The Baltimore Ravens’ 2020 schedule was released. While we’ve known who the Ravens would play this season, the order was still up in the air and could dramatically change the difficulty of some matchups. But with the schedule released, some games look to be even easier than previously thought.
While Baltimore has more than a few really tough matchups to be concerned about, the easiest strength-of-schedule in the NFL will see the Ravens face off against some cans as well. These three games should be the easiest of the bunch for Baltimore.
Check out game-by-game score predictions from around the NFL Wires network:
Buf / Mia / NE / NYJ // Bal / Cin / Cle / Pit // Hou / Ind / Jax / Ten // Den / KC / LV / LAC //// Dal / NYG / Phi / Was // Chi / Det / GB / Min // Atl / Car / NO / TB // Ari / LAR / SF / Sea
Week 5 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
All the talk is rightfully focused on the Bengals’ first-round pick and new franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. Many pundits think Cincinnati is primed for a quick turnaround this season and could be a legitimate threat with Burrow under center.
But it’s not like Andy Dalton was a terrible quarterback before Burrow came to town and the Bengals weren’t consistently competitive in the AFC North before this draft. Nearly all rookie quarterbacks struggle upon getting into the league, including greats like Peyton Manning. Week 5 will be Burrow’s first serious test and welcoming into the NFL by a great defense and the Ravens have often made rookie passers look especially terrible.
An early home game against a division opponent with a rookie quarterback and limited talent on both sides of the ball should give Baltimore a massive edge in this game.
Week 15 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars must have their eyes on the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft because they’re sure doing everything possible to gut the top of their roster. They’ve either traded away or outright cut some of their best players over the last year and they might not even be done with running back Leonard Fournette on the trading block.
With the potential for all their top players to be in different jerseys in 2020, Jacksonville should be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. On the other side is Baltimore, which has one of the most talented rosters in the league and is expected to be a contender for Super Bowl LV. That disparity in talent alone should be enough for the Ravens to dispatch the Jaguars with ease.
Week 16 vs. New York Giants
I actually think the Giants are a much more talented team than many other pundits. They have a good quarterback and running back combination and are clearly building up the other parts of their roster. But this late in the season, if New York isn’t actively fighting for a playoff spot, they could just as easily lay down for Baltimore.
The Ravens will be coming off an easy matchup in the Jaguars while the Giants will be coming off a much tougher game against the Cleveland Browns. As we saw last year, Baltimore is likely to be fighting for a No. 1 seed at this point in the season and New York would be the perfect team to beat up on to not only tune up for the postseason but to secure a first-round bye.
.jpg?w=600)
