Colts Vs. Ravens Week 3 Preview

The 1-1 Indianapolis Colts are on the road for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season as they will take on Lamar Jackson and the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens.  While we won't see rookie Anthony Richardson go toe to toe with Jackson, this should be a good matchup for the Colts roster to see how they […]

Destin Adams — NFL News Writer
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Colts Vs Ravens Week 3

The 1-1 Indianapolis Colts are on the road for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season as they will take on Lamar Jackson and the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens. 

While we won't see rookie Anthony Richardson go toe to toe with Jackson, this should be a good matchup for the Colts roster to see how they measure up against one of the top teams in the stacked AFC. 

Weather: 

A tropical storm is going through Baltimore, which could affect tomorrow's game's overall play surface. The forecast for kickoff at 1 p.m. EST in Baltimore, Maryland, has light showers projected with a temperature of 67°. The rain is projected to end around 3:45 p.m., so fans should expect rain from kickoff to likely the last whistle. 

Vegas Spreads:

Draft Kings: Ravens -8
FanDuel: Ravens -8.5
Caesars: Ravens -8
BetMGM: Ravens -8.5
PointsBet: Ravens -7.5

Ravens

The Ravens come into Week 3 2-0 with wins over the Houston Texans and the Cincinnati Bengals and landed 7th on A to Z Sports' Week 3 NFL Power Rankings. Though they have started strong, they come into this matchup with the Colts pretty banged up. They have already ruled out six starters for Sunday's game on top of losing their starting RB, JK Dobbins, for the season with a torn achillies. 

 Colts: 

The Colts enter into Week 3 1-1 and are coming off their first win of the season over the Houston Texans and landed 27th on A to Z Sports' Week 3 NFL Power Rankings. Gardner Minshew will enter this game as the starter, as Anthony Richardson was not cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol in time for Sunday. Head coach Shane Steichen kept the offenses looking pretty impressive after losing Richardson in the first quarter due to his concussion, with Minshew, and will now attempt to build off that strong outing. The Colts will also be without C Ryan Kelly due to a concussion sustained last week and others who will be game-time decisions. 

Opponent Player Spotlight of the Week:

Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson is one the most exceptional athletes we've ever seen play the QB position. The Colts defense will have a tall task at hand: corralling the former MVP. He is the type of player that forces defenses to alter their normal game plan. They will likely have to adapt their normal defensive approach with an added spy to monitor Jackson throughout the day. The most likely player to be man the majority of the snaps with this responsibility is LB EJ Speed. 

Jackson has developed as a passer tremendously during his NFL career. In his last outing against the Colts, he put that on display. He would end the day with an incredible stat line, completing 37 of his 43 pass attempts for 442 yards and four touchdown passes. 

Colts Player Spotlight of the Week:

Kwity Paye

The Colts defense has been playing strong to begin the 2023 season. And one of the standout players to date has been edge rusher Kwity Paye. Paye is tied for the team lead in sacks with two, one in each team's first two games. And Paye is one of the better edge rushers in the NFL at stopping the run.

If the Colts are going to corral Lamar Jackson, an essential element will be keeping him inside the pocket, and Paye will have to lead that charge on Sunday. A successful Week 3 for Paye doesn't need to be a day full of sacks or even including a sack. If Paye can do his job and force Jackson to step up in the pocket, that could be enough for the team's strong interior presence of DeForesnt Buckner, Grover Stewart, and occasionally Dayo Odeyingbo to finish up the rep. 

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