The NFL will release the full 2026 schedule on Thursday night, and Ravens fans in Southern Maryland already know who Baltimore will play. Now they will learn when and where.
The Ravens will face all four teams from the NFC West and AFC South, plus third-place teams from the NFC South, AFC North and NFC North. Here are five matchups Southern Maryland fans should circle on the calendar.
Ravens at Buffalo Bills Anytime Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen square off, it’s a marquee matchup. The Ravens opened in primetime at Buffalo last season on “Sunday Night Football” and came out flying, dominating for three quarters and building a 34-19 lead. Then came the fourth quarter. The Bills overcame a 15-point deficit with under four minutes to play and walked away with a stunning 41-40 victory. In some ways, that opening defeat set an uphill tone for the Ravens’ disappointing 2025 season.
Baltimore needs payback against the Bills. The slate is wiped clean for two teams that made coaching changes. Head Coach Jesse Minter will lead the Ravens into Buffalo’s new home field, Highmark Stadium, for the first time. Buffalo’s new head coach is Joe Brady, the team’s former offensive coordinator who interviewed for the Ravens’ job before they hired Minter. The Ravens have been defeated in their last three visits to Buffalo — two playoff games and last year’s fourth-quarter collapse.
Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals Expect both games against the Bengals to be critical in the AFC North race. Baltimore’s trip to Cincinnati will have special meaning for outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, who left the Bengals to sign with the Ravens this offseason. Hendrickson would love to make life miserable for quarterback Joe Burrow in a triumphant return against his former team. Burrow wants to bounce back against the Ravens, who blanked the Bengals 24-0 in Cincinnati last season in one of the worst games of Burrow’s career.
Jackson owns an 11-3 career record as a starter against the Bengals, and if he continues owning them, it will be harder for Cincinnati to take the division. The Bengals made major offseason upgrades to their defense after missing the playoffs for a third straight season.
Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Minter has already said that winning at home will be a major point of emphasis this season. Beating the Steelers is always a major point of emphasis with the Ravens. A heartbreaking 26-24 loss at Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale sent the Ravens home, eliminating them from the playoffs. However, a 27-22 loss to the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium earlier last season was also a critical defeat. It was one of six home losses the Ravens suffered as they finished with the worst home record (3-6) in franchise history.
For 18 seasons, Ravens vs. Steelers meant John Harbaugh vs. Mike Tomlin. Now, Minter and new Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy are leading this rivalry into a new era, but the standard remains the same. Ravens rookies like Vega Ioane and Zion Young can ask veteran teammates like Ronnie Stanley or Marlon Humphrey about the rivalry. As players often say, “You’re not a Raven until you beat the Steelers.”
Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 27 (Week 3) The league officially announced this game last month. It’s the third international game in Ravens history, but the first outside of London, where they played in 2017 and 2023. This will be the NFL’s first game in Rio de Janeiro, and there will be plenty of buzz surrounding two marquee franchises playing in an international setting. Any trip abroad presents unique challenges with travel, logistics and adjusting to new surroundings, and the team that handles the atmosphere best will have an advantage.
The Ravens last faced the Cowboys in 2024, beating them in Dallas. However, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott passed for more yards last season (4,522) than anyone except Matthew Stafford (4,707) and Jared Goff (4,564). It will be an early-season test for the Ravens’ new-look defense under Minter and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers John Harbaugh won’t be returning to M&T Bank Stadium this season, but Jim Harbaugh will. He’ll be on the sidelines to face the Ravens and coach against Minter, who was Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator with the Chargers for the past two seasons. Minter was also Harbaugh’s coordinator at Michigan, where they won a national championship together in 2023. They go way back, and Harbaugh has been one of Minter’s biggest mentors in coaching. It’s sure to be an emotional game for Minter and for Harbaugh, facing the team that his brother coached for 18 seasons. One of these coaches will walk away from this game smiling. The Ravens want to make sure it’s Minter.
Southern Maryland fans from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties will have multiple opportunities to see the Ravens in person at M&T Bank Stadium or watch road games at local sports bars and gatherings. The international game in Rio and the return of familiar AFC North rivalries make the 2026 schedule one of the most anticipated in recent years.
