For the first time in their history, the Ravens will play a regular season game outside of the United States.
London is calling.
The NFL officially announced Tuesday the 2017 schedule for its international series in England. One of the four contests is the Ravens facing the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. The game will be played on either September 24 or October 1.
“I figured it would come at some point,” said Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. “I think it will be fun. I think it will have to be something we embrace a little bit. It's a long way away still. We have a lot more to worry about until then.”
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Injured Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson has some European experience to offer his teammates. He played at Wembley in 2009 while with the Patriots organization.
“The biggest thing for me would be try to get on a proper sleeping schedule,” said Watson. “I remember going through the game feeling kind of foggy. We won the game and we played well but just being in that different of a time zone is different than even going from east to west.”
The Ravens will be designated the visiting team in London, thus not losing a coveted home game. That was a must for the Ravens to make the trip . The franchise's contract with the Maryland Stadium Authority states the Ravens have to play all of their home games at M&T Bank Stadium. That favors Flacco and the birds next year.
“It's always huge when you can make it an away game,” said Flacco.
The exact date and time of the London game will be announced when the NFL unveils its regular season schedule next spring.
