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In addition to their annual home and away series with each of their AFC North division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens cyclical opponents in 2017 will be the AFC South and NFC North. The Ravens will also face the Raiders and Dolphins because each team finished second in their respective AFC divisions last season.
The 2017 Baltimore Ravens regular season schedule:
Week 1: at Cincinnati Bengals. Sunday September 10, 1:00
Week 2: vs Cleveland Browns. Sunday, September 17th, 1:00
Week 3: at Jacksonville Jaguars (London). Sunday, September 24th, 9:30 AM
Week 4: vs Pittsburgh Steelers. Sunday, October 1st, 1:00
Week 5: at Oakland Raiders. Sunday, October 8th, 4:05
Week 6: vs Chicago Bears. Sunday, October 15th, 1:00
Week 7: at Minnesota Vikings. Sunday, October 22nd, 1:00
Week 8: vs Miami Dolphins. Thursday, October 26th, 8:30
Week 9: at Tennessee Titans. Sunday, November 5th, 1:00
Week 10: Bye
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers. Sunday, November 19th, 1:00
Week 12: vs Houston Texans. Monday, November 27th, 8:30
Week 13: vs Detroit Lions. Sunday, December 3rd, 1:00
Week 14: at Pittsburgh Steelers. Sunday, December 10th, 8:30
Week 15: at Cleveland Browns. Sunday, December 17th 1:00
Week 16: vs Indianapolis Colts. Saturday, December 23rd 4:30
Week 17: vs Cincinnati Bengals. Sunday, December 31st 1:00
At first glance, this is a reasonably favorable schedule for Baltimore. The NFL granted the Ravens request to avoid an early bye week after their trip across the Atlantic ocean. Having the bye late in the season is beneficial for a veteran team. The Ravens will travel out of the Eastern time zone five times. Four of the Ravens games against playoffs teams from last season are at home, compared to three on the road.
The toughest stretches appear to be Weeks 3-5 with a home game against the arch rival Steelers sandwiched between the two longest road trips of the season, and Weeks 11-14 with four consecutive battles against playoff teams from last season.
The Ravens will be involved in four primetime games. They include hosting the Dolphins on Thursday night, the Texans on Monday night, the Colts on Saturday, and traveling to Pittsburgh for Sunday night football.
Overall the schedule is well balanced without any long road trips or home stands. The first quarter of the season will be crucial as the Ravens play all of their division rivals in that span. A trip to Cleveland before two home games to close out the regular season will hopefully give the Ravens some momentum heading into the postseason.