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The Baltimore Ravens ruled the roost in the AFC North for the second consecutive season. Along with that honor comes the daunting task of having to play the other AFC division winners during the following season. This means that in 2013, in addition to the rotating divisions that the AFC North plays each year in both the AFC and NFC, the Ravens will play the other first place teams in the two divisions they don't play in that rotating schedule.
The Ravens will of course play the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns in their home-and-away series, totaling six games. All of the AFC North teams will be playing all of the teams in the AFC East and NFC North in 2013.
In addition, the Ravens will play the first place team in both the AFC South and the AFC West, meaning that they will face the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos next year. This makes their schedule tougher than the rest of the AFC North, who will respectively play the second, third and fourth place teams in those divisions depending on where they finished in the AFC North.
For example, while the Ravens play the Texans and Broncos, the Bengals will play the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers and the Steelers will play the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. The 4th place Browns get the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. It doesn't seem fair but that's the formula the NFL lives by, as rank gets its privileges.
Below is the full 2013 NFL regular season schedule:
2013 OPPONENTS
AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Miami Dolphins Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
3. New York Jets Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Buffalo Bills
2013 OPPONENTS
AFC NORTH
1. Baltimore Ravens
Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
2. Cincinnati Bengals Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
3. Pittsburgh Steelers Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
4. Cleveland Browns Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
2013 OPPONENTS
AFC SOUTH
1. Houston Texans Home: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
2. Indianapolis Colts Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
3. Tennessee Titans Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
4. Jacksonville Jaguars Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
2013 OPPONENTS
AFC WEST
1. Denver Broncos Home: Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
2. San Diego Chargers Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
3. Oakland Raiders Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
4. Kansas City Chiefs Home: Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
2013 OPPONENTS
NFC EAST
1. Washington Redskins Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
2. New York Giants Home: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
3. Dallas Cowboys Home: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
4. Philadelphia Eagles Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
2013 OPPONENTS
NFC NORTH
1. Green Bay Packers Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Minnesota Vikings Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Chicago Bears Home: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
4. Detroit Lions Home: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
2013 OPPONENTS
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta Falcons Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
2. Carolina Panthers Home: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets
3. New Orleans Saints Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
2013 OPPONENTS
NFC WEST
1. San Francisco 49ers Home: Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
2. Seattle Seahawks Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
3. St. Louis Rams Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
4. Arizona Cardinals Home: St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts