Ravens Among Biggest Winners From Schedule Release
All schedules are not created equal, at least not on paper.
Poring over the NFL schedule after last week's reveal, it appears that some teams have favorable schedules, while other teams' schedules fall into gauntlet territory.
FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano named the biggest winners and losers from the schedule construction. The Ravens landed in the "winners" category.
"The Ravens were already hoping for the return of Lamar Jackson to give a boost to new coach Jesse Minter, but the schedule may give them a bigger one," Vacchiano wrote. "The Ravens don't play against a 2025 playoff team until their Week 8 game in Buffalo. And while that game starts a tough three-game stretch, the next two — against the Jaguars and the Chargers — are at home.
"They also rank in the bottom 12 in miles traveled this season, and most of that is because of their Week 3 game against the Cowboys in Brazil. After that, they travel just once outside the Eastern Time Zone: to Houston in Week 12."
The Ravens remained at No. 5 in Vacchiano's power rankings, which were updated after the schedule release.
"I was told ranking them this high was controversial," Vacchiano wrote. "Then I saw their schedule, and I'm not sure I've ranked them high enough. They won't be tested until Week 7 at home against the Bengals."
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis calculates how much rest teams get compared to their opponents and has the Ravens as one of eight teams with five games of rest advantage. Last year, there were only five such teams.
Ravens-Chargers Ranked Among Top Five 'Monday Night Football' Games This Season
The Ravens only have one "Monday Night Football" game this season, but it's one of the best, according to The Athletic’s Steven Louis Goldstein.
Goldstein ranked all 17 "MNF" matchups, and the Ravens' home game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10 (Nov. 16) came in at No. 4.
The Ravens-Chargers matchup is compelling for several reasons, but it all starts with Lamar Jackson, said Goldstein, who referred to the quarterback as "a consummate showman in this window."
"We're a simple people — we see Lamar Jackson on 'Monday Night Football' and we tune in," Goldstein wrote. "Throughout his career, Jackson has been thoroughly good in this time slot. He's become the inverse Garfield, with his joystick swagger only intensifying on Mondays.
"Baltimore's captain is countered by Justin Herbert, who supplies his own smooth tenacity for Los Angeles. This is also a special dance partner for new Ravens coach Jesse Minter, who takes over after two seasons as L.A.'s defensive coordinator. Maybe Baltimore will don its reimagined alternate jerseys for the occasion."
Another interesting component to the game is that former Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar and running back Keaton Mitchell will return to Baltimore after departing in free agency this offseason.
The three matchups ranked ahead of Ravens-Chargers were (in order): Bills at Rams (Week 5), Broncos at Chiefs (Week 1), and Eagles at Bears (Week 3).
Jeff Zrebiec Looks at Storylines to Watch As Ravens Begin OTAs
The next phase of the Ravens' offseason program gets underway this week with the start of organized team activities.
While attendance is voluntary and contact isn't allowed, the workouts provide an early look at the 2026 Ravens under Minter and his staff.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec identified the main storylines to follow at OTAs. Here's a look at two:
Taking stock of Jackson
"The Ravens are in the early stages of installing and absorbing the new offense, and it will probably be a while before you can make any conclusions about what it will look like. However, just a glimpse of Jackson operating in a new system and working with Baltimore's two rookie wide receivers (Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt) and two rookie tight ends (Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas} should be enough to imagine the possibilities.
"Jackson also hasn't fielded questions from reporters since about 30 minutes after the team's 2025 season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. What is his reaction to John Harbaugh's firing? How is his relationship with Minter and Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle? Is there any update on his contract situation? There is a lot of ground to cover."
Taking attendance
"A handful of players stayed away from the Under Armour Performance Center during voluntary workouts in recent years. Ex-Ravens coach John Harbaugh was consistent in saying that his focus was on the players who were there and he was fine with certain veterans not taking part in OTAs because the practice repetitions were more valuable to younger players anyway.
"However, the circumstances are different under Minter. The new coaching staff has made scheme changes in all three phases, and this is valuable time for veterans to continue their acclimation. Players will want to show their buy-in and get off on the right foot in building relationships with the new staff. OTA attendance is typically overblown, but it feels much more notable this year for a Ravens team coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history and with a decidedly new look in 2026."
