The Baltimore Ravens are one team that will enter the 2026 season under perhaps the most pressure of any team in football.
After a poor 2025 that saw the franchise miss the playoffs, coupled with having Super Bowl aspirations and Lamar Jackson's long-term future in some doubt, all eyes will be on Baltimore in 2026.
And after such a bad season under John Harbaugh, the Ravens need to get off to a good start under new head coach Jesse Minter, and the NFL schedule gods might have done Baltimore a favor.
As CBS Sports' John Breech writes, the Ravens open up the season in perhaps the best way possible.
"The Ravens will open the season with SEVEN straight games against teams that finished under .500 last season, marking just the third time over the past 56 years that we've seen that happen," Breech wrote.
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Can Ravens take advantage?
They simply have to, right?
Now, I'm not saying go 7-0, although that would be perfect, but facing the Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Titans, Falcons, Browns, and Bengals, the Ravens, I think, should be going 5-2 to begin the year.
The Bengals could be anything, and the Cowboys in Brazil are a toss-up. All the others, if Baltimore plays well, it "should" be winning.
So, if the Ravens play up to their potential, there is a good chance for Minter to get his tenure off to a great start, but that also comes with pressure because what if they don't?
Can Baltimore take advantage of their early-season schedule?
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