Five Predictions Based Off Ravens’ 2024 Schedule
Clifton Brown, BaltimoreRavens.com
A tough early schedule won’t sink Baltimore’s season.
No doubt, Baltimore has a challenging early schedule facing the Chiefs, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals during the first five weeks.
Some pundits believe the Ravens will be 2-3, or worse, after five games. However, don’t bet against their ability to start fast again under Head Coach John Harbaugh, who has a 35-18 record in September during his16 seasons.
Seeing those NFL heavyweights early on the schedule doesn’t intimidate the Ravens. It will serve as motivation in the locker room and on the practice field, and should bring out quality football.
Meanwhile, even if the Ravens drop a few games early, it won’t ruin their season. They started 3-2 last season but finished 13-4 with the best record in the AFC. There’s no reason to panic about facing strong opponents off the bat.
The Week 14 bye will help the Ravens finish stronger.
Derrick Henry has rushed for more than 200 yards in a game six times, and four of those games have been in either December or January.
Henry does some of his best work late in the season, pounding his way to daylight against defenses suffering from late-[add]season fatigue. Having a late bye is going to present a challenge for Baltimore, because players who get banged up early in the season will have a long wait for a week off.
However, the Ravens can withstand injuries better than most teams because of their deep roster. The Week 14 bye will give players a chance to refresh before the final four games against the Giants, Steelers, Texans and Browns. And if Henry is healthy, he’ll be a hammer the Ravens can use to drive them to a strong finish. I expect the Ravens to go no worse than 3-1 after their bye and won’t be surprised if they go 4-0.
2024 NFL Schedule: 10 games that could define the 2024 NFL season
Bradley Locker, PFF
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (WEEK 1)
The very first time teams trot out of the locker room this entire season will immediately be one of the most significant contests of the whole year. The Ravens and Chiefs each face turnover at several notable positions but return the crux of their AFC Championship rosters from a year ago — most notably, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. Even if it’s only Week 1, this game has a strong chance of creating a playoff tiebreaker for a top-three seed in the AFC. Interestingly, this will be just the third matchup between the two AFC powerhouses since 2021, so savor it while you can.
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT HOUSTON TEXANS (WEEK 17)
It’s easy to pity DeMeco Ryans’ bunch for two straight games against two of the best teams in the AFC, but this will also be tremendous theater. Lamar Jackson against Stroud provides a glimpse into two of the premier playmakers in the sport and a great chess match between the sage John Harbaugh and an up-and-comer in Ryans. Having this game — which might determine the AFC’s No. 2 seed — on Christmas is as good of a present as fans could ask for.
Ravens 2024 schedule: Ranking the 17 games from easiest (Broncos) to hardest (Chiefs)
Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner
2. Week 17 at Houston Texans
In the 16 months since hiring DeMeco Ryans as head coach and drafting quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans have gone from plucky underdogs to Super Bowl sleepers. If Diggs recaptures some of his old magic alongside wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, Houston should have one of the NFL’s most dynamic passing attacks. With better health along the offensive line and in the secondary, and another year of development from defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans could challenge for AFC supremacy. Adding defensive linemen Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry in free agency can’t hurt. The Ravens won last year’s much-hyped Christmas Day battle against the San Francisco 49ers, and this test could be just as stiff.
1. Week 1 at Kansas City Chiefs
The king stays the king. Defensive tackle Chris Jones called the Ravens the NFL’s best team, but he said that as the Chiefs celebrated a second straight Super Bowl title in February. The path to a three-peat will start against the Ravens in the NFL’s season opener. Coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce usually find a way to give the Ravens headaches, and Kansas City’s receiving corps should challenge their talented secondary, even if wideout Rashee Rice is unavailable because of a suspension. The Chiefs’ defense could take a step back with the departure of cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, but coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s schemes will test Jackson and the Ravens’ Week 1 readiness — not to mention their willingness to run the ball.
Ravens 2024 schedule: Ranking all 17 games from easiest (Broncos) to hardest (Chiefs)
Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun
Week 3 at Dallas Cowboys
A trip to Arlington, Texas, comes at a difficult time for the Ravens with games against the Chiefs, Bills and Bengals sandwiched around it in a brutal start to the season.
It also marks the first time Jackson and three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and 2023 passing touchdowns leader Dak Prescott will face off. The last time these teams played — a 34-17 Ravens victory in 2020 — Prescott missed the game because of a season-ending ankle injury.
Last year, Dallas went 12-5 and was the No. 2 seed in the NFC. But the Cowboys, who had one of the top offenses and defenses in the league, laid an egg in the postseason, falling behind by 32 points and losing at home to the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers, 48-32, in a wild-card game.
The Cowboys have been much maligned for their lack of moves in free agency this offseason, but they’re still potent enough to stress the Ravens on both sides of the ball.
Week 13 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Jackson vs. two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts. Ravens running back Derrick Henry vs. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Ravens coach John Harbaugh vs. the organization where he launched his NFL career as a special teams coordinator.
Though the Ravens have won three of their past four against their I-95 neighbors, each of those wins have been by two points or fewer. Baltimore won the most recent encounter, 30-28 in 2020 at M&T Bank Stadium, after the Eagles staged a furious rally with 22 fourth-quarter points but came up short on quarterback Carson Wentz’s 2-point conversion try with 1:55 remaining.
This one figures to be just as close with the Eagles expected to bounce back from a season in which they started 10-1 only to lose five of their next six games before getting bounced from the playoffs by the Buccaneers in the wild-card round. Baltimore will also be coming off a short week after what will be a much-hyped Monday night game against the Chargers.