League opener - Ravens on the road

[Scottishbengal]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/22/ravens-will-still-play-on-september-5-but-where/

I think it's kinda harsh on the Ravens to have to open their SB defence on the road, but I guess the TV companies have the rights due to their investment to dictate what day to broadcast the games.

Seems though the game won't be in Cincy for the same reasons that it won't be in Baltimore - conflict with baseball games, so we have to wait and see for a while longer to see how the schedule pans out

[HoosierCat]

Looks like the options will be Denver, Pittsbugh or Chicago.

/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/25/ravens-bracing-for-week-one-trip-to-denver-pittsburgh-or-chicago-to-start-season/

I can see pros to all three.

Denver - get west coast trip out of the way early and have extra time to recover after.

Pitt - with all the changes in Pitt they will likely be most vulnerable early. Plus you probably won't have to see them again until week 15 at the earliest given that the league now piles division games at the end of the sked to keep teams from resting players.

Chicago - not looking like a powerhouse team, probably the easiest of the three choices.

[Scottishbengal]

Would the Pitts game more likely to be saved for a few weeks into the season rather than being a dvisional opener for the Superbowl champs ??

[HoosierCat]

Would the Pitts game more likely to be saved for a few weeks into the season rather than being a dvisional opener for the Superbowl champs ??

I think Pitt would surprise me the most. Not so much because it's a division game but because it's a marquee matchup. The NFL doesn't need a big game here. It's opening night: they could have the Cards play the Bucs and get stellar ratings.

For that reason I expect Chicago to be the choice. Ravens/Bears isn't a rivalry, and it's an inter-conference game to boot. Win or lose, it will likely have minimal impact on either teams' chances to make the postseason. But people will tune in because it's the opener.

[Scottishbengal]

I wonder if the Dumervil aspect will be a factor in the scheduling ....team he left hosts his new team ....... not sure how much of a media darling Dumervil is or how that slant on things would appeal to the US public .... it's the sort of thing that would give the media a bone-on over here if it was a soccer scenario.

[HoosierCat]

Whenever the two teams meet I'm sure that they will hype that up.

[HoosierCat]

FWIW looks like the schedule will be out on the 16th.

/>http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/25/schedule-apparently-is-coming-on-april-16/

[Scottishbengal]

Excellent -

Thanks Hoosier, I shall eagerly await the arrival of the 16th and then can look-see whether i can get a trip over for a game this season.

[Sea Ray]

What's the problem in scheduling the Bengals on the same day as the Reds? That's why we built two stadia.

[ArmyBengal]

I actually think they try to do that from time to time.

If I recall correctly, they actually ran promotions those Sundays, billing it as a Cincinnati double header.

You could catch the Bengals on a 1pm game and then walk over for the Reds who start up later that evening.

Good stuff in my book. Especially with all the places on the Riverfront these days !!!

Baltimore is just jacked up.

[HoosierCat]

IIRC most concerns in the past have revolved around traffic and parking. Basically just that its a pain in the butt.