Three Ravens Games Considered 'Must-Watch'

The Baltimore Ravens have 17 games on their schedule this season, and some stand out more than others.

The Athletic tasked its beat reporters to come up with one must-watch game for each team this season, and three Ravens games popped up on the list. The first will take place in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"The Ravens matchup with the Bills will generate the most hype, but the Chiefs are the standard in the AFC — and that will remain the case until the Ravens, Bills or some other AFC team knocks them off in the postseason," The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec wrote.

"Baltimore won’t be able to make a strong statement in late September. Yet, beating the Chiefs on their home field would certainly improve the Ravens’ confidence if they have to return to Arrowhead for a postseason matchup."

The following week, the Ravens host the Houston Texans, who were also eliminated in the Divisional Round alongside Baltimore last season.

"Houston has to beat Buffalo and Baltimore consistently for that to happen. All three are on the schedule this year. And while the Texans have had recent success against the Bills and have been competitive in games against the Chiefs, they’ve never had an answer for the Ravens," The Athletic's Adam Coleman wrote.

"Houston has lost its last six against the Ravens, including last year’s 31-2 embarrassment on Christmas Day. The Texans have only beaten Baltimore twice all-time. They’ve never beaten the Ravens on the road. Here is yet another chance for the Texans to change the perception about what their ceiling is."

Then, on Thanksgiving Day, the Ravens get a big divisional matchup on the docket against the Cincinnati Bengals, one that could dictate how things end up in the AFC North.

"One of the most entertaining rivalries in the sport gets a grand stage on Thanksgiving night. Joe Burrow versus Lamar Jackson would be must-see TV in any venue, but put them in prime time of the Thanksgiving Day ratings bonanza — it doesn’t get much bigger than that," The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote.

"This marks four consecutive years Cincinnati has had to play in prime time in Baltimore, with last year’s matchup there seeing Jackson erase a 21-7 second-half deficit and holding on for a 35-34 win."

All of these games will have a significant impact on the Ravens this season, and wins in all three will likely mean good things for Baltimore come playoff time.