BALTIMORE — The Jesse Minter era will officially begin on the road Sept. 13 against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, the NFL announced Thursday night. It marks the third straight season the Ravens will begin the season away from home.

The Ravens will then play their home opener Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. against the New Orleans Saints. The Orioles are scheduled to host the Milwaukee Brewers at 7:20 p.m. later that same day at Camden Yards, which shares three state-owned parking lots with M&T Bank Stadium.

Minter takes over for John Harbaugh, Baltimore’s coach for 18 years before he was fired following a disastrous 8-9 season that ended without a playoff appearance for the first time since 2021. The expectation, of course, is that Minter can restore a once-great defense that regressed over the past two seasons, and that new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle can re-energize an offense led by quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens should at least benefit from an easier schedule, which includes a Week 13 bye.

After having the 12th-toughest slate in 2025, per Sharp Football Analysis, they have the sixth-easiest this year. Still, there is no shortage of intriguing matchups, including at least four games in prime time. One of those will come in Week 17 on New Year’s Eve in Cincinnati, where Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow finally gets his wish after Baltimore had hosted the AFC North rival in prime time each of the past four years.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has never lost a game at Paycor Stadium.

With four games previously part of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” being returned to the network as it moves away from doubleheaders, the league has expanded its streaming footprint, and it’s unsurprising, given the appeal of Jackson and a roster that features a handful of star players that the league would want to capitalize on Baltimore’s popularity.

Baltimore’s first prime-time game will come in Week 5 against the Falcons in Atlanta, where the Ravens will square off with a familiar face, as former Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski replaced Raheem Morris. It’s also a reunion for new Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who previously served in the same role for Atlanta.

The Ravens will also play two home games at night in Weeks 9 and 10. First, they will host the AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars for “Thursday Night Football” on Nov. 5; then they will play the Los Angeles Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium for “Monday Night Football” on Nov. 16.

Minter spent the past two seasons as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator, and there is certainly a lot of familiarity between the coaching staffs and front offices, with several members having worked for both organizations.

The Ravens will also play their second international game in four years. In Week 3, the Dallas Cowboys will be the host team at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium, site of the 2016 Olympic Games and 1950 and 2014 World Cup final.

It marks the league’s first foray into Brazil’s former capital city after playing games in Sao Paulo each of the past two seasons.

For Baltimore, it’s the third international game in franchise history after trips to London in 2017 and 2023. The Ravens lost to the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in the first and beat the Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2023. From Brazil, the Ravens return home to face the Titans in Week 4.

And following their game at Atlanta, they will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns and former offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who is an NFL head coach for the first time after guiding Baltimore’s offense the past three seasons.

Other key games include a Week 15 AFC North showdown against the rival Steelers in Pittsburgh. It marks the first time in nearly two decades that Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin won’t be facing off after Tomlin resigned following 19 years at the helm. Former Cowboys and Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy replaced him.

The teams will face off again in Week 18 in Baltimore in what could be, as has often been the case, a critical contest. The Steelers ended the Ravens’ playoff hopes last season with a Week 18 win in Pittsburgh after rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard game-winning field goal try as time expired.

Those are just two important divisional games that stand out.

Baltimore will face Burrow and a revamped Bengals defense in a Week 7 game at home against Cincinnati. The Browns will also play in Baltimore in Week 16, the third of four straight AFC North games to close out the Ravens’ regular season.

Outside the division, one of the more interesting and important games in the AFC will be a Week 12 matchup against the Houston Texans. The last time the teams met, in Week 5 last year, Houston blew out the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, 44-10. However, Jackson was one of several injured starters who did not play.

Part of the reason Baltimore’s schedule ranks so low in terms of difficulty is its four games against NFC South opponents. None of the teams finished above .500 last year, including the division champion Carolina Panthers, who were 8-9.

The Ravens will play in Charlotte, N.C., in Week 11. They also face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Baltimore in Week 14.

The last time the Ravens missed the playoffs in consecutive years was 2017, when they did so for a third straight season. Jackson took over as the starting quarterback midway through the next season.

Ravens 2026 schedule

*Flexible scheduling games

— Week 1 (Sun., Sept. 13): at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 2 (Sun., Sept. 20): vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 3 (Sun., Sept. 27): at Dallas Cowboys (in Rio de Janeiro), 4:25 p.m., CBS

— Week 4 (Sun., Oct. 4): vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 5 (Sun., Oct. 11*): at Atlanta Falcons, 8:20 p.m., NBC

— Week 6 (Sun., Oct. 18*): at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., Fox

— Week 7 (Sun., Oct. 25*): vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 8 (Sun., Nov. 1*): at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 9 (Thurs., Nov. 5*): vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video

— Week 10 (Mon., Nov. 16*): vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

— Week 11 (Sun., Nov. 22*): at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox

— Week 12 (Sun., Nov. 29*): at Houston Texans, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 13 – Bye

— Week 14 (Sun., Dec. 13*): vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Fox

— Week 15 (Sun., Dec. 20*): at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 16 (Sun., Dec. 27*): vs. Browns, 1 p.m., CBS

— Week 17 (Thurs., Dec. 31*): at Bengals, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video

— Week 18 (Jan. 10/11): vs. Steelers (TBD)

Preseason

— Sat., Aug. 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m., NBC

— Sat., Aug. 22: at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., NBC

— Fri., Aug. 28: vs. Washington Commanders, 7 p.m., NBC

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