The Baltimore Ravens have to rebound in 2026. They just have to. Even after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, the expectations are remain high in Charm City. It’s clear that everyone within and around the organization has playoff aspirations.
Following the release of the 2026 NFL schedule, we can now start paving out that road back to the postseason. Some media outlets have already predicted the Ravens to clinch a playoff berth, and it’s easy to say that, as they appear to have a favorable schedule. However, a lot can change between now and Week 18. The road could get rocky.
With all that in mind, here are our game-by-game predictions for Baltimore’s 2026 season.
Baltimore Ravens 2026 game-by-game and record predictions
Week 1: at Indianapolis Colts
The Ravens start the Jesse Minter era on the road, but that shouldn’t stop them from kicking things off on the right foot. After a very strong offseason, Baltimore’s roster is uber-talented and looks to be better than what the Indianapolis Colts will be running out there. It’s also expected to be Daniel Jones’ first game back from an Achilles tear, and the Ravens' defense should feast.
Prediction: WIN (1-0)
Week 2: vs. New Orleans Saints
Baltimore’s home opener should be a very winnable game. The Bank will be as loud as ever, and with an intriguing, but young, New Orleans Saints team coming to town, the home crowd will play a huge part in this one. If the likes of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry aren’t enough to seal the deal, the fans will likely be enough to swing the pendulum in their team's favor.
Prediction: WIN (2-0)
Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
This one’s going to be tough. Minter’s going to have to iron out the kinks early, and after seeing what the defense looked like last year, there’s A LOT to fix. There’s no doubt that the Ravens’ offense can run the score up on the Dallas Cowboys’ defense, but can they keep up with their offense? That’ll be the pivotal question, and until we see the defense can get stops when it matters most, I’ll have to chalk this one up as a loss.
Prediction: LOSS (2-1)
Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans
After what should be a competitive game in Rio, the Ravens head back home to face one of the worst teams in the NFL from last year. The Tennessee Titans are building a unit that people need to keep an eye on, but they’re simply not on Baltimore’s level yet. Not even close. It should be a blowout win.
Prediction: WIN (3-1)
Week 5: at Atlanta Falcons
The new era in Charm City gets its first taste of primetime in Week 5. They battle the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, and with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford in the building now, he might hold the keys to pulling out the victory. All eyes will be on the running back duel between Derrick Henry and Bijan Robinson, and Henry helps his team get the upper hand here. It could be very close, though. Don’t sleep on Atlanta.
Prediction: WIN (4-1)
Week 6: at Cleveland Browns
Now, it’s time for Minter to get his first taste of AFC North competition. The Baltimore/Cleveland rivalry comes first, and despite the Browns’ offensive incompetence, their defense is simply elite. Like always, it’ll be a tough task to solve their defense, but I really don’t see the Browns offense scoring more than 14 points on a Minter-coached defense. He should pass this test with flying colors.
Prediction: WIN (5-1)
Week 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
A 5-1 start would be absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, it starts getting tough here, and the Cincinnati Bengals have a good shot of getting the better of the new-look Ravens in the first half of the season. When you have an easy schedule to start out, games like these could sneak up on a team, and this very well may end up being a wake-up call for Baltimore.
Prediction: LOSS (5-2)
Week 8: at Buffalo Bills
Week 8 has one of the best games of the entire season between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. After the catastrophic loss last year, every player on the Ravens roster will be approaching this with extra motivation. However, Buffalo’s home crowd might be the deciding factor here. Lamar Jackson is also just 1-3 on the road against the Bills.
Prediction: LOSS (5-3)
Week 9: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
This is a get-right game for the Ravens. The Jacksonville Jaguars are considered one of the better teams in the AFC, but they’re coming into Baltimore’s house on Thursday Night Football. Lamar Jackson rarely loses in primetime at M&T Bank Stadium, and this is the perfect opportunity to get back on track after a two-game losing streak.
Prediction: WIN (6-3)
Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Jesse Minter vs. Jim Harbaugh. Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers carries a bit more weight for Minter, as he goes head-to-head against his former team. There’s no bad blood there at all, but both sides will probably be looking to make a statement against the other. Minter could hold the answers not only to stopping Justin Herbert, but also to exposing the defense he once coached. He knows their weaknesses, and that should pay off.
Prediction: WIN (7-3)
Week 11: at Carolina Panthers
I’ll be honest, this one feels like a bit of a trap game. The matchup with the Carolina Panthers is yet another game in a long stretch of battles with playoff teams from 2025. The Panthers are the weak link of the bunch, but make no mistake about it, they have a good bit of talent, and their defense improved after a strong offseason. …with all that being said, Lamar Jackson rarely loses to NFC teams. This should be a dub. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Prediction: WIN (8-3)
Week 12: at Houston Texas
This is another game where the Ravens could be looking for revenge. The defense was flat-out embarrassed against the Houston Texans last year, and that won’t happen again. The offense could be the bigger concern here. Houston’s defense has a case for the best in the league, and I think they’ll stop Baltimore in their tracks after a grueling stretch.
Prediction: LOSS (8-4)
Week 13: BYE
This is the perfect spot for this year’s bye week, which is a win in itself.
Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Ravens will be coming off the bye week with fire in their eyes. They head down the final stretch of the season with five games to go and four AFC North matchups awaiting them. They’ll need every win possible to get the leg up on their division rivals. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the victims of an angry and rejuvenated Baltimore team.
Prediction: WIN (9-4)
Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers
I said the Ravens would already be playing angry at this point in the year, but this contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers should make them even angrier. Seeing the black and gold team that ended their season last year should unlock another level of energy in Minter’s guys, and they’ll do everything in their power to ensure they don’t lose again.
Prediction: WIN (10-4)
Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 16 could be the closer of Baltimore's two games against Cleveland. After what should be a very, very physical game against the Steelers, they could be walking into this one just slightly gassed. Still, that won’t be enough for the Browns to pull off an upset. There’s just too much uncertainty on the other side of the ball.
Prediction: WIN (11-4)
Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengals
Time to even the series with the Bengals. This one’s on Thursday Night Football in The Jungle. Joe Burrow commented on Cincinnati's lack of home primetime games against the Ravens last year, and he got his wish for 2026. Lamar Jackson just has Burrow’s number, though, and he’ll be out to prove he doesn’t need a home crowd to take down his AFC North counterpart. That Bengals defense is better, but still miles behind.
Prediction: WIN (12-4)
Week 18: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Drawing the Steelers in Week 18 is all too familiar for the Ravens, and likely has them feeling deja vu. Fortunately, in this scenario, they’re sitting at 12-4 and have already locked up a playoff spot. There won’t be much of a need to play the starters by this time of year, and they’ll give their guys some much-needed rest. Pittsburgh pulls out the W, but Baltimore heads to the playoffs.
Prediction: LOSS (12-5)
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