The time has come for the NFL’s annual schedule release. Teams and fans can now begin anticipating and predicting matchups. Normally, teams that played well the prior season are rewarded with a tougher schedule the next season. In 2023, the Baltimore Ravens showed up to play every week and was even favored to win the Super Bowl by many. After posting the best record in the league, the Ravens fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, just one step from an opportunity at a world title. The Chiefs would win another ring, while the Ravens would be left wondering ‘what if”.
Because of the Ravens’ dominance last year, they are the recipients of a grueling schedule this season. Every year, schedules rank in order from hardest to softest- The Ravens have the second-hardest schedule in 2024. Baltimore’s new schedule has a few noteworthy quirks. The schedule features several formidable opponents, primetime games, and even a clash of brothers.
Three Takeaways From Baltimore Ravens 2024 Schedule:
First 3 Out of 4 Weeks Are Against Previous Division Champs
The Baltimore Ravens will kick off the 2024 season with a string of tough games. By week four, Baltimore will have played three reigning division champions- two of them nationally televised. Week one will be a revenge game for the Ravens as they will face the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, and the team that eliminated them last year. Baltimore wants everyone’s best shot, but wouldn’t mind catching the Chiefs during their proverbial ‘Super Bowl hangover’ to begin the season.
Week two will be against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that finished under .500 last season. The Raiders are still trying to find their footing, and will likely serve as either a tune-up game (if Baltimore loses week one) or the beginning of a winning streak. Week three will be against a stacked Dallas Cowboys team that always looks good on paper. The Cowboys boast a top-10 defense that will look to challenge the Ravens’ explosive offense. The Ravens will face off against the Buffalo Bills in week four. The Bills are in an unofficial rebuild, as they have lost a few notable players such as Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs. If Baltimore clicks on all cylinders, they can easily begin the season 4-0.
Ravens Will Play 7 Nationally Televised Games
The Baltimore Ravens will play seven total nationally televised games in 2024. Two games will be played on Thursday nights, two on Monday nights, a Saturday, Sunday, and even a Wednesday game. The two Thursday night games will be against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. Those games will be played in week one and week ten. The Ravens defeated the Bengals twice last season, and look to continue the streak. The two Monday night games will be against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Chargers. The lone Sunday night game will be played against the Buffalo Bills, and the Saturday and Wednesday games will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans. The Ravens did not play against the Buccaneers in the 2023 regular season.
The Harbaugh Bowl Returns
In week 15 the Baltimore Ravens will take on the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens beat the Chargers last year, but that was before the teams had family ties. Apart from its normal importance, this matchup will be extra meaningful due to the return of the Harbaugh Bowl. John and Jim Harbaugh’s teams will face off for the first time in 10 years, as Jim left the NFL in 2014 to become head coach at the University of Michigan.
Before leaving for the collegiate level, Jim Harbaugh was considered one of the best coaches in the NFL. Every time brothers go head-to-head, it’s a spectacle, although no matchup will be more notable than when the two faced off in the SuperBowl. In 2012, John Harbaugh’s Ravens got the best of Jim’s San Franciso 49ers to become world champions. Unfortunately, the brothers will not be able to face off in another Super Bowl, as both are coaching in the AFC- but a playoff matchup could be imminent.
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