Ravens’ toughest stretch of the 2022 season may be toward the end
By Kristen Wong
The Baltimore Ravens’ schedule was just released tonight, and it’d be a stretch to say the league did the Ravens dirty.
There’s no easy path to winning the AFC North in 2022, but Baltimore seems to have a fair slate of games on paper, at the very least.
The Ravens will be up against the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals early in the season, which is a challenge in itself. Bill Belichick always manages to field a competitive team while Josh Allen’s Bills and Joe Burrow’s Bengals boast two of the best offenses in the league.
But we think Baltimore’s most difficult stretch will be toward the end of the season from Week 14 onward.
In Week 14 and Week 15, the Ravens face two AFC North opponents on the road: the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
The Ravens then have two home games against the Atlanta Falcons and Steelers before facing the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular-season finale.
Of course, the Ravens will end the season on the road in Cincinnati because... of course.
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 13, 2022
Under John Harbaugh, this is the 9th time Ravens will play the Bengals in a regular-season finale, including the 7th time in Cincy.
The Ravens will have to prove their resilience all season long in 2022
Fans will remember the excruciating pain of missing the 2021 postseason due to a string of losses late last year. In total, the team went 1-5 against the AFC North last season including one particularly humiliating defeat to the Bengals.
It’s common knowledge that the last stretch of the season will make or break teams’ playoff hopes. It’s especially true for the Ravens who suffered a devastating injury plague in 2021 — this time around, it’ll feel like an arduous marathon for recently injured players to stay healthy all season long.
This marks the third straight year that the Ravens will play three AFC North road games in December and January, and their games against the Browns and Bengals, in particular, could prove the toughest of them all.
What will the Browns look like with an offense led by the infamous Deshaun Watson? Will Joe Burrow and his deadly weapons tear apart the Ravens’ elite secondary?
Next. 3 Ravens playing with a chip on their shoulder after the 2022 NFL Draft. dark
There are more questions than answers about the AFC North at this point, but based on the Ravens’ 2022 schedule, an old adage rings true: slow and steady wins the race.