Derrick Henry’s three touchdowns and Baltimore’s big-play burst carry Ravens past Colts 41-23

The first punch did not belong to Baltimore for long

Indianapolis opened the scoring with Jonathan Taylor’s 1-yard touchdown run at 10:33 of the first quarter, but the missed extra point left the Colts with only six for their work. Baltimore answered with the sort of reply that changes a game’s tone in a hurry. Lamar Jackson ran in from 5 yards at 8:20, then Derrick Henry added a 4-yard touchdown at 4:05, and a 6-0 Colts edge had become a 14-6 Ravens lead before the quarter was done.

The game’s defining stretch came in the second quarter, when Baltimore stopped asking Indianapolis to defend every blade of grass and simply attacked the scoreboard. Zay Flowers turned one connection from Jackson into a 54-yard touchdown at 6:54. One minute and 50 seconds later, Henry ripped off a 32-yard scoring run. That made it 28-6, a margin the Colts never erased. Taylor’s second short touchdown, a 3-yarder at 2:16, kept Indianapolis in reach, but Tyler Loop’s 57-yard field goal at the horn restored Baltimore’s cushion at 31-13 going into halftime.

Baltimore won with power, then stretched the field

What stands out in the Ravens’ numbers is not just volume, but how little they needed third down to get there. Baltimore finished only 3-for-9 on third down and still produced 506 total yards at 7.9 per play. That is what happens when Henry runs for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, Jackson adds 40 rushing yards and a score, and the passing game keeps landing chunk gains. Flowers caught five balls for 150 yards and the touchdown that widened the second-quarter gap. Chris Moore chipped in a 53-yard reception, and Mark Andrews supplied four catches for 49 yards.

Jackson’s passing line was efficient in all the ways that matter most: 17 completions on 25 attempts, one touchdown, no interceptions and a passer rating of 124.2. He was not carrying Baltimore alone, which may be the sharpest compliment you can give this offense. Henry handled the blunt-force part of the afternoon, Jackson directed it, and Baltimore’s balance kept Indianapolis from settling into any one answer. The Ravens were 3-for-4 in the red zone, Loop made both field-goal attempts, and the offense never really let the Colts shrink the game into a one-possession problem.

Indianapolis finished drives, but too few of them

The Colts did some things well enough to make this score feel less lopsided than Baltimore’s yardage total suggests. They were perfect in the red zone at 3-for-3. Taylor ran 19 times for 98 yards and both of Indianapolis’ rushing touchdowns. Spencer Shrader hit from 58 yards in the third quarter, and Daniel Jones found Tyler Warren for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 10:26 left in the fourth to trim the deficit to 38-23. For stretches, Indianapolis was efficient once it got close.

The problem was getting there often enough. The Colts finished with 251 total yards, averaged 4.7 per play and converted only 3 of 10 third downs. Jones completed 19 of 31 passes with one touchdown and one interception, but the passing game rarely pushed Baltimore consistently. Alec Pierce led the Colts with 61 receiving yards, Josh Downs had 37, and Keenan Allen caught six passes for 32 yards. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s defense added enough disruption to keep Indianapolis from building momentum: Roquan Smith had 11 tackles and the interception, while Malaki Starks and Tavius Robinson each recorded a sack as the Ravens posted six tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits.

Our take: the score felt earned, and so did the lessons

Baltimore’s offense looked like a group that can survive an ordinary third-down day because its explosive players keep erasing the need for long, careful drives. That is a dangerous trait in an NFL game, and the Ravens paired it with 35:20 of possession and 202 rushing yards. The only obvious warning label on a 41-point afternoon is discipline. Ten penalties for 86 yards and a lost fumble are the kind of loose details that can complicate games that otherwise belong to you.

Indianapolis, on the other hand, has a more interesting box score than the final margin suggests. Averaging 5.1 yards per rush while going a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone says there is useful structure here. Our take: the Colts might reasonably look at how to turn that efficiency into more chances. They ran only 20 times as a team, averaged 5.4 yards per pass attempt, and ended too many possessions before they could test Baltimore deep into a drive. Defensively, the case is simpler. When you allow 202 rushing yards, 506 total yards, and generate only two sacks, no tackles for loss and four quarterback hits, the front has not changed enough snaps. Against an offense with Henry and Jackson, that becomes the whole afternoon.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 10:33

   Jonathan Taylor 1 Yd Rush (Spencer Shrader PAT Failed)

2. Period 1 · 8:20

   Lamar Jackson 5 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

3. Period 1 · 4:05

   Derrick Henry 4 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

4. Period 2 · 6:54

   Zay Flowers 54 Yd pass from Lamar Jackson (Tyler Loop Kick)

5. Period 2 · 5:04

   Derrick Henry 32 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

6. Period 2 · 2:16

   Jonathan Taylor 3 Yd Rush (Spencer Shrader Kick)

7. Period 2 · 0:00

   Tyler Loop 57 Yd Field Goal

8. Period 3 · 7:55

   Spencer Shrader 58 Yd Field Goal

9. Period 4 · 12:46

   Derrick Henry 3 Yd Rush (Tyler Loop Kick)

10. Period 4 · 10:26

    Tyler Warren 9 Yd pass from Daniel Jones (Spencer Shrader Kick)

11. Period 4 · 4:09

    Tyler Loop 45 Yd Field Goal