Five Top Takeaways From Ravens 2025 Schedule

Here are some of the top takeaways from the official release of the Ravens 2025 schedule.

Toughest Stretch

The Ravens face a gauntlet right out of the gate with not just five playoff teams in their first six games, but each of them is the reigning champion of their respective division as well. For the second year in a row, they will be opening the season on the road against the same opponent who dashed their championship hopes in the playoffs from the previous year. At least this time around, they won't have to watch their foe unveil a Super Bowl banner before the game, given the Buffalo Bills weren't able to go all the way either after dispatching them in the divisional round.

After that, they'll need to avoid a second straight home-opener upset to an inferior opponent as the Cleveland Browns will be coming to town and will most likely be led by none other than former Ravens franchise quarterback Joe Flacco. The following week, they'll host the reigning NFC North champion Detroit Lions for a rare home game on Monday Night Football, marking their first since Week 5 of the 2021 season and just their fifth in the John Harbaugh era dating back to 2008.

It doesn't get any easier after that with road tilt with the Super Bowl runner-up Kansas City Chiefs in the late afternoon slot followed by back-to-back home games in the early afternoon slate against the Houston Texans and Los Angles Rams, both of which are expected to be contenders with good units on both sides of the ball in 2025.

Most Vital Stretch

As grueling as the Ravens' opening stretch of games is, divisions are won and lost, and playoff seeding is ultimately decided later in the season with an annual cluster of back-to-back, or at least closely scheduled, divisional games. For the two-time defending AFC North champions, that stretch will be from Week 13-15 when they face the Cincinnati Bengals twice, with their first matchup against the always feisty Pittsburgh Steelers wedged in between.

Last season, the Ravens managed to sweep the Bengals for the second year in a row, but it took a combined 76 points and two wildly dramatic finishes to do it. By the time the two teams meet for the first time in 2025, Cincinnati will likely have shaken off and recovered from its notoriously slow start to the season. Meanwhile, the Steelers should never be counted out no matter who they have under center, and especially if it ultimately winds up being 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time league MVP-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Bye Week Placement

Last year, the Ravens were among the teams with the latest breaks in action in the league, with their bye not coming until Week 14. While it wound up helping them in the long run with a much-needed reprieve before a vital stretch to close out the season, they were fortunate that they weren't dealing with a bevy of injuries leading up to it.

This year their bye is closer to the middle, but still in the first half of the season at Week 7. However, given the murder's row of teams they have to open the season with, getting a week off after an interconference matchup with the Rams feels fine and well-timed. They will also essentially get two mini-byes, with the first being a nine-day break between Weeks 9 and 10. The second will come before their first matchup with the Steelers because their first against the Bengals will be on Thursday Night Football.

Primetime Games & Holiday Matchups

If ratings and viewership from the past two seasons have shown anything, it's that the Ravens are must-see TV when it comes to games under a national spotlight. Not only does two-time league MVP-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson play his best under the lights, but the team as a whole has shown a knack for getting up for these stand-alone games with the whole country watching. Thankfully for their families, they won't be playing on Christmas for the third year in a row. But they still weren't able to escape playing a holiday game as their first game against the Bengals will be on Thanksgiving.

While they don't have the full allotment of primetime games scheduled out of the gate with four as it currently stands, either or both of their final matchups could wind up being their fifth. Their Week 17 interconference showdown with the Green Bay Packers at historic Lambeau Field could be a potential Super Bowl preview, depending on how hot both teams are looking heading into the playoffs. A regular-season finale matchup with the Steelers on the road is the most likely of the two to get placed in primetime or, at the very least, a late afternoon slot, assuming both teams are still in playoff contention at that point.

Revenge Games to Keep an Eye on

The whole team has a bone to pick with the Bills, so the season opener is the most obvious pick for this category. Week 4 against the Chiefs is another, and not just because five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins most recently played there and former Ravens first-rounder Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown re-signed with them this offseason. Kansas City has beaten the Ravens in five of the six matchups between the two teams since Jackson became the starter in 2018, including the playoffs. Their lone win over the only team that has won multiple Super Bowls during that span came in Week 2 of the 2021 regular season.

As far as individual revenge matchups to keep an eye on, veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who they signed as a salary cap casualty, will get two shots at one of his former teams when the Ravens play the Bengals, assuming he's healthy for both matchups. He played for Cincinnati for three seasons from 2021 to 2023 and helped them reach a Super Bowl in his first year with the team.

Inside linebacker Roquan Smith and Jake Hummel will face their former teams with whom they began their careers. The Ravens face the Chicago Bears, who selected Smith No. 8 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft in Week 8, coming out of their bye. Heading into the break, Hummel will get to prove to the Rams that they don't know what they're missing in the former 2022 undrafted free agent.

Pro Bowl outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy will undoubtedly have three games officially circled on his calendar as he will get a crack at three of his former teams this season. The first will be the Lions with whom he began his career as a second-round pick in 2014 before being shipped off in a trade. Next will be the Miami Dolphins in primetime on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 9. Finally, he'll get to play against the New England Patriots at home in Week 16 on an early Sunday afternoon, coming off a grueling stretch of division games.