Year after year I’m still sort of amazed at how the NFL has turned the most mundane things on their calendar into can’t miss events.
From watching prospective players in shorts run drills, to watching teams select those same players over three days on national television. The average football fan is in constant demand for more content as they count down to September and the league is more than happy to provide it.
And so, it was last night as the NFL dropped the 2024 schedule and now it’s time to agonize and analyze the Ravens’ chances of going to a Super Bowl, even though it’s probably too early to.
At first glance this is a tough schedule for Baltimore as they will face ten teams that made the postseason in 2023. They have five primetime games on the slate which ties them with eight other teams (KC, LA Rams, Green Bay, Philly, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Detroit, Miami) while only three others have six. (SF, Dallas, NY Jets) Although Baltimore will play a total of seven standalone games with a Saturday game against the hated Steelers and then four days later travel to Houston on Christmas Night which speaks to the star power that the two time MVP Lamar Jackso holds over audiences.
The Ravens play twice on Monday Night, both on the road, of course. They travel to Tampa Bay during week seven and then three days before Thanksgiving the rematch of the Harbaugh Bowl will take place in Los Angeles. Many assumed that this game was a natural for Thanksgiving Night, at least the schedule leakers thought so and there are several storylines to discuss here aside from the obvious family feud. Jim was a loser twelve years ago in Super Bowl XLVII to his brother but he’s coming off a national championship with his alma mater. The brothers have often shared intel over the years as well as coaches with former DC Mike McDonald now departed to Seattle as its new leader. This past offseason Jim grabbed longtime Ravens executive Joe Hortiz to be his new GM and signed two thirds of the Baltimore backfield in free agency with Gus Edwards and J.K Dobbins. You also add two exciting young quarterbacks in Jackson and Justin Herbert, and you have what could be one of the most anticipated prime-time games of the season.
Baltimore plays twice on Thursday as they host division rival Cincinnati Week Ten and open the season at Arrowhead stadium against the team that ended their hopes of a Super Bowl berth with defending league champion Kansas City. Many will frame that contest as a revenge game but honestly the playoffs are what really matters. The Chiefs proved that in 2023 when they looked vulnerable during the regular season and then turned it on with masterful run through the post-season. Still Ravens fans won’t enjoy having to witness the championship hoopla as Week One gets underway.
This is also the second consecutive season where Baltimore will play on Christmas, which as a fan I’m totally fine with but I understand the pushback from some in the media who point out that players, staff, and stadium workers will be away from their families so they can entertain the world.
The first five weeks of the season are going to be particularly challenging with road games at Kansas City, Dallas, and Cincinnati and two home matchups with Buffalo and Las Vegas. Even if the team starts slowly and ends up 2-3 like some pundits think I don’t feel that it will sink their season. John Harbaugh is 35-18 in September as well so don’t rule out the Ravens being up to the challenge and starting strong either.
The Bye week doesn’t arrive until Week Fourteen and that will provide another trial as the team negotiates possible injuries. There’s no question that it’s going to test the depth of this team as they match up with some of the league’s best.
Among all the obstacles that the Ravens must overcome to get back to the playoffs in 2024 the fact that the team must play three games in ten days is the one that concerns me the most. Luckily this gauntlet will come after the late Bye week, but I wonder how much they will have left heading into January as they close the season with the Browns at the Bank.
Even with all these hurdles the Ravens are still one of the AFC’s top teams and as long as they stay away from major injuries, they should compete for a playoff spot.
My way too early prediction is 9-8.
1) Acho Stinko – Fox Sports commentator Emmanuel Acho recently said this about the Baltimore Ravens opening the league schedule with a game against the Chiefs.
“The Ravens aren’t a threat because last year they were as good as they could be. This year, the team’s worse. The Ravens are substantially worse. You lose All-Pro Patrick Queen, who coupled with Roquan Smith, was a dude. You lose Jadeveon Clowney, who had nine and a half sacks. You lose seven-interception Geno Stone. So you lose your leading interceptor, your second-leading tackler, your second-leading sack man. The defense just isn’t as good, and you lose your defensive coordinator. So I don’t think the Ravens are a threat. Because if they were a threat they would’ve been a threat last year and they weren’t even threatening.”
Normally I don’t pay much mind to a talking head’s hot take in May but this one just left me shaking my head in disbelief.
The national media usually do a poor job covering the league. They pick a few key points and often make broad generalizations and assumptions based on them.
The Ravens lost their Defensive Coordinator and several of the players mentioned above, and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say they will take a step back from what was an incredibly successful season barring a Super Bowl appearance. But Acho’s dismissal of this group borders on Florio territory. You can say that the roster changes and tougher schedule will test this team and you can say that they won’t be as successful (I just did a few paragraphs ago) but to say they aren’t a threat goes a bit deeper and feels like click bait, probably because it is.
2) Solid Off-Season – The Ravens have endured a lot of turnover since February and it remains to be seen if the choices they’ve made in letting some players move on and those added will yield success. But, I feel like the top brass has done another good job in assembling a group that looks to be a contender for the playoffs – again. Fans have every right to question decisions and give opinions but year in and year out the Ravens are almost always in the mix and a part of the playoff conversation.
Re-signing Justin Madubuike was a huge plus as it gives the unit a star at each level of the defense with Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton. The addition of Derrick Henry doesn’t feel like a gamble and it gives Todd Monken a huge hammer in the Fourth Quarter to punish the opposition. The Offensive Line is still the biggest question heading into camp but there is a plan in place.
Overall you have to be excited for the year ahead.
3) Ravens Ronnie – The Ravens PR department hit a home run with the schedule drop as it centered around the antics of Ravens superfan Ronnie (played by comedian Stavros Halkias).
Halkias had a huge year for himself as he’s gotten more notoriety for his stand up with his Netflix special, “Fat Rascal” and on Instagram as “Ronnie” became a popular follow after Ravens games.
With all the non stop Taylor Swift chatter last season, it makes way too much sense that “Ronnie” has become the celebrity that best represents the team right now. His stereotypical characterization of a Ravens die hard complete with purple camo pants is just too funny.
Matt has lived in Maryland his entire life and is a graduate of Calvert Hall and Towson University. has always been an avid Baltimore sports fan. Since 2007, he has been writing and talking about Baltimore sports, especially the Ravens. His work has appeared on Ravens Gab, Russell Street Report, and he currently co-hosts a podcast “The Blitz- A Ravens podcast” with Brent Harris.