Pundit Points Out Cold Truth About Ravens' Late-Season Schedule
Except for the two seasons Lamar Jackson was injured, the Ravens have finished the season on a roll since he became their starting quarterback.
For the Ravens to go on a hot streak during the second half of this season, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr noted that they'll have to do so in nothing but cold weather.
The Ravens' final eight games will be played in what figures to be chilly temperatures – including a Week 17 contest in Green Bay – which is why Orr included Baltimore on his list of five teams that "got screwed" by the NFL schedule after the full slate was revealed last night.
"Even for teams that try to ooze a certain level of machismo — lifting off their shirts in pregame warmups, daring the onset of pneumonia — playing in cold weather at the end of the season is, to put it simply, awful," Orr wrote. "It turns games into higher-variance atmospheres, with missed tackles becoming a larger factor as well as fumbles and dropped passes. Weather in the Northeast is more consistently questionable, with snow, ice and wind factoring in. Concussion risk doubles and certain lower-body sprains are more common in cold weather.
"In combing through all the schedules, I noticed this year that Baltimore plays in only cold weather, outdoor games from Nov. 16 (at Browns) onward through the rest of the season. … Now factor in that the Ravens are breaking in a rookie kicker for the first time in more than a decade and have a now 28-year-old mobile quarterback who takes hits on nearly every play, and it seems like an unfortunate way for an AFC North contender to have to end a year. Pittsburgh has games at Arizona and indoors against the Colts during that same stretch. The Bengals have a trip to Miami at the end of the season to break up the cold stretch as well."
Orr's point is well-taken, but if any team is built for cold weather it's the Ravens. Tackling bruising running back Derrick Henry in the cold certainly can't be fun, and the Ravens' physical defense also should benefit them. The Ravens' opponents will also be playing on the same field in the cold.
Here's a look what else pundits said about the Ravens following the schedule release:
The Ravens-Bills game in Week 1 at Buffalo is the best prime-time matchup of the season.
NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman: "'Sunday Night Football' starts with a bang this year, with a rematch of last year's down-to-the-wire Divisional Round duel between the NFL's top two MVP contenders. That Ravens-Bills instant classic was hyped to the extreme even before kickoff, with Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen getting to play out their year-long battle for MVP on the field, with a trip to Arrowhead and the AFC title game on the line. It lived up to the anticipation and more, with Baltimore and Buffalo exchanging blows all the way to the end, when Jackson led what looked to be a game-tying drive, finished off by a 24-yard TD toss to Isaiah Likely. But Mark Andrews' costly drop on the ensuing two-point conversion sent the Ravens packing and the tight end into radio silence. Despite offseason speculation that Andrews wouldn't be back with the team, he said before the draft that he's 'a Raven.' So, too, is DeAndre Hopkins, who joined Baltimore in the offseason to provide Jackson with a pair of surer hands as a Super Bowl berth continues to elude the Ravens' grasp in this era. Their latest pursuit will begin where the last one ended. Allen, who won the previous matchup on the field and in MVP voting, and the Bills will look to repeat that result come Week 1."
There is no easy stretch. From start to finish, this is a gauntlet of a schedule.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "The Ravens open the season by playing five 2024 postseason teams in the first six weeks. This includes a Week 4 game at Kansas City, where the Ravens haven't won since their 2012 Super Bowl season. In the middle, Baltimore plays three consecutive weeks on the road, starting with a Thursday night game in Miami in Week 9. In their previous six seasons, the Ravens have had to go on the road for three straight games just once (2023). Then, Baltimore closes out the season with three of four games on the road, culminating in road trips to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. This marks the first time that Baltimore ends a season with back-to-back road games since 2016."
The Ravens may end up defining homestands and road trips in 2025.
NFL.com’s Nick Shook: "They play three consecutive home games in Weeks 5-8 (with a Week 7 bye mixed in), then hit the road for three straight contests in Weeks 9-11, then return to Baltimore for another trio of tilts at M&T Bank Stadium in Weeks 12-14 – including a prime-time date with the rival Bengals on Thanksgiving. It's not often you see schedules emerge with chunks of home and road dates like that, but fortunately for the Ravens, their travel won't be too overbearing: The furthest west they'll fly is to Kansas City."
Bold prediction: The Ravens win three road games in three weeks for the first time in team history, sweeping their games at Miami (Week 9), Minnesota (Week 10) and Cleveland (Week 11).
Hensley: "The Ravens have never been able to pull off the trifecta in their seven previous instances of three straight away games. And fun fact: Minnesota is one of the two places where Head Coach John Harbaugh has yet to win (Las Vegas is the other). The good news? Jackson's 34-13 road record (.723) is second to only Patrick Mahomes (44-12) since he entered the league in 2018."
Must-watch game: at Chiefs, Week 4.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "The 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. 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. With Jackson as their quarterback, the Ravens are only 1-5 against the Chiefs. Baltimore needs to start winning a few of these matchups against Patrick Mahomes and company."
The Ravens-Bengals matchup in Week 15 is one of the most interesting games of the season.
Orr: "It's impossible to project that a game will be close this far in advance, but both Bengals-Ravens games last year were decided by three points or fewer. One of the two Bengals-Ravens games in 2023 came down to a field goal, as did one more the season before. And in all those games, the Ravens had arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history. While we're not quite sure what Cleveland will look like and cannot be sure at all what Pittsburgh will look like, we know that Baltimore and Cincinnati will more than likely be relevant in the AFC North, especially if the Bengals are on one of their trademark torrid stretches to try to back themselves into the playoffs. Now, Justin Tucker is gone. …. Baltimore is a championship-or-bust team with a former special teams savant as its head coach and one of the few teams in the NFL with a kicking-specific coach. Can sixth-round pick Tyler Loop, the theoretical leader in the clubhouse for the kicking job, steel his nerves in time for a game that could have major playoff implications?"
Game that has gotten tougher: vs. Bears, Week 8.
Zrebiec: "The Bears haven't had a winning season since 2018, and they haven't won a playoff game since 2010. Still, the arrival of former Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach and the strengthening of the offensive personnel around second-year quarterback Caleb Williams have many predicting that Chicago will make a huge jump this year."
One game the Ravens can't afford to lose: vs. Browns, Week 2
Zrebiec: "We've discussed the Ravens' rigorous start. If they go into their bye with a 3-3 record, they'd be in decent shape. What they can't do amid a stretch where they also play the Bills, Lions and Chiefs is overlook the Browns. That would be an extremely damaging loss, not only because of who else the Ravens have to play early, but also because Baltimore won't play its second AFC North game until mid-November."
The Ravens' record will be …
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: "12-5. The Ravens are one of the league's most talented teams, and they will need all of it. Baltimore has four challenging games in the division with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, and then additional road tilts against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Bills and Chiefs. John Harbaugh's club could play great football away from home and still be looking at 4–4 or 5–3."
NFL Network Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelund: "Projected wins: 11.6. The Ravens begin by playing their three most difficult projected matchups of the season within the first four weeks: Week 1 at the Bills on "Sunday Night Football:, Week 3 vs. the Lions on "Monday Night Football" and Week 4 at the Chiefs. One late-season game to circle is the Week 17 showdown with the Packers at Lambeau Field. This could be pivotal for both teams, in terms of playoff seeding – Baltimore is likely to be contending for the AFC's top seed and lone playoff bye. My model forecasts Lamar Jackson and Co. to pace the conference by 0.2 wins."
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer: "Over 11.5 wins. The Ravens went 12-5 to take the division, and there's no indication they are a weaker team even with the combined challenges of the AFC East and NFC North. They should repeat as division champions, this time with tighter competition."
Zrebiec: "11-6. This is a difficult schedule for the Ravens, so it's conceivable that they can be a better team yet still finish behind last year's regular-season pace. They'll be judged on what they do in January anyway. So much will depend on injuries, as it always does, and the ability of a handful of young players to step into bigger roles. On paper, this is a Ravens team with one of the better rosters in the NFL and plenty of motivation from past playoff flameouts."
Fox Sports’ Greg Auman: "11-6. The Ravens could be a better team than last year and still finish with a worse record than the 12-5 they went in 2024. They face the entire NFC North, arguably the toughest division in the league, and their three games as a result of a first-place showing are the Chiefs, Rams and Texans — no easy draw there. They could be a top-10 team and still go just 4-2 in the division. The key is whether they can hold off Cincinnati with an improved defense and Pittsburgh (with Aaron Rodgers?) and avoid opening the playoffs on the road, as they have just one road playoff win in the past 10 years."
Media Reaction to Henry's Contract Extension
The Ravens checked off one of the main items on their offseason to-do list by agreeing with Henry on a two-year contract extension reportedly worth $30 million total with $25 million guaranteed.
Here's a look at what pundits are saying about the deal to keep the five-time Pro Bowler with the team through the 2027 season:
NFL Network's Rich Eisen: "A number on the doubt meter – one as I have no question about it, 10 as full doubt – that the Ravens just made a mistake giving him this money at age 31? I will put this number on the doubt meter at two. I have no doubts, no doubts, that he's going to look just like the guy he was last year."
Zrebiec: "Henry outperformed his initial two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens, and he was deserving of another commitment from the team. Before the new deal, Henry was the 13th highest-paid running back in the NFL despite perennially being one of the league's top performers. The Ravens' Super Bowl window is open, and Henry has shown no signs of slowing down. The running back has also talked openly about wanting Baltimore to be the last stop in his career. It made perfect sense for the Ravens to extend his contract and make sure Henry is feeling good about his status heading into an important season for the franchise."
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: "The Ravens are counting on Henry, one of the NFL's hardest workers and rarest athletic specimens, to keep charging ahead well into his 30s. Only three running backs since 2010 have rushed for even 1,000 yards in their age-31 season or older: Frank Gore (twice), Adrian Peterson and Raheem Mostert. But, with another year in Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's system and improved play along the offensive line, Henry could help power the Ravens' push for a third Lombardi Trophy."
Russell Street Report’s Kevin McNelis: "Henry's contract extension is massive, but if any running back in the league not named Saquon Barkley has earned it, it's Derrick Henry. Sure, there was concern that Father Time would slow him down when he got here last year, but it sure as heck doesn't look like it's happening anytime soon, and Henry has proven to be the perfect complement to Lamar in this run-heavy offense. A black and purple #22 jersey is going to be a mainstay in the nightmares of AFC North opponents for the next few years. I love it."
Baltimore Beatdown’s Zach Canter: "While this extension was talked about as a possibility as the Ravens needed to create cap space, this move is so much more than that. Derrick Henry will now likely retire as a Baltimore Raven, whether that's at the end of this contract after 2027 or later if he continues to play on one-year deals after that. While giving money to running backs over the age of 30 is rare, so is a player like Henry. The King showed no signs of slowing down last year, going second in the league in yards while also being first in yards after contact, missed tackles forced and first down runs, according to Pro Football Focus. I don't see Henry slowing down any time soon either."
PFF Says Ravens Have Strongest Running Back and Tight End Groups
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman identified the strongest and weakest groups at each position. The Ravens were named the strongest at running back and tight end.
"Derrick Henry doesn't seem to be slowing down in his early 30s after leading the NFL in PFF rushing grade, missed tackles forced and rushing touchdowns last season," Wasserman wrote. "Spelling him on passing downs is Justice Hill, who has proven to be one of the more capable receiving backs in the NFL. His 89.0 PFF receiving grade in 2024 ranked fourth in the NFL, and he did not drop any of his 52 targets. Third-year man Keaton Mitchell was a revelation in 2023 when he posted a 92.5 PFF rushing grade over the first seven games of his career. His recovery from a knee injury slowed him down last season, but he could add an element of explosiveness to this backfield if he returns to form in 2025."
On a side note, Hill was named the Ravens' most underrated player by PFF’s Jonathon Macri.
"Hill is the unsung hero of the unit, playing primarily on passing downs to provide Henry a breather so he can dominate on early downs," Macri wrote.
Regarding the tight ends, Wasserman wrote: "Nobody else in the league offers a three-tight end package like the Ravens do with Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. Baltimore also knows how to use them, as their 90.9 team PFF offense grade with multiple tight ends on the field led the NFL last season. Andrews has ranked inside the top six at the position in PFF receiving grade in each of the past four seasons. Likely wasn't far behind in 2024, placing eighth with a 77.0 PFF receiving grade. Kolar adds value as a blocker who allows the other two to move around the formation."
