The NFL released all 32 teams’ schedules Thursday night, including all international games, primetime dates and bye weeks. The Ravens finally know when and where they are playing in 2026.
Here is the Ravens 2026 schedule:
Week 1: Sept. 13 at Indianapolis Colts (1 p.m.)
Week 2: Sept. 20 vs. New Orleans Saints (1 p.m.)
Week 3: Sept. 27 vs. Dallas Cowboys (4:25 p.m. in Rio de Janeiro)
Week 4: Oct. 4 vs. Tennessee Titans (1 p.m.)
Week 5: Oct. 11 at Atlanta Falcons (8:20 p.m.)
Week 6: Oct. 18 at Cleveland Browns (1 p.m.)
Week 7: Oct. 25 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m.)
Week 8: Nov. 1 at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m.)
Week 9: Nov. 5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (8:15 p.m.)
Week 10: Nov. 16 vs. Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m.)
Week 11: Nov. 22 at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m.)
Week 12: Nov. 29 at Houston Texans (1 p.m.)
Week 13: BYE
Week 14: Dec. 13 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 p.m.)
Week 15: Dec. 20 at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m.)
Week 16: Dec. 27 vs. Cleveland Browns (1 p.m.)
Week 17: Dec. 31 at Cincinnati Bengals (8:15 p.m.)
Week 18: Jan. 9-10 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Time TBD)
At first glance, the season breaks down into three different courses — an appetizing start, a November main course and a divisional dessert.
Weeks 1-7: A Manageable Start
For the first seven games of the season, the Ravens will not face an opponent that made the playoffs in 2025. In fact, none had winning records. Also notable is that the Ravens don’t play an AFC North opponent until Week 6 at the Browns.
Performance from the previous season doesn’t directly indicate success or failure in the next, but the Ravens will nonetheless look to start hot against this collection of teams. When looking at regular-season win predictions for 2026, five of the Ravens’ first seven opponents all have over-under win totals below eight, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Included in this start is the Ravens’ first-ever (and the NFL’s second-ever) trip to South America. Baltimore will face Dallas in Rio de Janeiro in Week 3. The Ravens will not have extra rest before or after that game, so it will be interesting to see how new head coach Jesse Minter approaches his team’s preparation for that week of travel and practice.
Weeks 8-12: The “Prove It” Portion
This stretch of five games, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 29, features the following: Five playoff teams from 2025, including a road matchup against Josh Allen, a home game against Minter’s previous employer in the Chargers, a “Thursday Night Football” into “Monday Night Football” primetime turnaround and a road game against the Texans’ vaunted defense.
Got all that? The Ravens surely do. This month of games will shine a large spotlight on the team’s strengths and weaknesses and determine their chances of making a deep postseason run. Last season, the Ravens struggled during a similar stretch of challenging matchups to open the year, and their 1-5 start proved too much to overcome to earn a playoff bid. Even with a fast start this year, the Ravens will need to win at least two or three of these five to compete for a top seed in the AFC.
Weeks 13-17: To Finish, the AFC North
The Ravens are likely pleased with a Week 13 bye coming immediately after their tough five-game run through November. After that, they face the Bucs at home for Week 14 and then have an unusual close, with four straight AFC North matchups, including both games against the Steelers.
No other AFC North team faces more than two divisional opponents in the last four games. Fair or unfair, the Ravens will have it all to play for in the last month to try to take back the AFC North crown.
A highlight of this stretch: The Ravens will travel to Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve for a “Thursday Night Football” special in Week 17. The last four primetime Ravens-Bengals games took place in Baltimore. Joe Burrow and Co. will relish the opportunity to play at home on national television.
A potential advantage for the Ravens, however, is that this game being Thursday means they will have extra rest before the regular-season finale against the Steelers at home.
First Predictions
The Ravens enjoy a 5-2 start, survive the middle portion of their schedule and beat the Bucs in Week 14 to go to 9-4. In mid-December the Ravens battle their three division opponents to determine whether they finish a disappointing 10-7 or are legitimate Super Bowl contenders at 12-5.
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