Today, the Baltimore Ravens meet the Colts in Indianapolis for the start of a two-day joint practice session. This is the second joint practice of the 2018 preseason that the Ravens have participated in. Last week, Baltimore hosted the Los Angeles Rams at the Under Armor Performance Center in Owings Mills, Maryland. The practices with the Colts will be held on back to back days, on Friday, August 17, and Saturday, August 18. The Ravens and Colts will meet for a preseason game this Monday at 8:00 PM on ESPN. The Colts and Ravens, of course, have bad blood, as the Colts left Baltimore in 1984.
Although the joint practices between these two teams are not as nearly anticipated as they were for the Ravens and Rams, it still gives the Ravens an opportunity to compete against another team in practice. This is a very valuable opportunity for the Ravens and Colts as well. The Ravens struggled in practice against the Rams but were able to defeat Los Angeles in the preseason game. Baltimore hopes to perform better against the Colts in this practice, along with the preseason game. The Ravens are better on paper, but that would not stop the Colts from surprising Baltimore.
Practice against the Colts will also be a fundamental test that the Ravens must undergo before the start of the season. In recent years, the Baltimore Ravens have succumbed to a plague of injuries. In facing off against another team and other players, the Ravens can fully assess how well the team’s conditioning holds up compared to the Colts. Most of the Ravens roster is healthy at this point. *knock on wood* If Baltimore can remain healthy throughout the offseason and into the regular season, the Ravens will start the year much healthier than before. This would allow the team to play to full capacity in week one, and potentially beyond.
