Assessing which part of the upcoming season could be the most challenging for the reigning AFC North champions.
When looking back at the Baltimore Ravens 2023 schedule, one would’ve pointed to their final four games as clearly the most challenging stretch on paper. However, they had already begun hitting their stride by that time and tore through some of the top contending teams in the league heading into the playoffs.
In a trio of consecutive weeks, they faced the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins all of whom were leading their respective divisions at the time they squared off. Each of them got dismantled on both sides of the ball and it proved to be the defining stretch of the season that cemented the Ravens and the best team in the league far and away heading into the postseason.
When assessing which stretch of five games could prove to be the Ravens’ crucible in 2024 now that the schedule has been released, it’s hard to discern between their opening slate or the closing slate.
Weeks 1 – 5
In their first five games, the Ravens take on the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road in a rematch of last year’s AFC championship to christen the season. After a Week 2 home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in which they’ll be favored to come out on top, it is back on the road for a Week 3 interconference matchup with reigning NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys in the late FOX window under a semi-national spotlight.
Upon their return home, they will host the reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills in primetime on Sunday Night Football in Week 4. The following week, they will be back on the road to play their first AFC North divisional game against the Cincinnati Bengals who will be itching to prove their legitimacy as contenders after a down year in 2023.
Three of their first five opponents were playoff teams last year and were a combined 51-34 with a winning percentage of .666. What makes the Ravens’ first slate of five games arguably more daunting than the last is that they’ll play a gauntlet of top 10 quarterbacks who are regularly in the MVP conversation in four of those contests including Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.
Weeks 13 – 18
In their last five games, the Ravens will start off the final stretch with an interconference bout with the revamped Philadelphia Eagles at home in what could be a potential Super Bowl preview in Week 13 in the late CBS window. Following a short road trip up to MetLife Stadium in Week 14 to take on the New York Giants in an afternoon game, they return home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time in the late afternoon game on the Saturday before Christmas.
In the final two weeks of the regular season, the Ravens will be traveling on Christmas for the second year in a row except this time it won’t be an interconference clash of titans but a stand-alone afternoon matchup with the defending AFC South champion Houston Texans in a game which could hold massive playoff seeded implications. They will host the close the year out with their regular season finale at home against the Cleveland Browns in a game that could decide the winner of the division if both teams are on equal footing at this point.
Four of their last five opponents were playoff teams last year and were a combined 48-37 with a winning percentage of .840. What makes the Ravens’ last slate of five games arguably more daunting than the first is how unpredictable divisional games can be especially with playoff spots on the line and three of their five opponents are among the most improved teams through the offseason thus far in the Steelers, Eagles and Texans.
Which stretch do you think will be the toughest for the Ravens in 2024? The first, the last or somewhere in between.