OWINGS MILLS, Md. — With the Ravens opening the 2012 season on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in Baltimore, most fans assumed the team would don their black alternate jerseys against the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, the Ravens have already confirmed they will be dressed in their purple tops, going against their normal tendency for nationally-televised night games at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore wore its black jerseys against the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers in night games played in Baltimore last season and last wore their purple duds in a nationally-televised prime-time game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 5, 2010. However, they sported black pants with the purple jerseys in that one for the first time since 1996.
Though not confirmed by the team’s official website, I’m hearing the plan is for the Ravens to wear their traditional white pants with the purple jerseys. The Ravens wore black pants with their purple tops in their final two home games last season, the Christmas Eve game against the Cleveland Browns and their divisional-round contest against the Houston Texans.
A few have asked whether the Ravens would wear white jerseys at home after sporting them in three of the four home openers played in the John Harbaugh era, but each of those games was played in the afternoon with the sun beating down on players. Considering the sunshine won’t be much of a factor at 7:00 p.m., the Ravens are going with their darker jersey.
The Ravens remain quiet for now on when they plan to wear their black jerseys this season, but they play two more home games in prime time this month.
