Ravens 2025 NFL Schedule Released for Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry's Super Bowl Push

Expectations are once again sky high for the Baltimore Ravens as they prepare for the 2025 season coming off back-to-back AFC North titles.

Boasting arguably the best quarterback-running back duo in the NFL with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, the Ravens were close to unstoppable for most of last season before a heartbreaking loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.

The Super Bowl has been within reach for Baltimore in each of the past two seasons, only to have that dream snatched away in devastating fashion. This roster is once again set up to reach the top of the mountain.

Analysis

Playing in a division that had three teams finish with a winning record immediately makes for rough sledding, even if you are the club that won the division last season.

There are reasons to believe that all three teams behind the Ravens in the AFC North will be better in 2025. It would be hard for the Cleveland Browns to be worse after finishing 3-14 last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers never win fewer than eight games under head coach Mike Tomlin, even with constant questions about the quarterback position.

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to bring Tee Higgins back, brought in Al Golden as defensive coordinator and added high-upside edge rusher Shemar Stewart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

When you look outside of their six divisional games, the Ravens' list of opponents includes the Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC North that had three playoff teams in 2024 plus a Chicago Bears team that might be everyone's favorite sleeper in the NFC this year.

Nine of Baltimore's 17 games this year are against teams that made the postseason last year.

Pivotal Matchups

The three teams that are the standard-bearers in the AFC are the Ravens, Chiefs and Bills. Kansas City is ahead of both teams with three consecutive appearances in the Super Bowl, including a victory over Baltimore in the 2023 AFC Championship Game.

Baltimore split two head-to-head meetings with those teams in the 2024 regular season. The Chiefs won 27-20 in the season opener when Isaiah Likely's potential game-tying touchdown catch was ruled incomplete when his toe hit landed out of bounds.

The Ravens destroyed Buffalo 35-10 with 427 yards of total offense, including 199 rushing yards from Henry. The Bills got revenge in the playoffs, holding on for a 27-25 win when Mark Andrews dropped the game-tying two-point conversion with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Another key game that will show where the Ravens rank in the overall NFL hierarchy is their showdown with the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium. They last met during the 2023 season when the Lions were ascending, but Baltimore had no problem in a 38-6 win.

These three teams all figure to be in the mix to reach the Super Bowl this season. How the Ravens fare in those games will help to determine their ultimate ceiling when looking ahead to January.