This schedule-sequence guess–done in advance of the actual schedule release on or about Apr. 19– is something I do every year.
It’s a fun, innocuous exercise, but I enjoy doing it each year. Last year, I was exactly right on picking Week Two for the Cleveland home game and for the Ravens to finish the regular season with two straight home games, which they had never done before. I was one week off on both the London game and the Cleveland road game, and just two weeks off on the Miami home game.
The following guesses apply to Sunday afternoons only (indicated by the dates next to the week numbers in the sequence below). I don’t make speculative guesses regarding which games are being played Sunday, Monday or Thursday nights. The Ravens played three of those prime-time games in 2017.
Also, keep in mind the issue of the season’s first four weeks. Guesses will be applied to Sundays only–based on the Orioles’ already-determined schedule. Starting with Week Five, picks were made as if the Orioles will not be playing home postseason games in October.
So, with all that in mind, what could the 2018 Ravens’ schedule look like?
I’ll make our yearly guess. When the real schedule is released, you can blast me if I’m way off.
Week One (Sept. 9), Cincinnati: I’m not picking a home opener against the Bengals because of any dark sense of humor–considering how last season ended. It’s just that the Ravens’ division games in 2017 were bunched towards the beginning and end of last season. Plus, the Orioles will be in Tampa Bay on this date, so it makes sense for the Ravens to open at home, which would be the case for the sixth time in the last ten years. The Bengals-Ravens lifetime series is tied 22-22.
Week Two (Sept. 16), at Carolina: The Ravens have played at Carolina three times with no discernible pattern to the games. One was played in September, another in November, and a third in December. But the league wants teams to play within the conference and division towards the end of the season. That increases playoff-spot drama. Getting games against the opposite conference out of the way early is usually the best way to go.
Week Three (Sept. 23), Buffalo: On a day when the Orioles are doing battle at Yankee Stadium, I predict that another New York-based team will visit Baltimore for the second time in three years. Ravens fans have long memories. They will definitely recall how the Bills and their supporters celebrated Buffalo’s first playoff berth since 1999. This is Baltimore’s chance to exact vocal revenge.
Week Four (Sept. 30), at Cleveland: Whether the game is home or away, the Ravens playing Cleveland in September is as reliable as the sunrise. In 2017, the teams tangled in the season’s opening month for the tenth time in the last 12 seasons and for the 12th time in the last 15 campaigns. Besides, even though it’s a division game, it’s against a team that went 0-16 last year. The sooner these annual games are out of the way, the better.
Week Five (Oct. 7), at Atlanta: In three previous trips to Atlanta, the Ravens have played those games either in October or November. Considering the ongoing debate concerning whether draft classmates Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan have had the better career, this would be a good candidate for a Thursday-night game. Not only that, the game would be at the Falcons’ brand-new stadium, which also happens to be the site of Super Bowl 53 at the end of the season.
Week Six (Oct. 14), New Orleans: Last season, the Ravens avoided playing two straight weeks on the road until December. The schedule won’t be so kind this year. After a pair of away games, it’s time to come home. The Ravens and Saints have played some very entertaining games in their relatively short history. And while Ravens’ fans won’t get to go to Bourbon Street this time, I foresee this game being one of the season’s most entertaining contests.
Week Seven (Oct. 21), Denver: October has traditionally been the Ravens’ worst month in team history. One possible reason for that is because the team hasn’t been home that much during the month. Baltimore has played consecutive October home games just once since 2002. That happened in 2016 when it lost to both Oakland and Washington. It’s time for that trend to turn around.
Week Eight (Oct. 28), at Los Angeles Chargers: Just four months after the World Cup, the Ravens get to play in a soccer stadium–the StubHub Center–which seats about 27,000 fans. After a slow start to 2017, the Chargers made a run at a playoff spot, but finished at 9-7 and barely missed the postseason. (Sound familiar?) Ravens fans travel surprisingly well. When you’re talking about an apathetic town like Los Angeles, this would be a good opportunity to take over another team’s venue.
Week Nine (Nov. 4), BYE WEEK: This is the exact midpoint of the season, but having the bye here makes sense if you go by previous patterns. Consider when the Ravens have had their last six byes: Week Eight, Week Eight, Week 11, Week Nine, Week Eight, and Week Ten. The byes usually begin at Week Four, but if the Ravens were going to have an early week off, it probably should have been last year–right after their London trip. The Ravens wanted to put it off until later and not getting it probably cost them.
Week 10 (Nov. 11), at Kansas City: Should my forecast come true, this would mark the fifth time the Ravens will have road games on either side of the bye. Last year, it didn’t seem to hurt them; they came off their idle time by shutting out Green Bay. Granted, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t playing, but the Ravens could be facing Patrick Mahomes in this game. Given their past record at Arrowhead Stadium, a similar result could be forthcoming.
Week 11 (Nov. 18), Pittsburgh: Does this date seem rather late to you? It’s really no big deal, though. Back in 2009, the teams didn’t meet until November 29. Two years ago they didn’t meet until early November. The rivalry is intense as it is, so keeping it bottled up for at least half the season will exacerbate high emotions.
Week 12 (Nov. 25), at Tennessee: Traveling to Nashville seems to be a favorite destination for Ravens fans – given the relatively cheap airfare and the friendliness of the Titans partisans. So why not schedule this game for Thanksgiving weekend? Sure, traveling is usually a mess around that time, but when you’re heading to a relatively benign destination to see a game between two teams that used to be intense rivals, why not?
Week 13 (Dec. 2), Tampa Bay: The day after my birthday, Ravens fans won’t get to travel to Florida because the game is being played here. The Buccaneers were supposed to be a “sleeper” pick in 2017 but fell flat in the surprisingly-rugged NFC South. The stretch run is now clear to play intradivision and conference opposition.
Week 14 (Dec. 9), Oakland: This could be a real late-season treat as new/old Raiders head coach Jon Gruden returns to Baltimore. In 1998 Oakland lost a controversial game to the Ravens as a close goal-line touchdown call went against the Raiders. With the Raiders’ potential for being a contender, this could be a fireworks-filled afternoon.
Week 15 (Dec. 16), at Cincinnati: This pick is merely wishful thinking on my part. We’re getting near the end of the season and I’m sure Ravens fans are sick and tired of seeing their team having to play the Bengals at the end of the schedule–whether it’s home or away (and it has been mostly away). Better to end the season series now because there are still two more division games to be played and one of them (for sure) will have huge implications.
Week 16 (Dec. 23), Cleveland: I know. I’d rather get both games against the Browns out of the way early. But if the schedule is laid out the way I’m predicting it will, why not give the Ravens a breather before what could be another division-deciding piece of Armageddon to wrap things up?
Week 17 (Dec. 30), at Pittsburgh: I’ll keep beating this drum until the league hears me! Ever since the intradivisional play was mandated for all final-week games starting in 2010, the Ravens have ended the regular season against Cincinnati seven of the last eight years. On the other hand, Baltimore has not played Pittsburgh, either at home or away, to close the campaign. That happened before the 2010 mandate, but that was way back in 2002, 2003 and 2007. And the Ravens won two of those three games. I predict this game will be a prime candidate to get flexed into the Sunday-night window.
