Ravens 2026 Schedule: Early breakdowns for all 17 games

**Week 1: @ Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 PM**

The Ravens open their season on the road for the third straight season, this time traveling to Indianapolis to play the Colts. The Colts were one of the league’s best teams during the first half of the 2025 season before tailing off and finishing with a losing record (8-9). They have a big question mark at quarterback with Daniel Jones returning from a torn achilles injury but a solid offensive line and talent on defense. They also one of the best running backs in the league in Jonathan Taylor, which will give the Ravens’ run defense a big test right away.

Week 2: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM

In Week 2, the Ravens will host the New Orleans Saints in their home opener. The Saints finished 6-11 last season but ended the year winning four of their final five games. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough showed a lot of growth and nearly won Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Ravens a clear talent advantage over the Saints on paper but will have to avoid overlooking a young team at home ahead of a more anticipated matchup. The Saints also have a good group of playmakers on offense with WR Chris Olave, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Travis Eteienne, and incoming first-round pick WR Jordan Tyson.

Week 3: @ Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 PM

While this is technically an away matchup, the Ravens will be playing the Cowboys in Brazil. International games always have an unpredictable nature to them. The Cowboys missed out on the playoffs last season but have plenty of talent, headlined by a top-tier wide receiver duo (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens) along with gunslinger quarterback Dak Prescott. Their passing attack will challenge the Ravens’ secondary and be a good litmus test for how much their pass defense has improved from last year. Dallas also made big upgrades to their defense this offseason and should be more formidable on that side of the ball.

Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM

After a long travel week out of the country, the Ravens will be pleased to get another favorable matchup back on home turf. The Titans finished tied for the league’s worst record last season with just three wins, although they will a much different look in 2026. They should be an improved squad under Robert Saleh and a new coaching staff in quarterback Cam Ward’s sophomore season. However, the Ravens still have the talent advantage across the board. This will be the second home game in the first few weeks where the Ravens are facing a rising second-year quarterback.

Week 5: @ Atlanta Falcons, 8:20 PM

The Ravens’ first primetime contest of the year comes on the road in Week 5, where they’ll face the Atlanta Falcons. It’s unclear who will be the Falcons’ starting quarterback between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, but they have high-level offensive playmakers regardless in RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts. The Falcons finished one game under .5o0 last season and hired a new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, who the Ravens are familiar with from his time in Cleveland. Stefanski should help the Falcons be competitive and this will be a challenging road matchup in a dome environment.

Week 6: @ Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM

In Week 6, the Ravens will play their first consecutive road game and also their first divisional opponent. It will be the team’s first taste of the Cleveland Browns with Todd Monken as the new head coach. Given Monken was Baltimore’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, it will be interesting to see if he has any advantages up his sleeve. Myles Garrett’s game-wrecking ability always makes the Browns’ defense a threat, but their uncertainty at quarterback remains on the other side of the ball. Their young talent on offense makes the group intriguing, though, and not to be overlooked. The Browns used several early-round draft picks this year on offensive players.

Week 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM

The Ravens will get another taste of AFC North action the following week, as they host the Cincinnati Bengals in an early afternoon contest. While the Ravens have fared well against the Bengals in recent years, many of these matchups have been high-scoring affairs that went down to the wire. QB Joe Burrow leads a high-powered offense that will again pose a tall task for the Ravens’ defense to slow down. On the flip side, it remains to be seen how improved Cincinnati’s defense will be after struggling mightily for two straight seasons.

**Week 8: @ Buffalo Bills, 1:00 PM**

Following two straight divisional games, things won’t get any easier for the Ravens in Week 8. They’ll face their first returning playoff team from 2025 and one of their top AFC hurdles, the Buffalo Bills. This will be a road matchup in Buffalo, where — albeit in a different stadium — the Ravens suffered heartbreaking defeats in the 2024 playoffs and 2025 season opener. The Ravens will be seeking a much-needed victory over the Bills here, who are also being led by a new head coach in Joe Brady. As per usual, slowing down quarterback Josh Allen is main task for the Ravens’ defense and will not be an easy one. The Bills traded for talented wideout D.J. Moore this offseason to be Allen’s new No. 1 wide receiver.

**Week 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 PM**

Another returning AFC playoff team awaits the Ravens the following week. In a Thursday night contest at home, the Ravens will host a Jaguars squad that won 13 games last year. The Jaguars were eliminated in the playoffs by the Bills, so these back-to-back games will be a good measure of where the Ravens stand compared to some of the conference’s better teams. Head coach Liam Cohen reinvigorated quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2025, who is surrounded by a group of talented pass-catchers. They also have high-level players on the defensive front that will test the Ravens’ offensive line unit. The Jaguars should be competing for a division title once again this year.

Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 PM

This might be the most anticipated game on the Ravens’ schedule. It has the allure of a primetime home game on Monday night football, while also marking Jesse Minter facing his former team. To top it off, the Los Angeles Chargers are a well-rounded team that has made the postseason in back-to-back seasons, led by an elite head coach and quarterback duo. Minter should be able gameplan pretty well against Justin Herbert and company. Without Minter, the Chargers’ defense will likely take a step back, but they still have plenty of talented players on that side of the ball. All-Pro safety Derwin James is a one-man wrecking crew that the Ravens will have to gameplan for.

**Week 11: @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM**

Following consecutive primetime games, the Ravens will be back on the road for an early afternoon game in North Carolina. The Panthers were a feel-good story in 2025 and won the NFC South via tiebreaker despite having an 8-9 record and -69 point differential. Whether they can build upon their division title this coming season remains to be seen. QB Bryce Young has developed the past two years but the Ravens should still be able to find some schematic successes against the Panthers’ offense. The Panthers have a few notable names to be aware of on defense but similarly the Ravens have a talent advantage that should permit them to move the ball and score points.

**Week 12: @ Houston Texans, 1:00 PM**

Another week, another matchup versus a 2025 playoff squad. The Ravens will travel to Houston in this game to face arguably the clear-cut best defense in the NFL. The Texans have very few, if any, weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. Lamar Jackson and company will have their hands full, and Declan Doyle will have a tall task of creating an effective game plan to counter the Texans defense. Houston is not as dynamic on offense but quarterback C.J. Stroud is viable to take another step forward in his fourth season. The Texans won 12 games last year and have made the playoffs in three straight seasons.

Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:oo PM

The Ravens will conclude their NFC South slate of opponents in Week 14. Fresh off their bye week, the Ravens will be back home to host the Buccaneers. Last season, the Buccaneers failed to win their division for the first time since 2020 and missed out on the playoffs entirely. Longtime wide receiver Mike Evans departed in free agency, but the Buccaneers’ still have a good group of pass-catchers that will test Baltimore’s pass defense. It will also be a tall task to slow down Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell out of the backfield. Rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who the Ravens passed on at No. 14 overall and was taken one pick later, is a pass-rusher they’ll have to account for.

Week 15: @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:oo PM

It takes until Week 15 for the Ravens to match up with the Steelers in a rematch of last year’s win-or-go-home season finale. This will be the first Ravens vs. Steelers game in nearly two decades without John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin as the head coaches, marking the start of a new chapter in the rivalry. New Steelers’ head coach Mike McCarthy is accomplished and well-known, and the Steelers added a good amount of talent this offseason on both sides of the ball. Once again, their biggest question mark remains at quarterback. If veteran Aaron Rodgers does not re-sign, the Steelers may be rolling out an unproven young signal-caller.

**Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM**

More than two months after their first meeting against the Browns, the Ravens will welcome Monken and his new team back to Baltimore in late December. At this point in the season, the Browns could be playing a familiar role of spoiler, looking to damage the Ravens’ postseason hopes and spot in the standings. It’s still a question mark as to who the Browns’ quarterback will be, especially this late in the year. However, it will be important for the Ravens not to let their guard down against Cleveland in this spot. A loss here would be bad for their divisional record and have playoff implications.

Week 17: @ Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 PM

Five days after their last game, the Ravens will travel to Cincinnati for a high-stakes primetime game on Thursday night. Traveling for a road game on a short week is never an easy task, especially against an AFC North foe. The Ravens have benefited from hosting the Bengals on Thursday night in each of the last two seasons, but this time the script has flipped. The Bengals may be jostling with the Ravens for playoff positioning, and both teams could be viable for the division title still in Week 17. Hopefully, both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow will be healthy and under center for this matchup, which has not always been the case in these teams’ late-season matchups.

**Week 18: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, TBD**

In the season finale, the Ravens will once again play the Steelers just like last year. This time, the Ravens have the benefit of playing at home and can right the wrongs of their crushing defeat in Week 18 of 2025. Also, they’ll be entering this game on a few extra days of rest. Hopefully, the Ravens can be in a position where the result of this game is insignificant, and their postseason spot is already locked up. However, the Ravens will more likely have stakes to play for and need Jackson under center alongside other key starters.