2013 Baltimore Ravens Schedule: Game-by-Game Predictions, Info & Analysis

With Thursday's release of the 2013 NFL schedule, it seemed like a good time to make a few early predictions on what reigning Super Bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens might manage to accomplish. 

The Ravens have followed up that Super Bowl win by making many roster changes—both subtractions and additions—that have made them a very different team than the one that brought home the Lombardi trophy just a few months ago.

Though more changes are coming, via this month's draft, and all manner of things will reorder themselves between now and the season's start, let's take an early look at Baltimore's opponents and see how they'll fare.

Week 1: Ravens at Denver Broncos

Kickoff Time: 8:30 PM Eastern (Season Kickoff, NBC)

The Baltimore Ravens saw the Denver Broncos twice in 2012—first in the regular season and again in the playoffs. The latter game was the most captivating, with the Ravens defeating Denver in double-overtime in order to reach the AFC championship game, but both provide a useful illustrations about what may happen when the two meet in the 2013 season opener.

In both matchups, the Broncos were able to rush for well over 100 yards on the Ravens, while Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw four touchdowns to two interceptions. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had over 250 passing yards both times and Baltimore's run game was far more effective in the playoff contest than in the regular-season loss.

This year, the Broncos won't likely be as successful running the ball, while Manning's effectiveness as a passer will be further tested by his former teammate, Elvis Dumervil, helping bring Baltimore's defensive pressure. 

The Ravens have the unfortunate pleasure of facing every single one of the AFC's strongest teams in 2013, but this tough schedule should only serve to make them stronger, especially considering they're taking on the Broncos to kickoff the year. This is the best time for the Ravens to get a win over Denver—it's where last season's momentum meets this year's need for Baltimore to prove itself. They'll get the victory in a close game.

Prediction: Ravens, 34-31

Week 2: Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

Surprisingly enough, the Cleveland Browns managed to hang in there in their two meetings with the Baltimore Ravens last season. Though they lost both games, with the Ravens first winning by seven points in Week 3 and 10 in Week 9, those games serve as a reminder that the Ravens cannot underestimate the Browns—especially not this year, after all of the positive changes the Browns have made in staff and roster alike.

Still, the Ravens are the Super Bowl champions and perform extraordinarily well on their home turf. Though the Browns will likely be able to put up a fight yet again, the Ravens have experience and confidence on their side. This is going to turn into a shootout between Joe Flacco and Brandon Weeden, and the Ravens will win it.

Prediction: Ravens, 31-25

Week 3: Ravens vs. Houston Texans

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

Former Ravens safety Ed Reed returns to Baltimore with the visiting Houston Texans this year, and while he may be somewhat of an upgrade to what the Texans were previously fielding in the secondary, it will take more than just a strong performance out of Reed to earn Houston a victory.

If the Texans cannot find a receiver to effectively pair up with Andre Johnson, quarterback Matt Schaub is going to struggle to pass the ball. Johnson will be well-covered, leaving just the Arian Foster-led Texans run game to gain them yards. 

While Baltimore's run defense struggled in this task last season—they allowed 181 total rushing yards in Week 7, with 98 belonging to Foster in the eventual Ravens loss—this year's defense will be better-prepared to make key stops. This is a younger, faster and more physical defense now that they've shaved a few years off the roster, and the Ravens will get the upper hand as a result.

Prediction: Ravens, 30-13

Week 4: Ravens at Buffalo Bills

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

The Buffalo Bills are the kind of work-in-progress team the Baltimore Ravens eat for breakfast. Though there are some dangerous weapons on the Bills' roster, such as running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Stevie Johnson, their uncertainty at quarterback, their disappointing defensive front and the new coaching staff all seem to indicate that the Bills are still traveling a rocky road that won't smooth for a while.

As long as the Ravens don't head into contests with teams like the Bills—who are leaps and bounds below where the Ravens stand, in terms of talent and proven ability—with overconfidence, they should be able to do their jobs well and leave town with a win. This is a complete mismatch that favors the Ravens in every way.

Prediction: Ravens, 31-14

Week 5: Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

The Miami Dolphins are yet another team the Baltimore Ravens will face this season that is still searching to find its groove. While they made a number of bigger-name free agency additions, including wide receiver Mike Wallace (with whom the Ravens are intimately familiar) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (ditto, for he was most recently a Raven), the moves seem to be a way to spend money but not necessarily build a playoff-caliber team.

The Dolphins can be a tricky bunch, however. Their defense seems best-suited to disrupting the rhythms of quarterbacks who shake a bit under pressure, so Joe Flacco will have to remain both confident and protected. The presence of Wallace certainly makes second-year Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill primed for some sort of improvement. The Ravens cannot let their guard down on the road against Miami.

The road is a hard place to win, especially for the Ravens who are far more comfortable on their home turf. As such, the Dolphins will likely put up more of a fight than they would had they been the visitors. However, the Ravens are stronger, and the stronger team should thus win.

Prediction: Ravens, 21-17

Week 6: Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

The Green Bay Packers will present a major test to the Baltimore Ravens' new-look secondary. If they can effectively contain Aaron Rodgers' passing game, it will be a sure-thing Ravens win; if they do not, however, then the Ravens will find themselves on the losing end of a blowout or shootout.

The Ravens are one of the better teams in the league, however it's rare that they face such a high-powered passing offense as the one the Packers possess. There are ways to stop it, however—pressure on Rodgers, for example, is highly effective. But if they cannot get pressure on Rodgers, or if he can respond to it, then the responsibility will fall on Joe Flacco and the rest of the Ravens offense to keep up the pace.

Flacco showed in the 2012 postseason that he can certainly carry the team on his back. However, in a lower-stakes situation, he may not rise to the occasion in the same way. Flacco, for all his strong performances and his elite-level payday still exhibits inconsistency far more often than Rodgers, and for that reason, the Packers are my pick to win this game.

Prediction: Packers, 38-24

Week 7: Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Kickoff Time: 4:25 PM Eastern

While this Baltimore Ravens team might not be chock-full of the players that made the franchise one of the NFL's most dominant in recent years, the same can be said for their biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, as noted many times, the Steelers' roster rework appears to have left them far weaker than they were in their 2012 8-8 season than the Ravens' retool left them.

The Steelers are leaking blood into the water and the Ravens are the hungry sharks ready to take advantage.

Pittsburgh's offense, in particular, is in the worst shape. That means they'll again need to rely on their defense to carry the day, in an attempt to keep Baltimore from running away to the point where they cannot catch up.

The Steelers can do this, to a degree. However, it only takes a touchdown for the Ravens to win, and that's the blueprint for a Baltimore victory when the Steelers try to force a defensive-minded contest.

Prediction: Ravens, 7-6

Week 9: Ravens at Cleveland Browns

Kickoff Time: 4:25 PM Eastern

Being underestimated might be the Cleveland Browns' secret weapon this season, which should make them particularly dangerous—especially to visiting powerhouses like the Baltimore Ravens. 

There's nothing quite as frustrating as being caught off guard by a so-called lesser divisional rival, but that's just what could happen when the Ravens take on the Browns on the road this season.

Quietly, the Browns are building a defense that should rival Baltimore's in its heyday and if their quarterback, Brandon Weeden, can make the required improvements out of a second-year passer, the Browns could shock the world and defeat the post-bye week Ravens in a low-scoring game.

Prediction: Browns, 17-13

Week 10: Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

Though the Pittsburgh Steelers are the Baltimore Ravens' biggest AFC North rival, the Cincinnati Bengals are on the verge of being their most pesky one. After years of inconsistent returns, the Bengals have put forth enough wins over the past two seasons to reach the playoffs each time and every draft haul seems to be better than the last.

The Ravens, however, haven't weakened though they certainly have changed. One thing that isn't likely to change much this year is their performance at home—they have just two home losses over the past two seasons—which gives them the edge over the Bengals in this contest, though they are on-paper very well-matched teams.

Prediction: Ravens, 17-10

Week 11: Ravens at Chicago Bears

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

If the Chicago Bears can revive their pass rush and keep quarterback Jay Cutler protected this year, they'll finally be a force to be reckoned with—as well as quite the challenging road opponent for the Baltimore Ravens.

Even if the Bears can manage those improvements, if the Ravens can neutralize them, then it shouldn't be hard to pick up the road win. However, the Bears don't lack offensive weapons and, with Brian Urlacher off the roster, should be a much faster defense. 

The Ravens and Bears are very well-matched teams that have a lot of things in common, from their quarterbacks' styles, to their deep-threat receivers, from a solid running game to an historically-vaunted defense. The Bears can catch the Ravens in this matchup; on paper, however, and this far out from the game, I'm more comfortable saying the Ravens win the close one.

Prediction: Ravens, 23-20 

Week 12: Ravens vs. New York Jets

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

It's hard to believe that just two years ago, the New York Jets were in the AFC championship game. In the time since, they have gone from a struggling team to a punchline, and it doesn't seem like this offseason will be enough to pull them out from the hole they have dug themselves.

Sure, upsets happen every week in the NFL, so it's not impossible to imagine that the Ravens could somehow fall to the Jets this season. However, comparing the two teams' rosters from top to bottom, it's much harder to imagine, at this early moment, that the Jets could somehow best the defending Super Bowl champions. 

Mark Sanchez is not an analog for Joe Flacco; the Jets' defense has more holes than the Ravens' and are far less likely to fill them; Baltimore's run game has the benefit of two dynamic rusher while the Jets have... Mike Goodson. This should be painful for the Jets.

Prediction: Ravens, 27-10

Week 13: Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Kickoff Time: 8:30 PM Eastern (Sunday Night Football, NBC)

The Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers rivalry is one of the best in the NFL, but this year, it will be a little bit different. Both the Steelers and the Ravens have undergone offseason transformations—the Ravens' for the better and the Steelers', at least at this point, for the worse. 

While the rivalry may have the same on-field tenacity—especially on the national stage—the outcome should be a bit more simple to predict this year. The Ravens are getting stronger, the Steelers weaker, and the result should be a Baltimore win.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is running out of weapons to throw to, their defense is more of a question mark than ever and their run game is also still unfinished. The Ravens shouldn't have too much trouble dispatching their most loathed opponent.

Prediction: Ravens, 30-20

Week 14: Ravens vs. Minnesota Vikings

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

The Minnesota Vikings were a surprise Wild Card entrant in last season's playoffs, indicating that for all the things they may have done wrong or all that they are lacking on the roster, they can still manage enough wins to cause trouble for teams as proven as the Baltimore Ravens.

On the other hand, however, the loss of Percy Harvin in the offseason reduces the multidimensionality of the Vikings' offense. Sure, they added wide receiver Greg Jennings, but he's not the Swiss Army Knife that Harvin was for the team. This is a major prove-it year for Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder, but if he's going to look good—against the Ravens or anyone else—he'll need running back Adrian Peterson to have a big day.

Peterson could spell a lot of trouble for the Ravens. However, all the yards in the world don't matter if they don't result in touchdowns, or if the opposing offense simply puts up more points. Peterson should have a good day—because he usually does—but it shouldn't be enough to outperform the entire Ravens roster.

Prediction: Ravens, 21-17

Week 15: Ravens at Detroit Lions

Kickoff Time: 8:40 PM Eastern (Monday Night Football, ESPN)

The Detroit Lions can be a very sneaky-dangerous team—even if the danger they sometimes pose is to themselves. Unpredictable in all the wrong ways, the Ravens could find themselves facing a brutal pass rush paired with one of the best passing offenses in the league, or an error-prone, undisciplined squad that couldn't football itself out of a paper bag.

This could leave the Ravens prone to underestimating the Lions, which certainly gives the home team an advantage. But sometimes, that underestimation is simply accurate. Regardless, it would be better for the Ravens to approach the Lions as the team with the deafening home crowd and unstoppable-seeming receiver. 

The Lions added another dimension to their offense this offseason by bringing on running back Reggie Bush, who is likely to be used in more ways than just a ball carrier. The Ravens defense will have to neutralize Bush's contributions and keep the ball out of Calvin Johnson's hands—or better yet, confound quarterback Matthew Stafford so it never gets there at all. 

These are all things the Ravens can do, while at the same time crafting drive after scoring drive when the ball is in Joe Flacco's hands. The Lions are a wild-card opponent, to be sure, but even at their best they aren't too much for the Ravens to handle.

Prediction: Ravens, 24-20

Week 16: Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Kickoff Time: 8:30 PM Eastern (Sunday Night Football, NBC)

Just like the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Ravens met the New England Patriots twice in 2012, first in Week 3 in an attempt to (somewhat) avenge their loss to the Patriots in the previous season's AFC championship game and then again, later on, in the conference championship. Both times, the Ravens won.

Now, it will be the Patriots looking for revenge. 

Though both the Ravens and Patriots have made offseason moves that have altered certain aspects of their game, the Ravens are still mighty familiar with this iteration of the Patriots. New England, on the other hand, will be taking on a very different-looking Ravens team, which is yet another advantage for Baltimore.

The first meeting between these two teams last year resulted in a mere one-point victory for Baltimore, while the playoff contest was a blowout. Expect this one to be more like their first 2012 game rather than the second.

Prediction: Ravens, 28-27

Week 17: Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

Kickoff Time: 1:00 PM Eastern

The Baltimore Ravens' toughest divisional opponent this year looks to be not the Pittsburgh Steelers but the Cincinnati Bengals, who have put forth winning records in their last two seasons and earned playoff berths as a result. 

On a remarkable clip, the Bengals have amassed players on both offense and defense that has given them one of the most explosive passing attacks in the league (when quarterback Andy Dalton is well-protected and confident, at least) and one of the better pass rushes as well.

They're just a running back, a safety and a linebacker away from being the most well-balanced team in the league and there's little doubt they can add these players in the upcoming draft. And when they do, they'll be gunning for the Ravens and their seat atop the AFC North.

At home, the Ravens are a force; on the road, they're a bit less intimidating. Combine that with an opponent as formidable as the Bengals and the stage is set for a Baltimore loss, in a game that could very well decide who is the AFC North's top team.

Prediction: Bengals, 17-14