5 Things On Baltimore Ravens Schedule Wish List

The middle of May isn’t exactly mid December and, unlike Santa, the league office isn’t going to be checking off any items on this wish list, regardless.

But with the NFL’s schedule release becoming yet another key date on the football calendar and an opportunity to over-analyze everything, of course I want to get in on the fun. I don’t think this is asking for too much, do you?

Just a few things the NFL powers that be could deliver for Ravens fans after a bitter 2025 season and with he franchise rebooting with a rookie head coach for the first time nearly 20 years. This all seems quite reasonable to me, especially for such a young staff, and we’ll find out Thursday night if the suits on Park Ave were inclined to agree.

Early Stretch At Home

We know Brazil looms in Week 3, but if the Ravens could get maybe three of their first five at home – not too heavily weighted as to screw them on the back end – it could be a huge help. Jesse Minter, I believe, will be able to handle the general duties of becoming a head coach for the first, though there will be a learning curve.

Much easier at home than on the road.

My real concern is this offensive staff, on a side of the ball where the personnel gives me pause, with a questionable offensive line and Declan Doyle, 30, trying to juggle all of this for the first time on the road, where it’s loud and nuts, early on. The more creature comforts the better for him and an offense that suffered significantly in 2025 from the prior two seasons.

Bengals At Home, TNF

Keep the Thursday night home games against the Bengals coming. Thanksgiving? Sure, what the heck. All the prime time games in Baltimore seems to have gotten under Joe Burrow’s skin some lately, and the Ravens are going to need all the help they can get holding off what might be the most improved team in the AFC.

The Bengals defense is going to be much better and the defensive line might be the most boosted unit in the NFL. Burrow has struggled for at least part of these games or been dealing with a nagging issue or coming off an injury. And weird stuff tends to happen on these short weeks. Last year, nothing could keep Zach Orr’s broken defense from wilting at home and giving up 30 plus, and Burrow got them, but the previous two Thursdays in Baltimore in this rivalry went the home team’s way.

And, if we are being greedy, because we know that September has been so unkind to Cincy – I’ll take this in Week 2, please! On demand!

And, well, if that’s not in the cards then what about this suggestion …

Houston Before Brazil

The Ravens have had the Texans number and CJ Stroud, since showing better than could have been expected in his first road start in Baltimore as a rookie, has been quite shaky even against Ravens defenses that weren’t great. The more I mull on the idea of the Ravens turning the Brazil trip into a bonding experience – HYPER – the more I like it – and getting further down south and closer to South America before the trip would be ideal.

Late Bye

This is tired and true, but if this club is going to surge into the playoffs and peak late – and that’s what you would hope for with a novice staff that is going to need to work through things on game day – then a late bye is always the best option to springboard a team into a playoff run. Something after Week 10 is ideal, and something longtime former general manager Marty Hurney is something he’d always want to politick for with the league office if given a chance.

Chargers Week 1

Mike McDaniel is going to jolt that Chargers attack and he’s got speed and young speed to play with and an offensive line that should be far healthier and better. Minter knows that team and personnel well and it’s long travel for LA and I don’t mind this as an opening game, honestly.

Will take time for the Chargers to adjust to this new offense after having former Ravens assistant Greg Roman running the show, their bookend tackles would both be playing their first game inn quite some time coming off season-ending injuries so still working through some things. I’d prefer them before this offense and Justin Herbert hits strides. Perhaps bad weather late it he season would help, but I wouldn’t want to maybe have to win a shootout with them in early December on a dry 50-degree day fighting for a Wild Card spot.

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