The Baltimore Ravens’ full 2024 schedule released a few days ago and there’s been time to digest what now awaits the team this upcoming season.
The Ravens have one of the league’s toughest on-paper schedules as they’ll face numerous returning playoff teams from 2023. They’re also set to play in five primetime games and seven total nationally-televised matchups, so the excitement level throughout the season should be as high as ever.
From the full slate of 17 games in 2024, which matchups figure to be the most difficult for the Ravens versus the easiest? Let’s rank them each below, in order of easiest to hardest.
1. Week 2 — Ravens vs. Raiders (Sunday, 1:00pm)
After beginning the season on the road, the Ravens will host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 for their home opener. The Ravens will have a few extra days of rest entering this matchup against an opponent they have a talent advantage over across the board. The Raiders’ have some key playmakers that pose a challenge but this should be a relatively easier game for the home team.
2. Week 15 — Ravens @ Giants (Sunday, 1:00pm)
The last time the Ravens played the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in 2022, they blew a late fourth-quarter lead and lost. They’ll be looking to avenge that result in Week 15 of the 2024 season, which profiles as a favorable matchup. The Ravens will be fresh off their bye week for this game, a spot where they’ve been especially potent during John Harbaugh’s tenure. The Giants lost their best offensive weapon this offseason and have some unanswered questions at the quarterback position.
3. Week 6 — Ravens vs. Commanders (Sunday, 1:00pm)
Continuing their NFC East tour, the Ravens will host their local foe in the Washington Commanders in mid-October. The Commanders figure to be much-improved from last season after remaking their entire roster, notably making changes at head coach and quarterback. Rookie Jayden Daniels is a formidable challenge but the Ravens are well-equipped to defend mobile quarterbacks. They also have a talent advantage at most positions over the Commanders despite their offseason revamp.
4. Week 9 — Ravens vs. Broncos (Sunday, 1:00pm)
Following a two-game road trip in late October, the Ravens will return home to host the Denver Broncos in Week 9. The Broncos will look different than last season and could be improved in Year 2 of the Sean Payton era. However, they have glaring question marks at quarterback and the Ravens could have the benefit of facing another rookie quarterback at home in this matchup.
5. Week 7 — Ravens @ Buccaneers (Monday, 8:20pm)*
After hosting the Commanders in Week 6, the Ravens will travel south to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. In this primetime spot, the Ravens will inevitably be favored against a familiar opposing quarterback in Baker Mayfield. The Buccaneers were a surprise feel-good story in 2023 and have talented skill position players on offense. While their wide receiver core is difficult to defend, the Ravens are still the more well-rounded team by a comfortable margin.
6. Week 18 — Ravens vs. Browns (Sunday, 1:00pm)
In the regular season finale, the Ravens will host the Cleveland Browns in a divisional bout. This matchup could very well have playoff implications for both teams. Playing a rival in a closeout game is never an easy circumstance. However, the Ravens will have the advantage of entering this game on four days of extra rest. They’ve also beaten the Browns at home in three of the past four instances and will be seeking to avenge a collapse loss when Cleveland came to visit last season.
7. Week 13 — Ravens @ Steelers (Sunday, 1:00pm)
In Week 13, the Ravens are traveling to Pittsburgh looking to avenge a disappointing defeat in this stadium last season. The Ravens blew a lead in that game and squandered numerous opportunities to win comfortably. Since 2020, the Ravens have won only one of four meetings against the Steelers when on the road. It will help in this matchup that their previous game is on Thursday night, meaning they’ll enter on a few extra days of rest.
8. Week 16 — Ravens vs. Steelers (Saturday, 4:30pm)
In their second game off the bye week late in the season, the Ravens will host the Steelers three weeks after playing them previously. While being at home in this rivalry should normally provide an advantage, the Ravens have struggled defending their turf against the Steelers recently. Pittsburgh has won four straight meetings in Baltimore dating back to 2020. The Ravens will undoubtedly be hungry to reverse this trend come Week 16. Adding to the degree of difficulty in this matchup is it’s a Saturday afternoon game, meaning one less day of rest.
9. Week 12 — Ravens @ Chargers (Monday, 8:20pm)*
In the final game of November, the Ravens will travel to Los Angeles for the much-anticipated “Harbaugh Bowl” rematch. While this could be ranked higher on the difficulty scale given the magnitude of the matchup, the Ravens have an on-paper advantage over the Chargers in many areas. The Chargers have reshaped their roster this offseason but lost a number of key players. The Ravens have plenty of familiarity with their new offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, and several of their own former players who signed with Los Angeles including running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.
10. Week 8 — Ravens @ Browns (Sunday, 1:00pm)
In the middle of the year, the Ravens will travel to Cleveland for their first meeting against the Browns of the season. It’s a standard early afternoon kickoff but the Ravens will be playing on reduced rest coming off a Monday night game in Tampa Bay. The Ravens beat the Browns handedly on the road last season but lost their previous two meetings in Cleveland. The Browns have a talented roster and should give the Ravens a formidable midseason test in their second divisional contest of the year.
11. Week 5 — Ravens @ Bengals (Sunday, 1:00pm)
Following a Week 4 primetime bout at home, the Ravens travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals for the first time of the season. This will conclude a pivotal early three-game stretch against playoff-caliber opponents. The Bengals figure to be much-improved after a collapse of a 2023 season where they lost starting quarterback Joe Burrow for most of the year. Burrow will be back and the Bengals should therefore again be a formidable threat. Going into Cincinnati against a hungry Bengals team will be no easy task in Week 5.
12. Week 10 — Ravens vs. Bengals (Thursday, 8:20pm)*
Five weeks after their previous meeting against the Bengals, the Ravens will then host them in Baltimore for a Thursday night showdown. This exact same scenario occurred last year on November 7; this year’s game will take place on November 16. In that matchup, Burrow exited the game early with an injury at which point the Bengals had a slight lead. While the Ravens’ previous game is also at home against the Broncos, meaning they won’t have to travel, playing on a shorter week is never a cakewalk. That’s especially true against a team like the Bengals.
13. Week 17 — Ravens @ Texans (Wednesday, 4:30pm)*
In of the more highly-anticipated games of the 2024 season, the Ravens will be playing on the road on Christmas Day for the second year in a row. This time around, they’ll be taking on the Houston Texans in a rematch of last year’s divisional round playoff matchup. The Texans are an emerging AFC challenger with one of the league’s best young quarterbacks in C.J. Stroud, who’s coming off a historic rookie season. Their offense will be even more formidable after acquiring Stefon Diggs and Mixon in the offseason, too. The Ravens have had the Texans’ number recently but this will be their toughest task against Houston in recent memory. Playoff implications figure to be significant as this is the second-to-last game of the season.
14. Week 3 — Ravens @ Cowboys (Sunday, 4:25pm)
Following their home opener in Week 2, the Ravens will travel to Texas for the first of two times this season to play the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens have not played the Cowboys since 2020 and it’s been even longer (2016) since they last traveled to Dallas. The Cowboys have been a consistently very good regular season team for several consecutive years now and are returning a lot of their key components from 2023.
15. Week 13 — Ravens vs. Eagles (Sunday, 4:25pm)
The Ravens will kick off the month of December and conclude their first half of the season pre-bye week with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles spiraled during the second half of 2023 into a disappointing first-round exit in the playoffs. However, they’ve still been one of the NFL’s best teams over the past few years. They can easily be back in that mix once again after retooling this offseason. While the Ravens will be at home here, they’ll be playing on a shorter week after a tough three-game stretch in November.
16. Week 4 — Ravens vs. Bills (Sunday, 8:20pm)*
To conclude the first quarter pole mark of the season, the Ravens will play their second primetime game of the year. They’ll host the Buffalo Bills a key early-season AFC showdown against one of the premier teams in the conference. While the Ravens have the benefit of being at home here, the Bills are a formidable opponent with one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Josh Allen. Their offense may be less dangerous without Stefon Diggs in 2024 but facing them is still a tough assignment, especially one week after a road trip against a similarly talented Cowboys team.
17. Week 1 — Ravens @ Chiefs (Thursday, 8:20pm)*
It’s not often that the season opener is also the most difficult matchup of the year. However, the Ravens are tasked with taking on the defending champions in Week 1 on the road. This will be a huge test and measuring stick for the Ravens to open the season. They’ll be seeking revenge from last year’s AFC championship loss to Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and company. The Ravens have a good track record in Week 1 under Harbaugh, but this year’s first game is a daunting challenge.
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