The opponents for all 2008 regular season games have been determined, and the Ravens have another solid test ahead of them.
After finishing with a 5-11 record, Baltimore's opponents are:
Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
The scheduling formula implemented in 2002 with realignment guarantees that all teams play each other on a regular, rotating basis.
Under the formula, every team within a division plays 16 games as follows:
• Home and away against its three division opponents.
• The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle.
• The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle. The Ravens will take on the NFC East, which features three playoff teams in Dallas, Washington and New York, and an Eagles squad that reached the divisional round last season.
• Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings. These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.
The official 2008 schedule, with playing dates and times, will be announced in the spring.
NFL Kickoff 2008 Weekend will begin on Thursday night, Sept. 4, and the regular season will conclude on Dec. 28.
Wild Card Weekend will be Saturday and Sunday, January 3-4; Divisional Playoff games on the weekend of January 10-11; and the AFC and NFC Championship Games on Sunday, January 18.
Super Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. will be played on Sunday, Feb. 1.
