Ok, let’s get this out of the way right away.
The Ravens 2015 schedule sucks!
It sucks for the fans and more importantly it sucks for the team.
Fans will have just one home game in each of September and October and both are against very familiar and therefore very boring divisional opponents – the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns.
Five of the first seven games are on the road and four of those games are against west coast opponents.
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 during the 2014 campaign. Comparatively speaking during the first 43 days alone of the 2015 season the Ravens will travel 17,316 miles by air.
Now it’s possible that the team may stay out west between their back-to-back away games against the Broncos and Raiders to start the season and/or between their back-to-back away games in October against the 49ers and the Cardinals. But even if they do cut back on their Rapid Rewards Points and camp out at some local high school or college, clearly there will be major organizational adjustments that will undoubtedly be distractions during the week of preparation leading up to the next game.
Within those first four games is a Thursday night trip to Pittsburgh, a decided disadvantage against a bitter divisional rival – a game during which the Steelers will be honoring Western Pennsylvania’s most celebrated troll, Troy Polamalu while welcoming the return of Le’Veon Bell to the lineup, fresh off a 3-game suspension for toking the peace pipe and driving under the influence.
Adding to the misery, the Ravens will be forced to tackle two Monday night road games, the second of which (in Cleveland on November 30) is followed by another road game in Miami (December 6).
It’s a brutal schedule!
Now I’m not among the conspiracy theorists who believe that Roger Goodell and the NFL has it in for the Ravens. That’s just sophomoric. Both have better things to do with their time, don’t they?
But that said, if the league did want to put the screws to the Ravens 2015 season, this is the schedule that would do it – one that might even keep the most vindictive Steelers fan awake at night.
How do you sleep Roger Goodell?
What a sloppy, careless effort from the league’s schedule makers.
At this point, there’s obviously little that can be done.
It is what it is.
The Ravens will need to embrace their postseason road warrior mentality through October in order to be in the mix for another spot on the playoff dance card come January. By the time they see the Chargers at M&T on November 1, a (4-3) record should be considered an ambitious achievement.
And should they get there, with 6 of their last 9 games being played on Russell Street when they will travel just 3,432 miles over the course of final 64 days of the regular season, the schedule could work in their favor.
The team’s bye is on November 8 and they will enjoy two 3-game home stands, one in November and another in December.
Conversely the Steelers play 6 of the first 10 at home and they host the 49ers, Cardinals, Raiders and Broncos instead of traveling to play those teams like the Ravens.
That dubious initial 7-game stretch will be key for John Harbaugh & Co. The Ravens will need to strap on that shoulder chip that they’ve proudly worn in the past and break out the “us against the world” mantra that fits the team’s identity like a finely tailored suit.
Harbaugh regularly defers when he wins the coin toss prior to games in order to gain an advantage in the second half.
This season the schedule seems like one mega-deferral.
Let’s hope the Ravens hold serve after 7 games.
Otherwise, if conspiracy theories learn to fly M&T Bank Stadium will become an airport.
[cardoza_wp_poll id=”1332″]
