INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts (1-0) hosted the Baltimore Ravens (2-0) for two joint practices at Grand Park on Friday and Saturday, the intensity rising each day. Now, the two will put it all on the field for Monday Night Football.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
- Monday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET
- Indianapolis; Lucas Oil Stadium
- TV: ESPN — Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jason Witten (color), Booger McFarland (field-level analyst) and Lisa Salters (sideline) | NFL Network re-air at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 21
- To find out what games will be on in your area, check here.
- Radio: WFNI "1070 The Fan" | WLHK "HANK FM" — Matt Taylor (play-by-play) and Jim Sorgi (color)
ALL-TIME SERIES
- Colts lead, 8-4 (2-1 in the playoffs). In the preseason, the Ravens lead, 1-0.
- Last game — Week 16 of 2017. Ravens won, 23-16.
COACHING STAFF
Colts:
- HC Frank Reich
- OC Nick Sirianni
- DC Matt Eberflus
- STC Bubba Ventrone
Ravens:
- HC John Harbaugh
- OC Marty Mornhinweg
- DC Don Martindale
- STC Jerry Rosburg
KEY NEW FACES
Colts:
- RB Nyheim Hines/Jordan Wilkins
- WR Ryan Grant/TE Eric Ebron
- OL Quenton Nelson/Braden Smith/Matt Slauson/Austin Howard
- DL Denico Autry
- LB Darius Leonard/Najee Goode
Ravens:
- QB Lamar Jackson
- WR Michael Crabtree/John Brown/Willie Snead
- TE Hayden Hurst/Mark Andrews
- OT Orlando Brown
OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
Colts:
- The Colts got an almost entirely new coaching staff this offseason, and general manager Chris Ballard went into his second offseason of flipping the roster.
- With the coaching change came a switch to a 4-3, Tampa-2 style defense from the hybrid 3-4 defense. The offense should be much more exotic than in years past.
- From 2017 to 2018, there could be as many as a dozen or more new starters.
- With all of these changes comes fierce competition in camp for numerous open spots along the roster.
Ravens:
- For the last six year, Dean Pees coordinated the Ravens defense, but he is now with the Tennessee Titans and Don Martindale has taken his place.
- The Ravens' passing game got revamped this offseason. Their three leading receivers in 2017 — Mike Wallace, Benjamin Watson and Jeremy Maclin — are all elsewhere this year and have been replaced by Michael Crabtree, John Brown, Willie Snead and a pair of rookie tight ends in Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews.
- This is still Joe Flacco's team, but for how long? The Ravens traded back into the first round of this year's NFL Draft to select electric quarterback Lamar Jackson.
STORYLINES/THINGS TO WATCH
- Andrew Luck's Most Extensive Action — Luck played shortly into the second quarter in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He is expected to see at least a little more playing time this week.
- Lamar Jackson's Continued Development — Because of playing in the annual Hall of Fame game, the Ravens got the benefit of seeing an extra preseason game from their players. This is now Jackson's third game, and playing on a surface like the one at Lucas Oil Stadium (a brand new surface, by the way) could really play to Jackson's strengths.
- A Good Test For Colts' Defense — The Ravens have a few quality quarterbacks in Joe Flacco, Jackson and Robert Griffin III, so it should give at least three units of the Colts' defense a good test against NFL-caliber QBs.
- Linebacker and Cornerback Pecking Order — Two of the more unsettled position groups on the Colts defense going into camp were the linebackers and the cornerbacks. There has been quite a bit of rotation in those groups everyday in practice. Will we see some definition to the lineups on Monday, and will anybody step to the front of the group?
- Cooler Heads Prevail? — Tempers gradually flared in the two days of joint practices, culminating in some brawls on Saturday. Colts head coach Frank Reich made no bones about the fact he was not pleased with the fights. Will everybody keep their cool during the game?
INTRIGUING MATCHUPS
- Colts OTs vs. Ravens OLBs Terrell Suggs/Matt Judon — The Colts have unfortunately been without tackles Anthony Castonzo and Denzelle Good for much of camp due to both having a hamstring injury. Without the two, it puts a ding in the team's depth at tackle, and the Ravens have a couple of highly talented edge players in Suggs and Judon.
- Colts TEs vs. Ravens LBs/Ss — One of the best position groups on the Colts' roster is the tight ends. Their Baltimore counterparts, the linebackers and safeties, are arguably the Ravens' best groups. Those should be fun reps to watch with the likes of Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron against C.J. Mosley, Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle.
- Colts LBs/Ss vs. Ravens TEs — In the two joint practices this week, the Colts had some trouble with Baltimore's tight ends, particularly Hurst. The Colts do have defenders capable of making plays in the passing game and stifling their opponent, however. Which side will win out on Monday?
INJURY UPDATE
Since official pre-game injury updates are not required until the regular season, these are simply players who have been declared to be out indefinitely, for a period of time beyond this game or have missed a lot of practice recently.
Colts:
- Center Deyshawn Bond (concussion), offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo (hamstring), offensive tackle/guard Denzelle Good (hamstring), safety Malik Hooker, defensive end Anthony Johnson (back), defensive tackle/end Tyquan Lewis (foot), running back Marlon Mack (hamstring), defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (abdominal), running back Branden Oliver, running back Robert Turbin (ankle), linebacker Anthony Walker (groin) and wide receiver James Wright (knee).
Ravens:
- Cornerback Maurice Canady and linebacker Alvin Jones are not expected to play.
PROJECTED WEATHER
- (Indoor, retractable roof stadium). Thunderstorms, 85% chance of precipitation, temperature mid-70s°F, wind from the SSE at 10 mph
REFEREE ASSIGNMENT
- Head referee: Alex Kemp (five years). Click here to see all referee assignments for preseason Week 2.
BETTING LINE
- Favorite: Ravens (-1.0)
- Over/Under: 43.0
RETURNING LEADERS
Colts:
- Passing — QB Jacoby Brissett (3,098 yards)
- Rushing — RB Marlon Mack (358 yards)
- Receiving — WR T.Y. Hilton (966 yards)
- Touchdowns — QB Jacoby Brissett, WR T.Y. Hilton, TE Jack Doyle (4)
- Tackles — LB Antonio Morrison (108 total)
- Sacks — DE Jabaal Sheard (5.5)
- Interceptions — S Malik Hooker (3)
Ravens:
- Passing — QB Joe Flacco (3,141 yards)
- Rushing — RB Alex Collins (973 yards)
- Receiving — RB Javorius Allen (250 yards)
- Touchdowns — RB Alex Collins, RB Javorius Allen (6)
- Tackles — LB C.J. Mosley (132)
- Sacks — LB Terrell Suggs (11.0)
- Interceptions — S Eric Weddle (6)
COMPARING 2017 STATS
Colts:
- Total offense — 31st (284.8 YPG)
- Scoring offense — 30th (16.4 PPG)
- Passing offense — 30th (180.8 YPG)
- Running offense — 22nd (103.8 YPG)
- Total defense — 30th (367.1 YPG)
- Scoring defense — 30th (25.2 PPG)
- Passing defense — 28th (246.6 YPG)
- Sacks — 31st (25)
- Running defense — 26th (120.4 YPG)
- Time of possession — 22nd (29:41)
- Turnover margin — 13th (+5)
Ravens:
- Total offense — 27th (305.4 YPG)
- Scoring offense — 9th (24.7 PPG)
- Passing offense — 29th (189.4 YPG)
- Running offense — 11th (116.0 YPG)
- Total defense — 12th (325.1 YPG)
- Scoring defense — 6th (18.9 PPG)
- Passing defense — 10th (213.8 YPG)
- Sacks — 11th (41)
- Running defense — 15th (111.2 YPG)
- Time of possession — 10th (30:53)
- Turnover margin — 1st (+15)
NOTES AND QUOTES
- For the seventh consecutive year, the Colts will wear their all-white uniforms in their preseason home opener.
- Colts head coach Frank Reich on how helpful the joint practices with the Ravens were: "Yeah, it's really, really, really important and really helpful seeing a different scheme. Not just different players but different scheme on offense and defense. So, I think it will really help our team develop and help us evaluate our players."
- Reich on Luck playing into the second quarter on Monday: "Yeah, the plan will still be the same. It will be similar to last week and maybe a little bit more, but we'll see how it goes."
- Ebron on if you get more out of joint practices with the Ravens or the preseason game against them: "You get more out of practice because you run a lot more and you do a lot more. In a game, it's preseason and we don't really display a lot of things because obviously we have 16 games to play. So I think we get more out of practice. You're supposed to get more out of practice – that way it's easier in the game."
