2009 Schedule is out!

The Ravens 2009 regular season schedule is out.

Sun 9/13 Kansas City 1:00 pm
Sun 9/20 at San Diego 4:15 pm
Sun 9/27 Cleveland 1:00 pm
Sun 10/4 at New England 1:00 pm
Sun 10/11 Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Sun 10/18 at Minnesota 1:00 pm
bye
Sun 11/1 Denver 1:00 pm
Sun 11/8 at Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Mon 11/16 at Cleveland 8:30 pm
Sun 11/22 Indianapolis 1:00 pm
Sun 11/29 Pittsburgh 8:20 pm
Mon 12/7 at Green Bay 8:30 pm
Sun 12/13 Detroit 1:00 pm
Sun 12/20 Chicago 1:00 pm
Sun 12/27 at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Sun 1/3 at Oakland 4:15 pm

Some thoughts:

• A very winnable home opener against a non-divisional team in Kansas City. Although the Chiefs traded for Matt Cassell and were pretty decent on offense in 2008, against the Ravens they are still extremely overmatched on both sides of the ball.

• The first three home games are pretty easy (KC, CLE, CIN), but they are matched by the challenge of three first road games (@SD, @NE, @MIN).

• The Ravens will get their first shot at home against the Steelers in a primetime game since 2003. Maybe looking like wusses by asking the NFL to avoid scheduling a BAL @ PIT primetime game paid off after all.

• I don’t like closing out the season with 2 games on the road, including a trip to the west coast. I don’t know how many other teams close out the season with 2 road games, but I bet it’s not many.

• Three primetime games in 4 weeks. America might get as sick of the Ravens as they are the Steelers, Cowboys and Patriots.

• A very early pre-draft prediction: 11-5.