Start planning your road trips, Ravens fans, because the 2016 schedule is out.
Coming off a 5-11 season, the Ravens only have two primetime games: one in Week 10's Thursday Night Football slot against the Browns and the other in Week 14 in New England. That's a sharp decline from last year's five-game primetime slate.
Baltimore will, however, play on Christmas Day. It's the first time since 2005 that the Ravens will play on Christmas. That year, Baltimore was one of just two games slated on Sunday, and the Ravens beat the Vikings at M&T Bank Stadium in primetime.
Another drastic change from last year is the level of difficulty at the start.
The Ravens will face just one 2015 playoff team in their first seven games. Last year, Baltimore faced three eventual postseason opponents in the first four games and four in the first seven contests. Plus, five of the first seven games were on the road.
This year's first seven games will be against opponents with a combined record of 48-64 last season.
Five of the Ravens' six AFC North games are in the second half of the season, giving star players recovering from last year's injuries, such as quarterback Joe Flacco (knee), wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. (Achilles) and linebacker Terrell Suggs (Achilles), more time to get their legs back under them.
Baltimore has its bye the week before facing off against the Steelers at 1 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium. But the Ravens will have short rest after that black and blue affair before playing Cleveland at home on Thursday Night Football.
The Ravens will have a tough final stretch with four games against playoff opponents in their last six games, including road trips to New England, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
The Ravens end with their two toughest rivals in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in Weeks 16 and 17. The Ravens will travel to Cincinnati for the regular-season finale for the fifth time in the past six years. The Ravens will have to be at their best at the end of the season.
| 2016 SCHEDULE | [
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| WEEK 1 | Sun., Sept. 11 | vs. Bills | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 2 | Sun., Sept. 18 | at Browns | FirstEnergy Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 3 | Sun., Sept. 25 | at Jaguars | EverBank Field | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 4 | Sun., Oct. 2 | vs. Raiders | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 5 | Sun., Oct. 9 | vs. Redskins | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 6 | Sun., Oct. 16 | at Giants | MetLife Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 7 | Sun., Oct. 23 | at Jets | MetLife Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 8 | BYE | |||
| WEEK 9 | Sun., Nov. 6 | vs. Steelers | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 10 | Thu., Nov. 10 | vs. Browns | M&T Bank Stadium | 8:25 pm ET |
| WEEK 11 | Sun., Nov. 20 | at Cowboys | AT&T Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 12 | Sun., Nov. 27 | vs. Bengals | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 13 | Sun., Dec. 4 | vs. Dolphins | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 14 | Mon., Dec. 12 | at Patriots | Gillette Stadium | 8:30 pm ET |
| WEEK 15 | Sun., Dec. 18 | vs. Eagles | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 pm ET |
| WEEK 16 | Sun., Dec. 25 | at Steelers | Heinz Field | 4:30 pm ET |
| WEEK 17 | Sun., Jan. 1 | at Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 pm ET* |
Flexible time schedule
Baltimore's four preseason times and dates are now also locked into place.
- Thursday, August 11 vs Panthers at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, August 20 vs Colts at 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, August 27 vs Lions at 7:00 p.m.
- Thursday, September 1 vs Saints at 8:00 p.m.
