Five Pivotal Ravens Matchups to Watch vs. Colts

Baltimore will be debuting three new starters along the middle of their offensive line in this game against one of the best veteran defensive tackle tandems in the league, with three-time Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Two members of the Ravens' remodeled interior trio are first-time starters: first-round rookie right guard Olaivavega Ioane and fourth-year pro Jovaughn Gwyn, who won the center battle in training camp but has only 11 offensive snaps in the regular season in his first three years. The only veteran of the bunch is left guard John Simpson, who they brought back after two seasons away, but he has struggled with penalties at times in his career. This matchup will provide a good test for them in both physicality and communication, especially in picking up twists and stunts.

"I was excited, and I am grateful for the opportunity," Gwyn said. "[I have] definitely been working and just trying to gain the trust from all the coaches and everything, so it was really exciting to be able to get this opportunity."

CB Nate Wiggins vs. WR Alec Pierce

If the Colts' top wideout does indeed play in this game as planned, despite dealing with a heel injury that has limited him in the first two days of practice, his presence will require the attention of the Ravens' top cover corner. Wiggins has the straight-line and recovery speed to keep up and stay in phase with Pierce. It remains to be seen whether or not Minter will have his corners travel or stick to a side, but this one-on-one could wind up tipping the scales in this game.

WR Zay Flowers vs. CB Sauce Gardner

On the opposite sides for both teams, the one-on-one to watch for in this one is the Ravens' two-time Pro Bowl wideout and the Colts' two-time First Team All Pro cornerback. Flowers is the type of shifty route-runner and explosive short-area quickness-in-space kind of playmaker at the position that can give the long-limbed Gardner a hard time, especially in crucial situations. The fourth-year pro has recently been dealing with a hamstring injury but was upgraded from limited to a full participant in the team's latest injury report.

"I am ready to play football," Flowers said. "I feel like we have been off for a while. Our season ended a bit early last year, so we had an extended break. We're just ready to go."

EDGE Trey Hendrickson vs. Bernhard Raimann

After snipping the Colts to acquire the services of the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher in free agency, the Ravens get to finally unleash him for the first time against them in this game. Since Hendrickson predominantly lines up on the right side of the defense, he'll be going up against the fifth-year veteran left tackle throughout this showdown.