There’s no getting around it: The Ravens’ 2025 schedule could be brutal. With games against eight 2024 playoff teams, plus the usual AFC North nastiness, the Ravens won’t get much of a reprieve this season.

But that doesn’t mean their 18-week slate can’t be fun.

Ahead of the NFL’s schedule release Wednesday night, here’s a reasonable wish list for the Ravens’ 2025 calendar, featuring five prime-time games, a mid-November bye and a potential holiday spectacular.

Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions on ‘Sunday Night Football’ (Sept. 7)

The Eagles aren’t on the Ravens’ schedule, so they won’t be seeing the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1. The Ravens could get Philadelphia’s biggest competition in the NFC, though. The Lions were throttled in their last visit to Baltimore two years ago, but they’ve since bolstered their defense and steadied their offense. A prime-time matchup between Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Detroit defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who should be making his long-awaited return from a broken leg, would be blockbuster stuff. And the Ravens’ defense would get a measuring-stick game against a Lions offense adjusting to life without play-caller Ben Johnson.

Week 2: at Cleveland Browns (Sept. 14)

The Browns ended the 2024 regular season by starting Bailey Zappe at quarterback in Baltimore. Who could the Ravens face eight months later in Cleveland? Joe Flacco? Kenny Pickett? A Dillon Gabriel-Shedeur Sanders platoon? It probably won’t matter, but the Browns have enough talent on defense to put up a fight. That includes Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who hasn’t played since colliding with Ravens running back Derrick Henry at Huntington Bank Field last season.

Week 3: vs. New York Jets (Sept. 21)

The Ravens didn’t see much of quarterback Justin Fields during his one year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they should get a longer look this coming season. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets in March, and he’ll get to play behind a young, talented offensive line. Linebacker C.J. Mosley’s offseason release spoiled any hope of a homecoming game for the former Ravens star, but at least cornerback Brandon Stephens should be back. If Jets coach Aaron Glenn has unlocked his 2023 form — or if the Ravens haven’t found anyone better yet to replace Stephens — the home fans probably won’t be happy.

Week 4: at Buffalo Bills on ‘Monday Night Football’ (Sept. 28)

The Ravens punked Buffalo in Baltimore on “Sunday Night Football” last year. It’s hard to imagine the NFL keeping a rematch between Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen off prime time this year. This will be a game dripping with narrative gold, from Allen’s surprising NFL Most Valuable Player win over Jackson to tight end Mark Andrews’ even more surprising goal-line drop in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the potentially seismic stakes in the AFC’s battle for power.

The schedule sets up well for the Ravens to face Aaron Rodgers’ old team in Week 3 and (possibly) his new team in Week 5.

Week 5: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Oct. 6)

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has long been a fan of Jackson’s, but they’ve never met on the field. When Rodgers came to Baltimore in 2021 with the Green Bay Packers, the Ravens had to start Tyler Huntley at quarterback. Rodgers’ never-ending free agency is expected to end with a Steelers contract, because Pittsburgh desperately needs a quarterback and Rodgers desperately needs a job. After two dominant Ravens wins late last season, it’s not like the rivalry needs any juice. It wouldn’t be surprising to see one of their matchups land a late-afternoon kickoff.

Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears (Oct. 12)

Jackson has played 29 of a potential 31 NFL opponents over his Ravens career. All that’s missing are games against the Green Bay Packers and Bears. An illness sidelined Jackson ahead of a 2021 trip to Soldier Field, but Huntley led the Ravens to a win over a Chicago team that would finish 6-11. The Bears’ sad-sack era could be over with the hiring of Johnson and the expected emergence of quarterback Caleb Williams. Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who’s never played a game against the franchise that drafted him, would probably be delighted to offer a reality check.

Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs (Oct. 19)

The Ravens came within a toenail of a potential road win over the Chiefs in last year’s season opener. Then they came within a goal-line catch of a potential rematch in the AFC championship game. The margin for error against Kansas City is always small, especially at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Ravens have lost three straight games. Jackson is 1-5 against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, including the playoffs. If their latest matchup doesn’t get a prime-time window, expect a late-afternoon time slot.

Week 8: vs. Steelers (Oct. 26)

Running back Derrick Henry turned into a steamroller in the Ravens’ two home wins over Pittsburgh last season, rushing for 162 yards in Week 16 and for 186 yards in the wild-card round. The Steelers found help in the draft, taking defensive lineman Derrick Harmon in the first round. Former Ravens inside linebacker Patrick Queen will appreciate having extra cover in the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense.

Week 9: vs. Browns (Nov. 2)

The last time the Ravens played Cleveland in Baltimore, right tackle Roger Rosengarten left with a win, a viral moment and the promise of a Myles Garrett jersey. After Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension this offseason, they should be seeing a lot of each other for the foreseeable future.

Dolphins players celebrate after intercepting a pass from Lamar Jackson during their game in Miami in 2021.

Week 10: at Miami Dolphins (Nov. 9)

Jackson’s return to Hard Rock Stadium would come almost four years to the day after his infamous 2021 performance, when the Dolphins’ “Cover 0” blitz schemes baffled the Ravens in a 22-10 upset win. Jackson went 26-for-43 for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception and was sacked four times in his native South Florida that night. Now he’s coming off a season in which he routinely destroyed blitzes.

Week 11: at Cincinnati Bengals on ‘Monday Night Football’ (Nov. 17)

The Ravens and Bengals have faced off in prime time in three straight seasons — all in Baltimore. The Ravens won all three, with Jackson going for a combined 873 yards of total offense, seven total touchdowns and one interception. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow wasn’t too shabby, either, going for 765 yards of total offense, seven total touchdowns and one interception despite missing a half because of a wrist injury. Chances are that the 2025 installments of the Ravens-Bengals rivalry won’t be as memorable as the 2024 instant classics were.

Week 12: Bye

The Ravens might be due an early bye week this year. They haven’t gotten a week off before Week 10 in any of the past three seasons.

Week 13: at Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 27)

Even if the Ravens avoid a third straight Christmas Day game, they could be saddled with a Thanksgiving Day showdown. The Packers have played 38 games on the holiday, third most in NFL history, and got the assignment in 2023 and 2024. The Ravens last played at Lambeau Field in 2017, when they left with a shutout win. If Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is still on the team — and healthy enough to play — Jackson could get a long-awaited reunion with his former Louisville teammate. This could also be useful preparation for a road playoff game in frigid conditions.

The Ravens have a chance for a fourth win over the Texans in three seasons.

Week 14: vs. Houston Texans (Dec. 7)

This could be a potential playoff preview but one the Ravens should feel very comfortable with. The teams have met three times over the past two seasons, with the Ravens winning all three games while holding Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to zero passing touchdowns. Their combined margin of victory: a whopping 69 points. If the Ravens’ offense and Houston’s defense reach their potential, they could face off as two of the NFL’s best units.

Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Rams on ‘Sunday Night Football’ (Dec. 14)

The Ravens’ dramatic 2023 overtime win over the Rams was one of the best games of that season. What will they do for an encore in Baltimore? Wide receiver Davante Adams should loom large. His cryptic Instagram story early last season, featuring a photo of Edgar Allan Poe, stirred speculation that the Las Vegas Raiders would trade him to the Ravens. He was ultimately dealt — to the Jets, and he reunited with Rodgers to turn in another 1,000-yard season.

Week 16: vs. New England Patriots (Dec. 21)

Over their final years together, Mike Vrabel’s Titans teams gave the Ravens trouble. Tennessee stunned the Ravens in the 2019 playoffs, then beat them again in Baltimore the next season. Vrabel should bring a physicality to New England that the Patriots have lacked in recent years. Former Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses and first-round draft pick Will Campbell, who could anchor the left side, will be entrusted with keeping talented quarterback Drake Maye upright.

Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings (Dec. 27)

Ravens President Sashi Brown said in March that the team was honored to play on Christmas Day the past two years, but it’s clear the Ravens would prefer not to do it again. The NFL could still get them into an “island game” by having them play on the Saturday after Christmas. The Ravens have played inside the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium just once before, during a 2017 loss, and this year’s rematch could be hugely entertaining. It would be Jackson’s first game against a Brian Flores-coached defense since that 2021 loss to the Dolphins.

Week 18: vs. Bengals (Jan. 4)

Regular-season finales are always divisional matchups, and this one could have huge stakes. The Ravens won the AFC North each of the past two years by just two games. The Bengals’ offense got rolling during the team’s unsuccessful push for the playoffs late last season, and first-year coordinator Al Golden’s defense should be better settled by the end of the year.