BALTIMORE – The Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens will open their title defense on the road next season because of a scheduling conflict with the Orioles.
The NFL wanted to have the Ravens start at home on Sept. 5 as part of its annual Thursday night season opener. Instead, the NFL says the Ravens will play somewhere else.
The Orioles are scheduled to host the Chicago White Sox that same night. The Ravens and Orioles have adjacent stadiums and share a parking lot, so they avoid playing at the same time because of the traffic.
The Orioles say both teams and the leagues looked at moving the starting time of the baseball game, but that logistics didn't work out.
The NFL says it is looking at ways to hold a Super Bowl celebration in Baltimore while the Ravens open on the road.