Baltimore Ravens 2018 Schedule Release: Games, Dates, and Times
By Ben Palmer
The Baltimore Ravens had a tough year last year, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but now we look ahead to next year with the release of the 2018 schedule.
The Baltimore Ravens had a tough year last year, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season. But now, we look ahead to next year, as the NFL has released the full 2018 schedule for all 16 teams.
The 2017 season saw a Baltimore Ravens team that struggled mightily in the passing game, but had notable successes on defense and in the running game. The latter saw the rise of running back Alex Collins, who showed his impressive skills and looks like he could be the Baltimore Ravens’ running back of the future.
The defense ended the year giving up the 12th-fewest yards in the NFL (5,201), the 10th-fewest passing yards (3,421), and the 15th-fewest rushing yards (1,780). The Ravens’ defense also led the NFL in interceptions with 22 and was tied with the Chicago Bears for the 11th-most sacks with 42.
More from Baltimore Ravens
- Baltimore Ravens: Will this be Breshad Perriman’s last game as a Raven?
- Baltimore Ravens: Why RG3 Will Not Make the Ravens’ 53-Man Roster
- Baltimore Ravens have to make a decision on resting key offensive players
- Baltimore Ravens Cornerback Situation With Jimmy Smith Likely Suspended
- Top 5 Baltimore Ravens to Get on Your Fantasy Football Team
The offense however didn’t fare as well. The Baltimore Ravens’ passing game ranked 29th in the league in total yards (3,030) and was tied for 23rd in touchdowns (20). However, thanks in part to the rise of Collins at the running back position, the Ravens finished 11th in total rushing yards (1,856) and 10th in rushing touchdowns (14).
Now, we look forward to the 2018 season. These are the home and away opponents for the Baltimore Ravens:
Home: Bills, Broncos, Saints, Steelers, Bengals, Raiders, Buccaneers, Browns
Away: Bengals, Steelers, Browns, Titans, Panthers, Falcons, Chiefs, Chargers
This is the weekly schedule (all times are EST):
Week 1: vs. Buffalo Bills – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals – 8:20 P.M. (NFLN)
Week 3: vs. Denver Broncos – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers – 8:20 P.M. (NBC)
Week 5: at Cleveland Browns – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 6: at Tennessee Titans – 4:25 P.M. (CBS)
Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints – 4:05 P.M. (FOX)
Week 8: at Carolina Panthers – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 12: vs Oakland Raiders – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 14: at Kansas City Chiefs – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1:00 P.M. (FOX)
Week 16: at Los Angeles Chargers – TBD (TBD)
Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns – 1:00 P.M. (CBS)
There are certainly some interesting matchups worth watching here. The Ravens are going to have a long stretch of road games early and late in the season, with a long homestand from Week 9 through Week 12. If the Ravens are able to fight through the stretch of road games early on, they’ve got a decent shot at building some momentum with a long home series in the middle of the year.
The last three weeks before their bye are certainly going to be their toughest, facing the Saints, Panthers, and Steelers, however, that looks bad on paper now, there’s no telling what those teams will look like once we get into the season.
Plenty of Ravens fans were worried about their matchup against the Green Bay Packers this year, but after Aaron Rodgers suffered a significant injury early in the season, the Ravens were able to make short work of the Packers.
It is somewhat concerning, though not surprising, that the Ravens lack primetime games, with just two this season. Given that the team has slowly been getting worse and isn’t the yearly playoff contender that its been in the past, it’s no shock that the team wouldn’t be featured in primetime as much.
Next: Rating the Ravens' Last 10 First-Round Draft Picks
Also, fun fact about this schedule – this is just the second time in nine years that the Ravens won’t be ending the year with a game against the Bengals, and given how those games have gone the past couple years, that’s certainly a relief.