When the NFL releases the regular-season schedule every year, each team’s intra-divisional matchups usually garner most of the attention. Fans of the Dallas Cowboys mark their calendar for when Washington comes to town, the Arizona Cardinals faithful make plans for their showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, and so on.

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While that makes sense — teams play divisional rivals twice a season and all others once or not at all — those games often overshadow other important contests elsewhere on the schedule.

For the Baltimore Ravens, a team with a fierce rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, that could mean overlooking season defining tilts outside the AFC North.

Because the schedule breaks down into multiple groups, we can analyze each non-AFC North section individually.

AFC East

In 2016, the AFC North faces off against the AFC East, long viewed as one of the tougher divisions in football. That perception has taken a hit of late as the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins have struggled to break into the playoffs over the past few years.

Still, the AFC East and the timing of the games works against the Ravens. Every team in the AFC North faces New England at some point during the season. However, the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers play the Patriots during quarterback Tom Brady’s first three weeks back from his DeflateGate suspension, a period when the two-time MVP might still have some rust to shake off. Conversely, the Ravens face Brady in December on Monday Night Football, a stage on which he has enjoyed some of his best games.

NFC East

As for the inter-conference assignment, the AFC North matches up with the NFC East this season. The latter division ranked at the very bottom of the NFL hierarchy in 2015, and though the teams have improved, it remains a favorable draw for a team like the Ravens.

Washington, which won the NFC East a year ago, still doesn’t know whether Kirk Cousins’ second-half heroics resulted from individual improvement or a small sample size. Though the team has added some talent around him, namely talented first-round wideout Josh Doctson, the Ravens could find themselves favored when the two meet in Week 5.

Baltimore’s tilts with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys could prove more problematic, however. Both games take place on the road, and in the case of the Giants, it comes as part of a two-week New York road trip. That doesn’t preclude the Ravens from winning, but it puts a lot of stress on a mostly young club.

2015-based opponents

The way the NFL currently constructs its regular-season schedule, teams play two opponents based entirely on their finish within their division the previous year. As the Ravens finished third in the AFC North, they draw the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders.

The Jaguars haven’t put a fright in their opponents in some time, but the Ravens cannot take them lightly. Not only does the game take place in Jacksonville, but it also comes early in the season when Florida still resembles a boiling swamp. For a northern club like Baltimore, those conditions could lead to an upset if ignored.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have arguably put together the best offseason of any potential playoff team in the NFL. In addition to their core of Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, the team added pass rusher Bruce Irvin, towering cornerback Sean Smith and All-Pro safety Reggie Nelson. Oakland could realistically overtake the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs for the division crown and as such could certainly take it to the Ravens in Week 4.

Jason B. Hirschhorn
Jason B. Hirschhorn

Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. He has bylines at NFL.com, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and other outlets.

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