Some opponents the Ravens will face next season are making big offseason news.
The 2021 schedule seems more intriguing with each passing week. Here are Baltimore's opponents for next season:
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Here are five 2021 Ravens opponents who have made significant moves this offseason.
Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford Traded
Longtime franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford has been dealt to the Los Angeles Rams, in return for quarterback Jared Goff and three draft picks. Not only is Goff the new quarterback in Detroit, the Lions have a new general manager (Brad Holmes) and new head coach (Dan Campbell). Stafford requested a trade because he didn't want to start over again in Detroit.
"Anytime you switch GM's and a head coach, you know that they're going to want to bring their own people in, and that's going to take time," Stafford said via the Detroit Free Press. "And I, frankly, didn't feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time."
The Ravens will visit Detroit for the first time since 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Big Ben, Steelers Pondering Future Together
Ben Roethlisberger wants to play another season in Pittsburgh, but as of the weekend his contract talks with the Steelers remained unresolved. Roethlisberger has a reported $41.2 million salary cap hit for next season, and Steelers Owner Art Rooney II has said the veteran quarterback cannot return under those terms.
The Ravens have faced Roethlisberger 28 times, including regular season and playoffs, and the 38-year-old quarterback has a 17-11 advantage in those matchups. Roethlisberger played his first game against Baltimore as a rookie in 2004, and it remains to be seen if his role in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry will continue.
Kansas City Chiefs: Mahomes Faces Recovery From Foot Surgery
After the Chiefs were dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent successful foot surgery Feb. 10 to repair a torn plantar plate, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Mahomes is expected to recover in ample time for Week 1, but his offseason training will be interrupted. The Chiefs have won back-to-back AFC championships, but being defeated soundly in the Super Bowl took away some of their aura. The Chiefs are on the Ravens' schedule for the fourth straight year, and Baltimore will get another crack at Mahomes who is 3-0 against the Ravens.
Los Angeles Chargers: Young Gun Quarterback Gets New Head Coach
The Chargers have a new head coach in 38-year-old Brandon Staley, who was the Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator last season. Staley has a promising young quarterback to work with in Justin Herbert, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who threw for 31 touchdowns and the most completions ever (396) by a rookie quarterback.
Herbert says he won't be fazed learning a new system under new Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi.
"It would be great to have one playbook throughout your career but it's not going to always happen like that," Herbert said via The Associated Press. "Hopefully this is the last change I'll go through."
The 22-year-old Herbert, who is two years younger than Lamar Jackson, will face the Ravens for the first time.
Indianapolis Colts: Who's Their Next Starting Quarterback?
The retirement of Philip Rivers has the Indianapolis Colts shopping for a starting quarterback. Will they trade for Carson Wentz or head in another direction? Deshaun Watson reportedly wants to leave the Houston Texans, but would they trade Watson to a rival team in the AFC South? Other quarterbacks that have been mentioned in trade rumors with the Colts include Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr and Sam Darnold.
Indianapolis has the 21st pick in the draft, too late to get one of the top quarterback prospects. In 2020, the Ravens defeated the Colts and Rivers in Week 9, 24-10, in Indianapolis. Until the Colts make a decision, it remains unclear who their starting quarterback will be when they face the Ravens in 2021.
