The Baltimore Ravens face an unusual scheduling quirk in 2024, one that even the NFL acknowledges as a bit unfair. For the second consecutive year, they are slated to play on Christmas, this time on the road against the Houston Texans, following last year’s away game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Speaking on “The Season with Peter Schrager” podcast, NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North conceded that assigning the Ravens back-to-back Christmas road games might have been a misstep. He noted the league’s inclination to showcase marquee matchups on holidays, favoring top teams like the Ravens, but admitted that more consideration should have been given to venue fairness.
“We prioritize our premier matchups for special occasions, yielding significant results for our broadcast partners,” North elaborated. “While we anticipate featuring playoff contenders in these prime slots, we may need to reevaluate venue assignments, like potentially avoiding road games for the Ravens next Christmas.”
Although the Ravens aren’t alone in playing on Christmas in consecutive years—the Kansas City Chiefs share this distinction—other teams have enjoyed at least one home game within these spans.
This scheduling blunder isn’t unprecedented, and it’s reasonable to expect the league to rectify it moving forward. It’s a safe bet that the Ravens won’t find themselves on the road again next Christmas, reflecting lessons learned from past missteps.
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