Any questions people had about Lamar Jackson coming into this season were put to rest in Week 1. The two-time NFL MVP led the Baltimore Ravens to a convincing 41-23 win over the Colts in Indianapolis. Derrick Henry dominated on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry.
Jackson, meanwhile, was efficient, completing 17 of 25 passes for 324 yards and one touchdown with zero interceptions, adding 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. The offense clearly looks different under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and Jackson made sure to emphasize exactly why the scheme makes the Ravens so dangerous this season. "The confusion that he's creating.
They don't really know how to pinpoint a guy on our offense … It's any given guy," Jackson told reporters on Wednesday. More news: Ravens Bracing to be Without Top Lamar Jackson Weapon for At Least 1 Month Jackson had one of the worst seasons of his career last year, completing just 63.6% of his passes for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, along with a career-low 349 rushing yards and two rushing scores. It became clear the Ravens needed a reboot.
Out went both longtime head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and in came Jesse Minter and new OC Doyle. Minter is a defensive mind from the Jim Harbaugh coaching tree, having served under him at Michigan and then most recently with the Los Angeles Chargers as defensive coordinator, while Doyle previously worked as offensive coordinator for the high-powered Chicago Bears under Ben Johnson. More news: Sean Payton Assigns Blame After Broncos’ Blowout Loss to Chiefs More news: Chiefs’ Undrafted Rookie Just Outperformed Three First-Round Picks While Johnson gets much of the credit for Chicago's resurgence, there's a reason Doyle landed this job.
During the Bears' resurgent 2025 season, they ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards (144.5 per game) and ninth in points (25.9 per game). Baltimore already showed improvement in both areas in Week 1. Jackson's right about how unpredictable the scheme is, too, with 10 different players catching passes in the win.
One week it might be Zay Flowers or Mark Andrews, the next Ja'Kobi Lane or Rashod Bateman. That unpredictability is what keeps defenses on their toes, and what might get Jackson back to the elite MVP level he was playing at two years ago.
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