To reach the playoffs for the third straight season, the Ravens have to survive a brutal start to their 2010 schedule.
Four of the Ravens' first six games are on the road, including a Monday Night game at the New York Jets (Sept. 13) to open the season. That marks the Jets' first game at the new Meadowlands Stadium and the first time the Ravens will face former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan.
After the Jets, the Ravens play three straight AFC North teams: at Cincinnati (Sept. 19), home against the Cleveland Browns (Sept. 26) and at Pittsburgh (Oct. 3). Their rough start finishes with a home game against Denver (Oct. 10) and a road game at New England (Oct. 17).
Of the first four road games, three come against 2009 playoff teams (Jets, Bengals and Patriots). The only non-playoff team is the Steelers, who could be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for that game. The NFL could discipline Roethlisberger on Wednesday.
The Ravens' October schedule ends with a home game against Buffalo (Oct. 24) before reaching their bye (Oct. 31).
This start is reminiscent of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl season, when they played five of their first seven games on the road.
"We're excited about the 2010 season," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. "We knew who we were playing, and now we know when we'll be playing them. We're not a team that focuses on any game except the next one. We now have targets for the preseason and the regular season."
The Ravens play four nationally televised games, three of which come in the second half of the season. They go to Atlanta for a Thursday night game on the NFL Network (Nov. 11), play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a Sunday night game (Dec. 5) and travel to Houston for a Monday night game (Dec. 13).
"It's a challenging schedule, and with the number of primetime games, it's flattering," team president Dick Cass said. "We've made the playoffs two years in a row – and three of the last four seasons – and it's evident that the NFL believes we will be highly competitive again."
The Ravens have also appeared in four primetime games in four previous regular seasons: 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2007. "If you look at the last three games of the new schedule, you can see that we'll be playing significant games that could be candidates for a move to Sunday night," Cass added.
The final month is highlighted by the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints coming to M&T Bank Stadium (Dec. 19). The last two games are against division teams: at Cleveland (Dec. 26) and home against Cincinnati (Jan. 2).
Ravens 2010 schedule
Sept. 13 (Monday night): at N.Y. Jets, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Sept. 19: at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Sept. 26: vs. Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 3: at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Oct. 10: vs. Denver, 1 p.m.
Oct. 17: at New England, 1 p.m.
Oct. 24: vs. Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Oct. 31: Bye
Nov. 7: vs. Miami, 1 p.m.
Nov. 11 (Thursday night): at Atlanta, 8:20 p.m. (NFL Network)
Nov. 21: at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28: vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Dec. 5 (Sunday night): vs. Pittsburgh, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 13 (Monday night): at Houston, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 19: vs. New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Dec. 26: at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Jan. 2: vs. Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
For the latest Ravens news, follow Jamison Hensley on Twitter. Also, become a fan of Baltimore Sun Sports on Facebook.