Baltimore Ravens vs Indianapolis Colts, Week 1 2026

Ravens vs Colts brings together two teams that watched January from home. Both finished 8 and 9. Both spent the offseason deciding that something structural had to change, and both changed it in a way you will see on the first snap.

Kickoff is 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13. Bookmark this page for the game itself, when the live score, game leaders, box scores, play-by-play with the game flow chart and team statistics all switch on and keep themselves current.

Baltimore has a head coach who is not John Harbaugh for the first time since 2008. Indianapolis has a quarterback coming back from a torn Achilles.

Ravens vs Colts Start Time, TV Channel and Live Stream

Indianapolis sits in the Eastern zone, so 1:00 PM ET is also 1:00 PM at the stadium. CBS distributes early Sunday games regionally, which means whether it reaches your television depends on where you live. Outside those markets, Sunday Ticket is the route.

The venue runs a full pregame timetable: ticket office at 9:00 AM, Touchdown Town at 10:00 AM, gates at 11:00 AM, kickoff at 1:00. The official Lucas Oil Stadium event page carries that schedule plus the clear bag policy, stadium maps and accessibility. The full opening slate is on the NFL 2026 season hub.

The End of the Harbaugh Era

John Harbaugh coached Baltimore for eighteen seasons. He is now the head coach of the New York Giants, and for the first time since 2017 his starting quarterback will not be Lamar Jackson.

Jesse Minter takes over. His first job is a defense that finished 24th last season, and the front office gave him help: Trey Hendrickson arrives to fix a pass rush that was among the worst in franchise history, and the offensive line in front of Jackson was rebuilt.

The other new voice is Declan Doyle, the youngest playcaller in the league, installing a system Jackson has never run. Baltimore held camp at the Under Armour Performance Center from July 29 to August 17. Rookie receiver Ja'Kobi Lane was the standout.

Daniel Jones and the Achilles Question

Jones had surgery on a torn Achilles in December. When camp opened this summer it was his first time in eleven on eleven work, and his first time facing a live pass rush, since the injury. Shane Steichen has named him the starter anyway, with Anthony Richardson Sr. and Riley Leonard behind him.

Before the injury Jones threw for 3,101 yards with 19 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Keenan Allen arrives to give him a reliable target, and Steichen has spoken about the fit between the two.

Indianapolis ran fourteen camp practices at Grand Park in Westfield, including joint sessions with New England and Atlanta. The linebacker group is still unsettled, with the coordinator leaving open a rotation rather than a fixed starting pair.

What Ravens vs Colts Rebuilt This Offseason

Baltimore bought a pass rush. Hendrickson is the headline addition on a defense that had almost none last year. Whether that alone lifts a unit from 24th is the season's first real test.

Indianapolis bought a target. Allen is the safety valve a quarterback returning from an Achilles injury needs, particularly early, when the pocket feels faster than it did in July.

Both changed the voice in the headset. Doyle in Baltimore, and in Indianapolis a defensive staff still deciding its own linebacker rotation. Week 1 is when scripted openers meet an opponent with no film of the new system.

Rosters cut to 53 at 6:00 PM ET on Sunday, August 30, with waiver claims the following day. Track both squads on the Ravens and Colts pages, and see where the result puts them in the opening NFL standings.

Ravens vs Colts FAQ

Ravens vs Colts puts two 8 and 9 teams on the field with new coaching, new additions and a quarterback back from an Achilles tear. Check back on game day for inactives and the live score.

Last updated: August 27, 2026