one game won’t define the Colts’ season. He’s right, though only to a degree.
Neither he nor Ballard has earned the benefit of the doubt. Not after what took place Sunday. Not after the constant letdowns during both of their tenures. Too many of these losses have encapsulated this era of Colts football, and a few more may require Irsay-Gordon to reevaluate just how high her own “sense of urgency” is regarding the trust she’s given Ballard and Steichen.
It’s early, but their seats are already heating up.