In 2014 the Ravens longest road trip was to Houston, which by air is 1,273 miles from Baltimore. In total the team logged a modest 11,244 miles in the sky.
2015 will be a bit different.
The Ravens will travel to four cities that are further from Baltimore than Houston – those cities being Denver, Phoenix, Oakland and San Francisco and they will nearly double those frequent flier miles when they travel a total of 20,748 miles.
Those trips out west can be taxing. They disrupt the pacing during the week of preparation leading up to a game and they can put a team at a disadvantage.
Since John Harbaugh arrived in 2008 the Ravens have made just 7 trips out to the Mountain or Pacific Time zones. During those 7 games the Ravens are 4-3, averaging 26.5 points during wins and giving up on average 35 points in losing efforts.
Three games have been in San Diego where they are 2-1 and 2 have been in Denver, including the Mile High Miracle. There the Ravens are 1-1. The other games have included a loss in Seattle and a win in Oakland sparked by the unforgettable stiff arm from Willis McGahee in route to a 77-yard TD run.
Speaking of Oakland, the Ravens have asked the league to consider scheduling them for back-to-back appearances in the Bay Area against the Raiders and 49ers. The request makes sense and it would knock off nearly 5,000 air miles from their healthy travel schedule.
It will be interesting to see if the league makes the concession, particularly after the Ray Rice debacle.
But at the end of the day, there’s little doubt that John Harbaugh is planning on no less than two trips to the Bay Area.
After all, the sight of Super Bowl 50 is none other than Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
