The Ravens will be the first team in NFL history to play a Christmas game on the road in back-to-back seasons.
In an unusual schedule featuring six non-Sunday games (two more than the Ravens have ever had), another Christmas away from home, this time in Houston after going to San Francisco last year, stood out.
NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning Mike North joined "The Season with Peter Schrager" podcast and expressed some regret.
"In retrospect, maybe asking the Ravens to play on the road on Christmas two years in a row maybe wasn't …" North said before Schrager interjected.
Schrager was curious about whether the league considered putting the Ravens on both Christmas and Thanksgiving, especially given the Harbaugh brothers matchup. The Ravens and Chargers will instead play three days before Thanksgiving on "Monday Night Football" in Los Angeles.
North said there is no hard and fast rule against giving a team two holiday games in the same year.
"I'm not sure that's the right thing to do to the players and their families," North added. "Maybe having both of those games at home wouldn't be the right thing to do to the fans – asking them to show up on both holidays."
When it comes to back-to-back Christmas road games, however, ...
"Look, if we're going to be playing on Christmas now, and you know we're playing on Thanksgiving, and we're playing on Black Friday, and we'll play on New Year's, and we'll play on just about any holiday they'll give us, it's going to land on the teams that are good," North said.
"We put our biggest games in our biggest windows. Those holiday tentpoles become such good storylines for us and such good results for our broadcast partners. You're going to find the good teams, the teams you think are going to be playoff relevant, in those bigger windows over and over and over again. We probably shouldn't put the Ravens on the road on Christmas again next year, but excited to see what they do on Christmas this year – definitely."
Kansas City Chiefs
Head Coach: Andy Reid
2023 record: 11-6 (Super Bowl champions)
Key additions: WR Marquise Brown, TE Irv Smith Jr.
Key losses: LB Willie Gay Jr., G Nick Allegretti, P Tommy Townsend
Top Pick: WR Xavier Worthy
Las Vegas Raiders
Head Coach: Antonio Pierce
2023 record: 8-9
Key additions: DT Christian Wilkins, RB Alexander Mattison, QB Gardner Minshew, TE Harrison Bryant
Key losses: RB Josh Jacobs, QB Jimmy Garopollo, WR Hunter Renfro, DT Bilal Nichols, TE Austin Hooper
Top Pick: TE Brock Bowers
Dallas Cowboys
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
2023 record: 12-5
Key additions: LB Eric Kendricks
Key losses: OT Tyron Smith, RB Tony Pollard, LB Leighton Vander Esch
Top Pick: OT Tyler Guyton
Buffalo Bills
Head Coach: Sean McDermott
2023 record: 11-6
Key additions: WR Curtis Samuel, QB Mitch Trubisky, S Taylor Rapp, S Mike Edwards
Key losses: WR Gabe Davis, S Jordan Poyer, LB Tyrel Dodson, LB Leonard Floyd
Top Pick: WR Keon Coleman
Cincinnati Bengals
Head Coach: Zac Taylor
2023 record: 9-7
Key additions: S Geno Stone, RB Zack Moss, OT Trent Brown, DT Sheldon Rankins, TE Mike Gesicki
Key losses: RB Joe Mixon, OT Jonah Williams, DE D.J. Reader, CB Chidobe Awuzie
Top Pick: OT Amarius Mims
Washington Commanders
Head Coach: Dan Quinn
2023 record: 4-13
Key additions: RB Austin Ekeler, C Tyler Biadasz, G Nick Allegretti, LB Frankie Luvu, LB Bobby Wagner, DE Danter Fowler Jr., TE Zach Ertz, S Jeremy Chinn, QB Marcus Mariota, DE Dorance Armstrong, LS Tyler Ott
Key losses: CB Kendall Fuller, S Kamren Curl, WR Curtis Samuel, RB Antonio Gibson
Top Pick: QB Jayden Daniels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Head Coach: Todd Bowles
2023 record: 9-8
Key additions: CB Bryce Hall, OL Ben Bredeson, G Sua Opeta, CB Tavierre Thomas
Key losses: LB Devin White, LB Shaquil Barrett, CB Carlton Davis, G Nick Leverett, G Aaron Stinnie
Top Pick: C Graham Barton
Cleveland Browns
Head Coach: Kevin Stefanski
2023 record: 11-6
Key additions: WR Jerry Jeudy, QB Jameis Winston, QB Tyler Huntley, LB Devin Bush, LB Jordan Hicks, RB Nyheim Hines, RB D'Onta Foreman
Key losses: QB Joe Flacco, DT Jordan Elliott, LB Anthony Walker Jr., CB Mike Ford Jr.
Top Pick: DT Michael Hall Jr.
Denver Broncos
Head Coach: Sean Payton
2023 record: 8-9
Key additions: S Brandon Jones, LB Cody Barton, DE Malcolm Roach
Key losses: QB Russell Wilson, WR Jerry Jeudy, C Lloyd Cushenberry, LB Josey Jewell, DT Jonathan Harris
Top Pick: QB Bo Nix
Pittsburgh Steelers
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin
2023 record: 10-7
Key additions: QB Russell Wilson, QB Justin Fields, LB Patrick Queen, S DeShon Elliott, WR Van Jefferson, CB Donte Jackson
Key losses: WR Dionte Johnson, QB Kenny Pickett, CB Patrick Peterson, WR Allen Robinson II
Top Pick: OT Troy Fautanu
Los Angeles Chargers
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh
2023 record: 5-12
Key additions: RB Gus Edwards, C Bradley Bozeman, TE Hayden Hurst, LB Denzel Perryman, TE Will Dissly
Key losses: WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams, RB Austin Ekeler, LB Eric Kendricks, LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
Top Pick: OT Joe Alt
Philadelphia Eagles
Head Coach: Nick Sirianni
2023 record: 11-6
Key additions: RB Saquon Barkley, DE/LB Bryce Huff, WR Parris Campbell, LB Devin White, QB Kenny Pickett
Key losses: C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox, S Kevin Byard, RB De'Andre Swift, G Sua Opeta
Top Pick: CB Quinyon Mitchell
New York Giants
Head Coach: Brian Daboll
2023 record: 6-11
Key additions: LB Brian Burns, RB Devin Singletary, G Jon Runyan Jr., G Aaron Stinnie, CB Jalen Mills, OL Jermaine Eluemunor
Key losses: RB Saquon Barkley, S Xavier McKinney, OL Ben Bredeson, WR Parris Campbell, QB Tyrod Taylor, LB Jihad Ward, DT A'Shawn Robinson, OT Matt Peart
Top Pick: WR Malik Nabers
Houston Texans
Head Coach: DeMeco Ryans
2023 record: 10-7
Key additions: DE Danielle Hunter, DE Denico Autry, LB Azeez Al-Shaair, CB Jeff Okudah, LB Del'Shawn Phillips
Key losses: DE Jonathan Greenard, RB Devin Singletary, DT Sheldon Rankins, LB Blake Cashman
Top Pick: CB Kamari Lassiter
North shared a little insight on how the schedule is made. He and his team give a computer parameters and it spits out a version of the schedule. They then made tweaks and feed it back into the system. That goes back and forth until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell essentially tells them to put their pencils down.
The league spoke loud and clear that the Ravens, led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, are a big-time draw, which is a compliment. The Ravens' five primetime night games are tied for the most in franchise history. When factoring in the Christmas game and Saturday Week 16 game against the Steelers, the Ravens have seven nationally-televised games.
Head Coach John Harbaugh joined "The Lounge" podcast Friday for an episode that will drop next week and shared some of his feelings about the Ravens' 2024 schedule.
"It's crazy for Christmas. It's crazy for the families," Harbaugh said. "But you know, it's like Godfather II. 'This is the [business] we have chosen.' It's an honor to play on Christmas Day. It's an honor to play on Netflix in front of the whole world. It's going to be a huge, massive game.
"We've got to go on the road. I'd love for those guys or somebody else to be coming here on Christmas Day. I'd love it for our fans, too."
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