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.
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%).
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.
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.