Jeff Zrebiec, reporter: I guess the silver lining for the Ravens here is if they are able to get through the first half of their schedule with a reasonably solid record, they would be in pretty good shape for a playoff run. Otherwise, I'd imagine there weren't too many smiling faces at the Castle when team officials first glanced at the schedule. Opening in Denver when Peyton Manning should be healthy and fresh. Two straight games on the West Coast to start the season. Five of first seven on the road. A Thursday night road game. If the Ravens get to the playoffs for the seventh time in John Harbaugh's eight seasons at the helm, they'll have earned it. The NFL did them no favors tonight.
Aaron Wilson, reporter: Two seasons ago, the Ravens secondary was exposed in an embarrassing season-opening blowout loss to the Denver Broncos when Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown passes. Now, the Ravens will see if their defensive backs are up to the test in another road opener against the Broncos this season after signing cornerback Jimmy Smith to a $48 million contract extension. Aiming to make the playoffs for the seventh time in the eight seasons, the Ravens' ability to win on the road will be immediately tested as five of their seven games are on the road. The Ravens' bye week is well-timed. With five prime-time games for the team, the NFL obviously expects them to be a strong playoff contender again.
Jon Meoli, reporter: With a slew of early road games against opponents who made the playoffs a season ago, the Ravens can find out a lot about themselves early. After the bye, they're at home with a chance to gain some second-half momentum. The opponents and locations were always going to be difficult, and while this seems like a tough layout, I think it's plenty manageable.
Mike Preston, columnist: I don't put too much stock in schedules anymore. It is not like this is the 1970s or 1980s where certain franchises dominated yearly. In the current NFL, teams that appear strong early in the season can become weak by midseason simply because of injuries and lack of depth. It seems almost every year now that a team gets hot late in the season and that carries them deep into the playoffs. There just aren't many gimmies anymore except that the Cleveland Browns will end up being one of the worst teams in the NFL. I do have a problem with the Ravens playing four games on the West Coast. That's a tall order to ask for any team. The Ravens have the veterans in place to handle the travel mentally, but the physical drain could take its toll by the end of the season.
Ron Fritz, sports editor: Last season I had the Ravens at 11-5 when the schedule came out. I was one off. This season, with no wide receivers and tight ends yet, I'll say this is a 10-6 schedule. That means winning six of eight games at home, and that's a tall order. The West Coast travel could knock this down to a 9-7 record. But I'll stick with 10-6 for now.
Alexander Pyles, Ravens editor: At least the bye week is smack-dab in the middle of the season. The way this schedule is set up, a 4-4 record at that bye in Week 9 might be something for the Ravens to celebrate. With a Thursday night game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, four of their first eight games out West and just two games at M&T Bank Stadium through October, this schedule couldn't get much more difficult. Five of eight games after the bye week are at home, but two of those are against the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks and the Steelers. Yikes.