The leaks have begun.
With the schedule set to be officially released at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports that the Ravens will open the season at Denver on Thursday, September 5.
The Ravens-Broncos game otherwise would have been televised by CBS at some point later in the year. (CBS presumably isn’t thrilled about losing that game.)
The Ravens lost the opportunity to open the season at home due to a game scheduled that same night between the Chicago White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles, in a stadium that shares a parking lot with the place where the Ravens play.
The Ravens reportedly prefer playing on the road for the traditional Thursday night opener involving the defending Super Bowl champion instead of playing at home later in the weekend, in part because they want the 10-day break that comes with playing in the first game of the year. Since they’ll have to play in Denver at some point in the 2013 regular season, they may as well get it out of the way early, with a full and complete opportunity to prepare for a rematch with Peyton Manning and company.
It’s the most compelling game the Ravens could have played on the road to start the season. Baltimore upset Denver in the playoffs, after the Broncos had won 11 games in a row by seven or more points. Then, the Broncos cut defensive end Elvis Dumervil as an effort to reduce his cap number went haywire, and Dumervil eventually decided that, if he can’t beat the Ravens, he’ll join them.
Apparently, he’ll be joining them in Denver.