The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the league’s most consistent regular-season teams in recent years, but playoff disappointment has repeatedly cut promising campaigns short. This offseason, there’s a different tone — and Roquan Smith is leading the charge. With the 2025 schedule now out, the All-Pro linebacker isn’t backing down from expectations. He’s meeting them with the kind of confidence that stands out.
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Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Roquan Smith Issues Warning to Kansas City Chiefs, NFL
During an appearance on NFL Network’s schedule release special, Smith warned the rest of the league: When the Ravens are at their best, they’re tough to beat. It wasn’t trash talk — just a confident statement from a proven leader who’s been through the highs and lows of playoff football.
“If we play ball that way, it’ll be very hard for any team to beat us,” Smith said. “I know it’ll be a challenge, but when we’re playing our best, no one in the league can beat us.”
That bold declaration wasn’t aimed at one specific opponent — but it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn toward the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens will face them in Week 4 at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2025 season.
“We’re very excited about [the Chiefs],” Smith said. “I know Kansas City is a great team year in and year out with [Andy] Reid, [offensive coordinator Matt] Nagy, [Patrick] Mahomes and company over there and all the weapons that they have.”
It’s not just admiration. It’s personal. Smith knows Nagy well — the former Bears head coach made Smith his first draft pick when he arrived in Chicago in 2018. The No. 8 overall selection quickly became the anchor of Nagy’s defense. Now, nearly seven years later, their paths cross again — but this time, on opposite sidelines with much higher stakes.
“So going in there and imposing our will on those guys, like one play at a time and like not beating ourselves and not having self-inflicted, self-inflicted mistakes on our end,” Smith added. Baltimore isn’t just hoping to compete — they’re planning to dictate.
Another hostile environment the Ravens will have to contend with is Highmark Stadium, home to the Buffalo Bills. It was the scene of last season’s Divisional Round thriller, where Josh Allen’s team sent Baltimore packing, and it’s been eating away at Smith — but he plans on putting it to good use.
“They won a game fair and square last year,” Smith told Eisen. “That misery sets in all offseason, and you use that as motivation throughout the offseason.”
“Just knowing that we have everything it takes to be the best team in this NFL and have the ship right game in and game out. And it’s going to start up there in Buffalo. Just like everything we’ve gone through throughout the offseason and how the season ended, it’s just unleashing it on those guys. And I’m sure they have the same plan.”
Since arriving in Baltimore midway through the 2022 season, Smith has elevated the Ravens’ defense into one of the NFL’s most feared units. He’s earned back-to-back All-Pro honors and emerged as one of the team’s vocal leaders. His confidence isn’t new, but the edge in his voice this offseason suggests a sense of urgency.
After three straight seasons of falling short of Super Bowl expectations, Baltimore is ready to break through. And if Smith’s words are any indication, they aren’t just hunting respect — they’re coming for the crown.