The Ravens better get their bags and their passports ready, and they can ill afford a slow start in the always rugged AFC North.
Those are some of the key takeaways of their 2023 schedule, which was released on May 11. The Ravens play three AFC North games in the first five weeks — all on the road — and then go to London to face the Tennessee Titans in Week 6, followed immediately by a home game against the Detroit Lions. Some teams prefer to have a bye after a trip overseas, but the Ravens’ bye comes much later, in Week 13.
The Ravens open the season at home, hosting the Houston Texans and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, quarterback C.J. Stroud, on Sept. 10.
In addition to traveling to London, the Ravens’ tether to NFC West teams this year means trips to both Arizona, in Week 8 (Oct. 29), and San Francisco for a Christmas night game, the latest evidence that the NFL does few things better than extending its footprint.
Because two, then three, Thanksgiving games apparently weren’t quite enough, the NFL has added a Black Friday game this year (Dolphins-Jets). And it added three Christmas Day games (Raiders-Chiefs, Giants-Eagles, Ravens-49ers) since the league obviously doesn’t like the NBA getting all the attention that day.
The Ravens also make a West Coast trip to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12 (Nov. 26), meaning in a span of 11 weeks they will make three trips to the West Coast and one to Europe.
The game against the Chargers is one of four prime-time games for the Ravens, who will host Joe Burrow and the Bengals on “Thursday Night Football” on Nov. 16 — on a short week four days after hosting Cleveland — and will play at Jacksonville on Dec. 17, a week before traveling to face the 49ers on Christmas.
After that Christmas matchup with the 49ers, the Ravens close out the regular season with home games against Miami and the archrival Pittsburgh Steelers, both of which could have huge implications in what figures to be a ferocious chase for AFC playoff berths.
Here is the full Ravens’ 2023 schedule:
(Home games in CAPS, all times Eastern)
| Sept. 10 | HOUSTON | 1 p.m. |
| Sept. 17 | at Cincinnati | 1 p.m. |
| Sept. 24 | INDIANAPOLIS | 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 1 | at Cleveland | 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 8 | at Pittsburgh | 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 15 | vs. Tennessee (London) | 9:30 a.m. |
| Oct. 22 | DETROIT | 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 29 | at Arizona | 4:25 p.m. |
| Nov. 5 | SEATTLE | 1 p.m. |
| Nov. 12 | CLEVELAND | 1 p.m. |
| Nov. 16 | CINCINNATI | 8:15 p.m. |
| Nov. 26 | at L.A. Chargers | 8:20 p.m. |
| Dec. 3 | BYE | |
| Dec. 10 | L.A. RAMS | 1 p.m. |
| Dec. 17 | at Jacksonville | 8:20 p.m. |
| Dec. 25 | at San Francisco | 8:15 p.m. |
| Dec. 31 | MIAMI | 1 p.m. |
| Jan. 6/7 | PITTSBURGH | TBA |