MANY BENCHMARKS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED RAVENS HISTORY
Heading into their 20th season, the Ravens have played 327 games, including 304 regular-season contests and 23 during the postseason.
That doesn't sound like a lot, especially when compared to longer-standing NFL franchises such as the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers. But there have been a surprising amount of memories packed into those games.
In the latest installment of my "Ravens20" series, I take a look at the 20 most significant games during the team's history.
These aren't necessarily the closest, most suspenseful games, and these contests didn't all end in Ravens victories.
But they do mark significant benchmarks and meaningful milestones during the lore of a team that has brought plenty of joy and heartbreak to local fans.
1. SUPER BOWL XXXV -- Baltimore 34, NY Giants 7
With the Super Bowl being each team's annual objective, it should be no surprise that the Ravens' two titles lead the list. I give the first championship the edge since it came relatively early during the team's history (fifth season), and it came about mostly due to the best single-season defense in league history, one that allowed 970 rushing yards all season, registered four shutouts and yielded 165 points, all marks equal to or better than those of the more celebrated 1985 Bears.
2. SUPER BOWL XLVII -- Baltimore 34, San Francisco 31
This game had it all: the first Super Bowl power failure, the first Super Bowl fake field goal, a rare safety and a defeat of the formerly-dynastic 49ers. In addition, no San Francisco quarterback had ever thrown a Super Bowl interception until safety Ed Reed picked off Colin Kaepernick. A Super Bowl-record 290 combined yards from wide receiver/returner Jacoby Jones and clutch throws from quarterback Joe Flacco helped hold off San Francisco during the first championship battle between sibling head coaches.
3. 2000 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF -- Baltimore 24, Tennessee 10
The top-seeded Titans were heading for a possible Super Bowl repeat when the Ravens -- the team that recorded the first regular-season win by a visitor in Nashville's new stadium two months earlier – got a clutch interception by middle linebacker Ray Lewis that was run back for a touchdown to give the fourth-seeded Ravens what most saw as an unexpected win against Tennessee.
4. 2012 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF -- Baltimore 38, Denver 35 (Double OT)
With their long memories, Baltimore fans certainly recall a double-overtime 1977 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Oakland Raiders, the Colts' last postseason game before leaving town in 1984. But Flacco unleashed the "Charm City Chuck" (most call it the "Mile High Miracle") to Jones to force overtime before rookie kicker Justin Tucker won a thrilling game to set up the team's second championship.
5. 2000 HOME OPENER -- Baltimore 39, Jacksonville 36
Why does a seemingly-innocuous September regular-season game rank so highly? During the Ravens' early years, they were dominated by opponents in the former AFC Central Division such as Pittsburgh, Tennessee and the Jaguars. This game, clinched with a last-minute touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Banks to tight end Shannon Sharpe, was the Ravens' first win against the Jaguars and portended good things to come.
6. 1996 HOME OPENER -- Baltimore 19, Oakland 14
Baltimore's natural combativeness was on display early: as Raiders owner Al Davis stepped onto the Memorial Stadium field for the Ravens' first NFL regular-season game, the public-address system played the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil." Charm City was back in the NFL, and its new team gutted out a win behind a rushing touchdown from quarterback Vinny Testaverde and an end-zone pickoff from Ray Lewis.
7. 2006 DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF -- Indianapolis 15, Baltimore 6
Even with all the loud, frenzied crowds that have piled into M&T Bank Stadium, none was more electric or tense than the 71,162 that witnessed this game. A second-seeded Ravens team that had won a record 13 regular-season games and kept the explosive Colts out of the end zone still lost due to five field goals off the right foot of kicker Adam Vinatieri. I witnessed a Mayflower truck going by the stadium hours before the game, which seemed like a bad omen.
8. 2009 WILD CARD -- Baltimore 33, New England 14
Even though the mention of running back Ray Rice's name might conjure up negative memories now, his 83-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage helped the Ravens get a foothold on what seemed like an intimidating task: beating the decade's best team in the postseason on its home field. The Ravens were never seriously threatened after Rice's big run.
9. 2001 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 13, Pittsburgh 10
There are tons of Ravens-Steelers memories that could have made this list, but I'm going with the purple squad's first win at Heinz Field, which was the first by any visitor at the new facility. In fact, Baltimore has been the first intruder to win at five different new stadiums: Pittsburgh, Washington, Denver, Tennessee and New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
10. 1998 STADIUM OPENER -- Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 13
It was rumored that Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards, as the Russell Street facility was first called, had a "Terrible Towel" buried within the concrete. That hasn't yet been proven, but the Steelers proved to be the better team once the ribbon was cut on what is still one of the loudest stadiums in the league. Cornerback Duane Starks did catch up to Steelers running back Richard Huntley to punch out the football and force a fumble, the home team's biggest highlight.
11. 2014 WILD CARD -- Baltimore 30, Pittsburgh 17
The postseason history between these two cities had been lopsided before this game. Pittsburgh had knocked the Baltimore Colts out of the playoffs twice, and the Ravens on three occasions before the Charm City crew got revenge. The Steelers weren't helped by the absence of stalwart running back Le'Veon Bell, either.
12. 2011 AFC CHAMPIONSHIP -- New England 23, Baltimore 20
Coaches often say that they remember the losses more clearly than the wins. Local fans certainly recall this game, known to some as the "Lee Evans-Billy Cundiff Game" for the late-fourth-quarter miscues that included a stripped pass in the end zone and a missed 32-yard field goal, either of which would have kept the Ravens in the hunt for a Super Bowl appearance.
13. 2003 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 44, Seattle 41 (OT)
In light of the Seahawks' success the last two seasons, the highest-scoring game during Ravens' history has to be recalled. A game that was scoreless at the two-minute warning of the first half exploded into a point-fest that featured four touchdown passes from quarterback Anthony Wright to wide receiver Marcus Robinson. If it weren't for this game, neither of those players would have made a significant dent during the team's history.
14. 2008 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 33, Dallas 24
Toward the end of an already-trying rookie season for head coach John Harbaugh, he had to face a Cowboys team that requested the Ravens -- a team scheduled to visit Dallas anyway -- as the opponent with whom they could close down Texas Stadium with an expected win. But a fake field goal and two long touchdown runs gave the Ravens a big victory in their first, and only, game at the facility.
15. 2014 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 26, Pittsburgh 6
The pressure on the team was tremendous. It had to play a bitter rival on national television on a short week, in the wake of the Rice video release, and on the anniversaries of both the Star-Spangled Banner and 9/11 attack. The Ravens responded with one of the most clutch performances during team history, forcing an early turnover and romping to an easy win.
16. 2000 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 24, San Diego 3
Finally, the stars were aligned perfectly for then-majority owner Art Modell: the Ravens would come off a bye during Week 14 to play a badly-outclassed opponent with a horrible quarterback in Ryan Leaf in order to clinch the first playoff berth during team history. Modell was honored for his four decades of NFL ownership, and his team rewarded him appropriately.
17. 2003 HOME OPENER -- Baltimore 33, Cleveland 13
This game was the Ravens' first regular-season contest on its new Sportexe Momentum Turf surface, and the faster field and low-grade opposition helped running back Jamal Lewis set a then-NFL record with 295 rushing yards. It was the springboard to the Ravens' first division title, and it helped the fans temporarily forget the disastrous debut by rookie quarterback Kyle Boller in Pittsburgh the previous week.
18. 2002 HOME OPENER -- Tampa Bay 25, Baltimore 0
The only home shutout loss during Ravens history, coming during the wake of the team's salary-cap blowup and regression to a much-younger roster, was more about the city's football present paying homage to its past. Colts legend Johnny Unitas died a few days before this game; his high-topped cleats were displayed on the sidelines. The eventual Super Bowl champions also showed their speed and class during a dominating win.
19. 1997 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 20, Washington 17
Whether these two teams have a rivalry -- and whether the fans truly care about it -- has been endlessly debated. But what can't be denied is that the fans in Landover, Md., at least the ones sitting in front of the press box, were furious at the result. A day-long rain shower dampened their spirits, as did a big rushing performance by running back Bam Morris and a 20-play scoring drive that wore out the home team during the first Ravens-Redskins meeting.
20. 1999 REGULAR SEASON -- Baltimore 22, Cincinnati 0
This was the first of the Ravens' 10 lifetime shutouts, and it came during the last home game of a season that saw them reach .500 for the first time. The Ravens recorded seven sacks and picked off two passes while Lewis notched 17 tackles. Special teamer Keith Washington blocked a field goal to preserve the blanking, one of two blocks he had that year.
HONORABLE MENTION: Ravens nearly knock off unbeaten Patriots, Bart Scott throws penalty flag (2007); Defense dominates Oakland during first AFC title-game appearance (2000); First prime-time home game (against Cincinnati) was also first to feature yellow first-down line on TV screen (1998).
Joe Platania is in his 21st season covering professional football.
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