After their first dropping season in six years, the Ravens gained’t have to attend lengthy to see the place they stand among the many NFL’s elite.
Early-October dwelling video games towards the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals and a late-October highway matchup towards the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spotlight the Ravens’ 2022 schedule, introduced Thursday, which options at the least three prime-time video games and one other intriguing divisional slate.
The Ravens, trying to rebound from an injury-marred 8-9 season and their first playoff absence since 2017, will play 5 last-place finishers and 7 video games towards 5 groups coming off postseason appearances. The Ravens’ total energy of schedule, as decided by their opponents’ mixed 2021 information, is tenth best within the NFL, helped by their very own last-place end within the AFC North final season.
The group’s hardest stretch will come earlier than its Week 10 bye, however the schedule gives quarterback Lamar Jackson a doable ramp-up window. Sidelined for the group’s ultimate 4 video games final season by an ankle harm, Jackson is ready to return to motion within the Ravens’ Sept. 11 opener towards the lowly New York Jets. The Ravens’ dwelling opener comes per week later, when the Miami Dolphins, bolstered by offseason acquisitions reminiscent of broad receiver Tyreek Hill and sort out Terron Armstead, go to M&T Bank Stadium.
After that comes a three-week run of heavy hitters. In Week 3, the Ravens will journey to Gillette Stadium to face quarterback Mac Jones, former Ravens exterior linebacker Matthew Judon and the New England Patriots. In Week 4, the Ravens return dwelling to face the group that clobbered New England within the playoffs: the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, broad receiver Stefon Diggs and one of many NFL’s greatest secondaries.
The Ravens’ Week 5 sport could be essentially the most anticipated of their season. In a “Sunday Night Football” matchup in Baltimore, the Ravens will open AFC North play towards the Cincinnati Bengals, who gained the division final season, shocked the Kansas City Chiefs within the AFC championship sport and practically edged the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Quarterback Joe Burrow, broad receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive finish Trey Hendrickson headline a group that returns most of its starters and swept the Ravens by a mixed 82-38 margin final season.
The Ravens’ two different prime-time video games fall in back-to-back weeks however 11 days aside. In Week 8, they’ll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one other Super Bowl favourite, on “Thursday Night Football.” The Ravens, who haven’t confronted quarterback Tom Brady since he left New England, misplaced their solely Thursday night time matchup final yr — one other middle-of-the-season highway journey towards one other Florida-based group, the Dolphins.
In Week 9, the Ravens and host New Orleans Saints will sq. off on “Monday Night Football,” which showcased two of the group’s wildest video games final yr. The Ravens opened the 2021 season with an time beyond regulation highway loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, who had three game-tying scores within the fourth quarter. Four Mondays later, Jackson led the Ravens again from a 19-point second-half deficit in Baltimore to stun the Indianapolis Colts in time beyond regulation.
The Ravens’ postseason hopes might hinge on their AFC North file. Last yr, they went 1-5, their first
end below coach John Harbaugh. This yr, their schedule is backloaded with divisional exams. They’ll host the Browns in Week 7 and journey to Cleveland in Week 15, a pair of video games fraught with uncertainty. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson nonetheless faces 22 lively lawsuits that accuse him of sexual assault and sexual harassment throughout therapeutic massage remedy periods; it’s unclear when or whether or not the NFL would possibly punish the three-time Pro Bowl choice this season.
The Steelers, who swept the Ravens in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s ultimate season in Pittsburgh, will host the Ravens in Week 14 and journey to Baltimore in a Week 17 sport on New Year’s Day. The Bengals then welcome the Ravens again to Cincinnati per week later for his or her regular-season finale, the Ravens’ fifth AFC North sport in six weeks.
Under the NFL’s scheduling rotation, the Ravens will keep away from the Chiefs however face the AFC East, NFC South and the last-place finishers within the AFC West, AFC South and NFC East this season. A Week 13 matchup in Baltimore with the Denver Broncos and new quarterback Russell Wilson ought to pose one other take a look at to a reworked Ravens protection. Home video games towards the Carolina Panthers (Week 11) and Atlanta Falcons (Week 16) and highway video games towards the New York Giants (Week 6) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 12) fill out the rest of the group’s 17-game schedule.
The dates of the Ravens’ Week 15 and Week 18 video games haven’t been finalized. They will face the Browns on both Dec. 17, a Saturday, or Dec. 18. They’ll tackle the Bengals on both Jan. 7, one other Saturday, or Jan. 8.
The Ravens will open their preseason schedule towards the visiting Tennessee Titans on Aug. 11 and finish it with an Aug. 27 sport in Baltimore towards the Washington Commanders. In between is an Aug. 21 journey to Arizona to face the Cardinals and former Ravens broad receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
Ravens’ 2022 regular-season schedule
Week 1 (Sunday, Sept. 11): at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Week 2 (Sunday, Sept. 18): vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Week 3 (Sunday, Sept. 25): at New England Patriots, 1 p.m.
Week 4 (Sunday, Oct. 2): vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 9): vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m.
Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 16): at New York Giants, 1 p.m.
Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 23): vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m.
Week 8 (Thursday, Oct. 27): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m.
Week 9 (Monday, Nov. 7): at New Orleans Saints, 8:15 p.m.
Week 10: BYE
Week 11 (Sunday, Nov. 20): vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m.
Week 12 (Sunday, Nov. 27): at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Week 13 (Sunday, Dec. 4): vs. Denver Broncos, 1 p.m.
Week 14 (Sunday, Dec. 11): at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m.
Week 15 (Sunday, Dec. 17/18*): at Cleveland Browns, TBD
Week 16 (Sunday, Dec. 24): vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Week 17 (Sunday, Jan. 1): vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m.
Week 18 (Sunday, Jan. 7/8*): at Cincinnati Bengals, TBD
* — Flexible scheduling video games
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Source: www.bostonherald.com