The Ravens open their season Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Indianapolis Colts, and the first real question is how much of Daniel Jones they will get. Jones said Wednesday that he feels really good physically after starting training camp, but the Colts need him to look close enough to full strength to hold together an offense that flashed last season before everything fell apart.
That is why this Ravens game matters now. The Colts started last season 8-2 and averaged a league-best 32.1 points per game over their first 10 games, with Jones becoming the only Colts quarterback other than Peyton Manning to reach at least 200 passing yards in that span. He also posted a 3.8 completion percentage over expectation, a sign that when the offense was working, he was not just managing it but driving it.
Jones is not being asked to do that alone. Shane Steichen has called the Colts' plays since 2023, and the offense has leaned on play-action on 29.1% of dropbacks since he arrived. That structure is built in part around Jonathan Taylor, who led the NFL in carries, rushing touchdowns and yards after contact last season and still owns 90.5 career rushing yards per game, the most among active running backs. If the Colts want to rediscover the pace they showed early last season, Taylor is still the engine.
But the late collapse sits right behind that promise. Jones suffered a torn Achilles last season, and the Colts then lost seven straight games to finish the year, including five by one possession. That kind of finish does not vanish because a new season starts on the calendar. It leaves a team opening the year with talent, but also with proof that one injury can change the way everything looks.
Smith said Jones is efficient and processes quickly, which is the kind of praise that matters when a quarterback is coming back from a major injury. Jones, for his part, said he feels really good, felt good to start camp, feels even better now and is happy with where he is physically. Sunday will show whether that means protected and limited, or healthy enough to push the Colts back toward the version of themselves that looked like one of the NFL's most dangerous teams before the season turned.
