AFC North Schedule Analysis: Baltimore Ravens
Coming off a number-one seed in 2019 and a crushing loss to the Titans in the playoffs, the Ravens will look to avenge that loss and get back to the Super Bowl. To get there, they will have to go through a regular season schedule that is looking like the softest schedule in the NFL based on 2019 stats. Baltimore is poised to dominate again, and is looking for a happier ending this go-around.
Last Year’s Record: 14-2
Coming into the 2019 season, nobody knew what to expect from Lamar Jackson. Even though he took over mid-season and carried his team to the playoffs, it was hard to project how a quarterback with his style would fare. A year passed, and Jackson became the MVP of the NFL, and led the Baltimore Ravens to a 14-2 record in dominating fashion. To go along with Jackson were key weapons in Mark Ingram, Marquise Brown, and Mark Andrews. On the defensive side of the ball, the secondary was dominant with Marlon Humphrey, Earl Thomas, and the mid-season acquisition of Marcus Peters. This looks like the coming-out party of a dominant team in the AFC, as long as Lamar is healthy.
SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
vs. Cleveland (9/13 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 2
@ Houston (9/20 4:25 P.M.)
WEEK 3
vs. Kansas City (9/28 8:15 P.M.)
WEEK 4
@ Washington (10/4 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 5
vs. Cincinnati (10/11 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 6
@ Philadelphia (10/18 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 7
vs. Pittsburgh (10/25 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 8
BYE
WEEK 9
@ Indianapolis (11/8 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 10
@ New England (11/15 8:20 P.M.)
WEEK 11
vs. Tennessee (11/22 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 12
@ Pittsburgh (11/26 8:20 P.M.)
WEEK 13
vs. Dallas (12/3 8:20 P.M.)
WEEK 14
@ Cleveland (12/14 8:15 P.M.)
WEEK 15
vs. Jacksonville (12/20 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 16
vs. N.Y. Giants (12/27 1:00 P.M.)
WEEK 17
@ Cincinnati (1/3 1:00 P.M.)
Most Intriguing Game: Week 3 vs. Chiefs (MNF)
When you look at the slate of games every week, usually one or two catches your eye. In Week 3, the attention is definitely going to be turned to Monday Night Football, when the Ravens host the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. This game will consist of two of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL, and two teams that are as complete as possible. With the explosive Chiefs offense going up against the lockdown secondary in Baltimore, it should be fun to see who wins that battle. On the other hand, Baltimore will try to dominate the line of scrimmage against a defense that may be coming into its own after getting hot to end the season last year. All in all, this game will be one for the ages, and may have playoff implications for the number-one seed come January.
Most Important Game: Week 7 vs. Steelers
While obviously not a must-win game, Week 7 against the Steelers is the most important game for the Ravens to win on this schedule. For starters, a division loss at home would be crushing, especially against a team that may be right behind them in the standings. This game is the last game before their bye week, so tired legs and bodies are likely going to come into play. It is very important for the Ravens to scratch out a win here to prevent the Steelers from gaining any type of momentum for their second matchup on Thanksgiving.
Most Important Stretch: Weeks 11-14
Not surprisingly, the Ravens will be on the national stage a lot in 2020, with three of those games coming in their most important stretch of the season. From Weeks 11-14, Baltimore will host Tennessee, travel to Pittsburgh for a night game on Thanksgiving, then come back to Baltimore to play the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. Ten days later, they are back on the road on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns. That is three straight primetime games, all against tough opponents. With that being said, Baltimore has a real shot of sweeping these games because of how talented they are. After this stretch, the Ravens schedule gets extremely easy for the last three weeks, so beating good teams can help their chances of getting a good seed in the playoffs.
Prediction: 12-4
While this is two wins less from last year, 12-4 can still get you a first-round bye. I believe they will beat up on the bad teams with no surprises against teams like the Giants, Redskins, and Jaguars. They will have one or two losses in their division to the talented Browns and Steelers, but with the Bengals being young, Baltimore should take care of business in both of their games. In Week 3, I believe the Chiefs will come out on top. Add in a loss to a team like the Eagles, Titans, or Cowboys, and the Ravens can realistically finish 12-4 with the chance to finish even better than that.
Schedule from espn.com
Strength of Schedule stats from cbssports.com
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