2008: Arrival of John Harbaugh, Flacco, and Ray Rice
With rookies at head coach (John Harbaugh) and quarterback (Joe Flacco), the Ravens entered the 2008 campaign with much uncertainty. Their week 2 contest at the Houston Texans was postponed until two months later because of Hurricane Ike, forcing the Ravens to play for what would eventually be 18 straight weeks. With its record at 2 – 3 after consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts, its triumph over the Dolphins in week 7 was redemption for what had happened against the same opponent in the previous season. Eight victories in its last ten regular season matches enabled them to clinch the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs at an 11 – 5 record. Possibly the biggest win during that stretch came in week 16 with a 33 – 24 humbling of the Dallas Cowboys in the final game at Texas Stadium. Willis McGahee’s 77-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter established a new stadium record which would last until Le’Ron McClain, on the very first offensive play of the Ravens’ next possession, secured the victory with an 82-yarder(10).
On the strength of four interceptions, one resulting in an Ed Reed touchdown, the Ravens began its postseason run by winning a rematch over Miami 27 – 9 at Dolphin Stadium on January 4th, 2009 in a wild-card game(11). Six days later, they advanced to the AFC Championship Game by avenging a Week 5 loss to the Titans 13 – 10 at LP Field on a Matt Stover field goal with 53 seconds left in regulation time(12). The Ravens fell one victory short of Super Bowl XLIII by losing to the Steelers 23 – 14 at Heinz Field on January 18th, 2009(13).
2009
With Jonathan Odgen retiring after the 2007 season and Matt Stover going into free agency, Baltimore’s only remaining player from its first season was Ray Lewis. The Ravens held the 26th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft but went up to the 23rd pick by trading its 26th pick and a 5th-round pick to the New England Patriots. The Ravens selected Michael Oher (who later had a movie named The Blind Side made after his life during his early years) in the first round of the NFL Draft.
In the season opener, the offense continued its improvements from the year before as it scored 38 points and accounted for over 500 yards in a 38 – 24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. In week 2, the Ravens defeated the San Diego Chargers 31 – 26. Although the Ravens' secondary struggled, Ray Lewis made a crucial tackle on fourth down of the Chargers’ final drive to seal the Baltimore win. In week 3, the Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns in a 34 – 3 blowout while celebrating Derrick Mason’s 800th pass reception in his career.
In week 4, the Ravens lost to the New England Patriots, 27 – 21, with their final drive ending with a dropped pass by Matt Clayton on 4th down within the 10-yard line with 28 seconds left on the clock. The following week, the Ravens hosted the Cincinnati Bengals but lost with the Bengals’ final drive resulting in a touchdown. The Ravens played an away game against the Minnesota Vikings losing 33 – 31, putting them behind both the Bengals and the Steelers in the AFC North. The Ravens had rallied from 17 points down to the Vikings and managed to drive the ball down the field, but Steve Hauschka missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired on the clock. Joe Flacco made 28 out of 43 passing attempts and threw for a career-high 385 yards, and Ray Rice ran for 117 yards. The very next week they hosted the Denver Broncos, who were undefeated (6 – 0). After Hauschka kicked a pair of field goals in the 1st and 2nd quarters, the Broncos kicked off at the start of the 3rd quarter and the Ravens immediately returned it for a touchdown, giving the Broncos 30 – 7, handing Denver its first loss of the season.
The following week, they looked to avenge the week 5 loss to the Bengals. However, they were out-played on both sides of the ball, suffered a crucial miss by Hauschka, and lost 17 – 7.
In week 10, the Ravens visited the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football and shut out their division rivals 16 – 0 despite a slow offensive start. Steve Hauschka missed a field goal and had an extra point blocked, costing the Ravens four points. This led coach John Harbaugh to release Hauschka and replace him with Billy Cundiff.
In week 11, the Ravens played their third undefeated opponent, the Colts, who were (9 – 0). They lost 17 – 15, failing to score a single touchdown. Cundiff went 5 for 6 on field goals, scoring the Raven's only points. Joe Flacco threw a late interception and after Ed Reed’s fumbled attempt to lateral on a punt return, Peyton Manning kneeled to seal the Colts’ seventh consecutive victory against Baltimore. With this loss, the Ravens record stood at 5 – 5, ranking third in the AFC North.
The Ravens then beat the Steelers, who were playing without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with an overtime field goal on Sunday Night Football. The next week, however, the Ravens lost to the Green Bay Packers on ESPN Monday Night Football.
The Ravens then crushed two opponents from the NFC North at home, beating the Detroit Lions 48 – 3 and the Chicago Bears 31 – 7. The Ravens improved to 8 – 6, second in the AFC North, and in line for the fifth seed. They looked ahead to their division rivals, the Steelers, who were coming off a dramatic last-second win against the Packers. A win would give the Ravens a chance to clinch a playoff spot and would knock the Steelers out of contention. But the Ravens, who committed 11 penalties and blew several chances to put additional points on Pittsburgh, lost 23 – 20. The Ravens still had a shot at the playoffs with a week 17 victory and made it by defeating the Oakland Raiders 21 – 13.
In the playoffs, they faced the Patriots in the wild-card round. The Ravens beat the Patriots 33 – 14, aided by Ray Rice’s 83-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, helping them to a 24 – 0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Advancing to the AFC divisional round, they next played Indianapolis. Two touchdowns late in the first half gave the Colts a 17 – 3 lead at halftime, and Baltimore miscues in the second half ensured the end of their season, by a 20 – 3 score.
2010
During the 2009 – 2010 offseason, the Ravens made some key additions to their offense by acquiring WR Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals and free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh, released after the preseason by the Seattle Seahawks. They also added Donte Stallworth, who last played for the Cleveland Browns, but was suspended for the 2009 season, and signed backup quarterback Mark Bulger who was released by the St. Louis Rams after the 2009 season. Stallworth broke his foot in the third preseason game and came back later in the season. On July 25th, Sergio Kindle suffered head trauma after falling down two flights of stairs in a home in Austin, Texas, and was lost for the season. The new additions accounted for a combined 37 starts.
The Ravens finished the season at 12 – 4 but with a marginally worse divisional record (Steelers 5 – 1 versus the Ravens’ 4 – 2). They then went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 30 – 7 in the wild-card round of the playoffs, with running back Ray Rice becoming the first Raven running back to have a receiving touchdown in a playoff game. The Ravens would then lose the Steelers 31 – 24 in the divisional playoffs. Leading at halftime 21 – 7, the Ravens then turned the ball over three times in the third quarter, which gave the Steelers 14 points. Baltimore’s season ended with a potential touchdown drop by Anquan Boldin and, later, another drop by T.J. Houshmandzadeh on 4th down, surrendering the game 31 – 24.
2011
After the 2011 NFL season labor dispute had ended, the Ravens informed veterans Willis McGahee, Todd Heap, Kelly Gregg, and Derrick Mason that they would be cut to free up salary cap space(14). Following these cuts, the Ravens acquired fullback Vonta Leach, wide receiver Lee Evans, safety Bernard Pollard, and running back Ricky Williams. During the preseason, the Ravens signed left tackle Bryant McKinnie from the Minnesota Vikings. On top of that the Ravens signed Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode from the Dallas Cowboys. With the new signings, there was a reshuffle of the offensive line. The signing of McKinnie forced Michael Oher over to the right tackle position, which in turn allowed Marshall Yanda to revert to his natural right guard position. The Ravens finished their preseason 3 – 1, with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and victories over the Washington Redskins, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Atlanta Falcons.
2011 marked one of the most successful seasons in Baltimore Ravens franchise history. The Ravens started their campaign with a big 35 – 7 victory at home over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other key victories included a 34 – 17 victory over the New York Jets in week three, a week six 29 – 14 victory over the Houston Texans, and a week nine win over the Steelers, this would be the first time since 2006 that the Ravens would sweep Pittsburgh in the AFC North division.
The Ravens went on and had a big win over the San Francisco 49ers in a week 12 Thursday night Thanksgiving game. This was a game where Ravens coach John Harbaugh would face off against his brother Jim Harbaugh who had just taken over as head coach of the 49ers in the 2011 season. The Ravens would go on to end a 49ers win streak in a final score of 16 – 6. The Ravens recorded a franchise record of nine sacks on 49ers quarterback, three coming from Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.
The Ravens went into the final week of the regular season already assured a playoff place at 11 – 4 but were tied with the Steelers record-wise, so they had to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, to clinch the AFC North division for the first time since 2006. The Ravens defeated the Bengals for the second time in the 2011 regular season by a score of 24 – 16. The victory sealed the AFC North crown, a season 12 – 4 record, and a first-round bye in the playoffs, which in turn sent both the Steelers and the Bengals on the road in wildcard playoff games – which both rivals lost to the Denver Broncos, and the Texans, respectively.
The Ravens accomplished several significant achievements during the 2011 season, finishing 6 – 0 in the division, 6 – 0 against 2012 playoff teams, and 8 – 0 at home. The Ravens went into the 2012 NFL playoffs with high expectations, however, there were underlying worries, with what many considered to be inconsistent performances by starting quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense – which many put the blame on the four questionable road losses that came against teams they were expected to beat, the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, and San Diego Chargers.
The Texans would end up beating the Bengals in the wild-card playoff round, which meant that they would face the Ravens in the divisional playoff game. The Ravens won the game 20 – 13 in a defensive struggle, Ed Reed intercepted a pass from the Texan's rookie quarterback T.J. Yates in a fourth-quarter offensive drive by the Texans, which ended up being the Texan's last realistic shot at scoring to tie the game. Despite the victory over the Texans, a significant number of sports media questioned the Ravens’ offensive capability going into the AFC championship round, after another proposed poor performance by the Ravens offense and Joe Flacco according to certain sports analysts.
The Ravens and the New England Patriots played for a spot in the Super Bowl. After a close 3 quarters which saw the ball being turned over several times, Tom Brady leaped over the goal line on a 4th and 1, to put the Patriots ahead 23 – 20. After another couple of turnovers on both ends the Ravens marched down the field with under a minute to go. Joe Flacco threw a pass to Lee Evans with 38 seconds left, who appeared to catch it for the winning touchdown, but the ball was knocked out by Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore, resulting in an incomplete pass. After Joe Flacco threw a dropped pass to Lee Evans, Billy Cundiff came out onto the field with 15 to go to try and tie the game up with a 32-yard field goal. The kick went well to the left of the Patriots’ goalpost, and New England advanced to Super Bowl XLVI for a rematch with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
The inaugural NFL Honors ceremony was held on Super Bowl’s eve. At this, Terrell Suggs was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and Matt Birk was named Walter Payton Man of the Year(15).
2012: Ray Lewis’ final season and 2nd Super Bowl
Despite early injuries that led to struggles on the defensive side of the football, the Ravens jumped out to a 9 – 2 start thanks in part to a high-powered no-huddle offense led by Joe Flacco. Needing just a single win to secure a second straight division title, the Ravens went on a three-game losing streak, highlighted by the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the promotion of quarterback coach Jim Caldwell to offensive coordinator, and a 34 – 17 loss at home to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on December 16th. Regardless, the Ravens clinched their fifth straight playoff berth after the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Despite making the playoffs, this slump led some media outlets to question the Ravens ability to win football games, but after making a statement with a decisive 33 – 14 victory over the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and securing back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history, they finished with a regular season record of 10 – 6 and a rare home playoff game in the wildcard round.
The 2012 season also saw long-serving linebacker Ray Lewis announce his retirement heading into the AFC Wildcard game against the Indianapolis Colts. Lewis tore his triceps midway through October in his 17th season with the Ravens after Baltimore selected him with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. The unusual timing of the announcement was criticized by some, such as former New York Giant Amani Toomer who accused Lewis of being selfish(16). Nonetheless, many, including teammate Terrell Suggs,(17) considered the timing to as a “stroke of genius(18) concerning Lewis’ strong motivational presence and credited Lewis with providing the necessary inspiration for the team in what would prove to be a Super Bowl victory season. They defeated the Colts during the Wild Card round on January 6th, 2013 at M&T Bank Stadium, with Ray Lewis celebrating his final game at home with his trademark dance both at the start of the game as was introduced and on the final play of the game when he was brought back on the field. With the defeat of the Colts in the wildcard round, the Ravens were primed to face the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium in Denver in the AFC divisional round. Labeled as huge underdogs coming into the game, especially considering the previous thrashing the Broncos dealt them in a home loss on December 12th, 2012, the Ravens shocked the sports world by defeating the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in double overtime, 38 – 35, in a spectacular divisional round matchup on Saturday, January 12th, 2013. It looked as though they had lost the game as they got the ball with just over a minute left on their own twenty-three-yard line, but a clutch 70-yard touchdown pass, known colloquially as “The Mile High Miracle”, from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones sent the game into overtime. In overtime, an interception of Peyton Manning by Corey Graham (who had already returned one interception for a touchdown earlier in the game) put the Ravens in field position to kick the winning field goal. The win vaulted the Ravens to play for the AFC Conference Championship against the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 20th, 2013; the Ravens won 28 – 13 after shutting out Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense in the second half, completely dismantling any offensive attempt(s) thereafter. The win placed the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers on February 3rd, 2013. The Ravens thrillingly opened the game as their opening drive of the game ended with a touchdown pass from eventual Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Flacco threw two second-quarter touchdown passes as Baltimore took a 21 – 6 lead into halftime. After halftime, the Ravens received the kickoff from the 49ers, and Jacoby Jones returned the kickoff for a record-setting 108-yard touchdown. However, soon after the Jacoby Jones touchdown, a power outage at the stadium led to a 34-minute stoppage in play due to inefficiencies in lighting, on-field visibility, and electrical equipment. After power was restored, the 49ers regained composure and came storming back, scoring 17 unanswered points. The 49ers had a final chance to take the lead late in the game, but a goal-line stand by the Ravens with less than two minutes remaining sealed the contest as the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII 34 – 31. Super Bowl XLVII has also been dubbed the “Harbaugh Bowl” since the 49ers were coached by Jim Harbaugh, the brother of Ravens coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens returned to Baltimore to celebrate with their fans on Tuesday, February 5th. A parade saw upwards of 300,000 people line the streets of downtown Baltimore while another 80,000 packed M&T Bank Stadium to cheer the team. Speeches by owner Steve Biscotti, coach John Harbaugh, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed were met by fans with standing ovations.
2013 – Present
2013
By winning Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens were scheduled to host the Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 5th, 2013; however, due to a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles (with whom they share a parking lot) and the NFL’s refusal to move the game to a different night, the Baltimore Ravens were the first Super Bowl Champion in 10 years not to host the following year’s Kickoff Game. The 2013 Kickoff Game was played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High when the Ravens visited the Denver Broncos.
After losing linebacker Ray Lewis and center Matt Birk to retirement, the Ravens’ roster underwent significant changes throughout the 2013 offseason. Free agent linebacker Phil Kruger signed with the Cleveland Browns, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe signed with the Miami Dolphins, cornerback Cary Williams signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and safety Ed Reed signed with the Houston Texans. Additionally, safety Bernard Pollard was released due to salary cap reasons and later signed with the Tennessee Titans. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round draft pick. The Ravens made some offseason additions as well, signing defensive lineman Chris Canty and Marcus Spears as well as signing key free agent linebacker Elvis Dumervil and safety Michael Huff. As well as drafting first-round pick safety Matt Elam, second-round pick linebacker Arthur Brown, third-round pick defensive tackle Brandon Williams, and fourth-round pick “hybrid” fullback Kyle Jrszczyk among others. Unfortunately, during training camp, the Ravens lost another key player, tight-end Dennis Pitta for the entire season (who was primed for an even greater 2013 season). During a routine drill, he suffered a dislocated/fractured hip after colliding with another teammate (James Ihedigbo) at the back end of the end zone. In response, during August, they re-signed wide receiver Brandon Stokely, whom they drafted in 1999, and signed former Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end, Dallas Clark.
The season started badly for the Ravens, as they were defeated by the Broncos in their season opener, thus becoming the second Super Bowl Champion to lose the NFL kickoff game. This meant that they held the first loss of the season, breaking a record for the most points allowed by the defense and ending a 75-game streak of holding a .500 or better win-loss ratio. They would rebound in week 2 with a 14 – 6 victory over their division rival, the Cleveland Browns. The following week the Ravens took on the unbeaten Houston Texans at home; this time they would face a familiar face in safety Ed Reed, who played for them for 12 seasons. After a strong showing by the defense, which only allowed 9 points, the Ravens clobbered the Texans 30 – 9. In week 4, the Ravens struggled against the Buffalo Bills as Joe Flacco threw a career-high 5 interceptions. The Ravens fell to the Bills 23 – 20. At 2 – 2, the Ravens hit the road to Miami to take on the Dolphins. Although they faced a 13 – 6 deficit at halftime, the offense rallied to score 17 consecutive points giving the Ravens a 23 – 13 lead in the 4th quarter. However, Miami answered right back with 10 points of their own, tying the game at 23 with 8:03 left. Justin Tucker then kicked a 44-yard field goal with 1:42 left to give the Ravens a 26 – 23 lead. After the Dolphin's comeback attempt stalled, Caleb Sturgis missed a field goal late, giving the Ravens the win. The Ravens then returned home to take on the Green Bay Packers. The offense struggled early, as the Ravens were shut out in the first half. Trailing 16 – 3 in the 4th quarter Joe Flacco found Jacoby Jones in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass to reduce the deficit to 16 – 10. After another Packers field goal, the Ravens faced a 19 – 10 deficit with 4:17 remaining. Joe Flacco was able to find Dallas Clark in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass, making it 19 – 17. However, the Packers were able to seal the victory by picking up first downs and running out the clock. The following week, the Ravens would fall to their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers 16 – 19 on a last-second field goal by Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham. The following week, the Ravens would lose 18 – 24 to the Cleveland Browns for the first time under John Harbaugh. Facing the probable end of their season at that point, the Ravens would snap their three-game skid with a win against their first-place division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals 20 – 17 in overtime. The following week, the Ravens were scheduled to face the Chicago Bears. The game was delayed for two hours due to a heavy storm. The Ravens would, however, fall to the Bears 20 – 23 in overtime. They would rebound the next week in a home game against the New York Jets. On Thanksgiving, the Ravens would defeat the Steelers 22 – 20 at home, avenging their week 7 loss to them, and improving to 2 – 0 on Thanksgiving games. In week 14, the Ravens would beat the Minnesota Vikings 26 – 29. In week 15, the Ravens defeated the Detroit Lions at Ford Field 18 – 16 off Justin Tucker’s 6 field goals, including a 61-yarder that proved to be the game-clinching score followed by a Matthew Stafford interception. In week 16, the Ravens lost at home to the New England Patriots 41 – 7 making it the second-worst home loss at home in Ravens history. Facing the Bengals in week 17, the Ravens defense forced 4 interceptions off of Andy Dalton, but it wasn’t enough for the offense to take advantage of. Baltimore tied the game 17 – 17 in the second half, but surrendered 17 unanswered points to the Bengals, thus ending their season at 8 – 8 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
2014
On January 27th, 2014, the Ravens hired former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak to be their new offensive coordinator after Jim Caldwell accepted the newly available head coaching job with the Detroit Lions. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Ravens selected C.J. Mosley with the 17th overall pick. During the offseason, the Ravens signed former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith to a three-year contract. They also signed tight end Owen Daniels and running back Justin Forsett, as they played for Kubiak in Houston and would seemingly fit in Kubiak’s new system. On February 15th, 2014, star running back Ray Rice and his fiancée Janay Palmer were arrested and charged with assault after a physical altercation at Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Celebrity news website TMZ posted a video of Rice dragging Palmer’s body out of an elevator after apparently knocking her out. For the incident, Rice was initially suspended for the first two games of the 2014 NFL season on July 25th, 2014, which led to widespread criticism of the NFL.
In week 1, on September 7th, the Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, 23 – 16. The next day, on September 8th, 2014, TMZ released additional footage from an elevator camera showing Rice punching Palmer. The Ravens terminated Rice’s contract as a result and was later indefinitely suspended by the NFL. Although starting out 0 – 1 for two straight seasons and having received unwanted media attention for the Ray Rice incident, on September 11th, 2014, the Ravens rallied back and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 26 – 6 on Thursday Night Football, to improve to 1 – 1. On the following Sunday following the Thursday night victory, the Ravens headed to Cleveland for a third straight division game with the Browns. In a tough-fought game, the Ravens won 23 – 21 with a game-winning 32-yard field goal by Justin Tucker as time expired. On September 28th, the Ravens hosted the Carolina Panthers, and in a fabulous offensive performance, defeated the Panthers 38 – 10; with this victory, the Ravens defeated every visiting franchise at least once at home (and at M&T Bank Stadium). The very next week, the Ravens traveled to Indianapolis to face the Colts in week 5. However, three turnovers and quarterback Joe Flacco being sacked four times resulted in a 20 – 13 loss, breaking the 3 – 2 Ravens win streak. In week 6, Joe Flacco led the Ravens to an impressive 48 – 17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Flacco threw 5 touchdown passes in the first 16:03 minutes of the game, an NFL record, to put the contest out of reach early in the 2nd quarter. In week 7, the Ravens hosted the Atlanta Falcons and won 29 – 7.
The next week the Ravens traveled to Cincinnati for a key divisional game. Both the Cincinnati and Baltimore defenses forced key turnovers in the game so that no passing touchdowns were thrown. In the waning seconds of the 4th quarter, as the Ravens trailed, Flacco threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith that seemingly won the game. However, Smith was controversially called for offensive pass interference on Bengals safety George Iloka, who looked to have flopped, which negated the touchdown. The Ravens ended up losing 27 – 24 and being swept by the Bengals for the first time since 2009. The next week, the Ravens traveled to Pittsburgh for another key division matchup. Two unfortunate turnovers led to an offensive surge by the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger threw six touchdowns against an injury-riddled Ravens secondary, humbling the Ravens 43 – 23. Afterward, the Ravens made some changes to their secondary, cutting cornerbacks Chykie Brown and Dominique Franks, and signing former Ravens cornerback Danny Gorrer.
The Ravens hosted the Tennessee Titans in week 10, winning 21 – 7, and going into their bye week at 6 – 4. After the bye week, the Ravens traveled to New Orleans for an interconference battle against the New Orleans Saints, the Monday Night Football. In the third quarter, with the score tied at 17 – 17, new Ravens free safety Will Hill stepped in front of a Drew Brees pass and returned 44 yards for a touchdown. Running back Justin Forsett had a career night, running for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns, as the Ravens defeated the Saints 34 – 27, improving their record to 7 – 4 and a 4 – 0 sweep of the NFC South. In week 13 against the San Diego Chargers, the Ravens were defeated 34 – 33, by allowing the Chargers to score 21 points in the 4th quarter. The Ravens rebounded the next week against the Dolphins winning 27 – 10 and the Ravens defense sacking Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill six times. The defense was even more dominant against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 20 – 12-win, sacking rookie quarterback Blake Bortles eight times. In week 16, the Ravens traveled to Houston to take on the Texans. In one of Joe Flacco’s worst performances, the offense sputtered against the Houston defense and Flacco threw three interceptions, including two inside the Ravens own 20-yard line, falling to the Texans 25 – 13. With their playoff chances hanging in the balance, the Ravens took on the Browns at home on week 17. After three quarters had gone by and down 10 – 3, Flacco led the Ravens on a comeback scoring 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, winning 20 – 10. With the win, and the Chargers losing to the Chiefs, Baltimore clinched their sixth playoff berth in seven seasons, and first since winning Super Bowl XLVII.
In the wildcard playoff game, the Ravens won 30 – 17 against division rival Pittsburgh, at Heinz Field. In the Divisional round, the Ravens were matched up against the Patriots, and despite a strong effort and having a 14-point lead twice during the game, the Ravens were defeated by the Patriots, ending their season.
2015
The 2015 season marked the 20th season of the franchise’s existence, competing in the NFL which the franchise has recognized with a special badge being worn on their uniforms during the 2015 NFL season(19). After coming up short against the Patriots in the playoffs, Baltimore was picked by some to win the AFC and even the Super Bowl. However, they lost key players such as Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith Sr., and Eugene Monroe to season-ending injuries. Injuries and their inability to win close games early in the season led to the first losing season in the John Harbaugh – Joe Flacco era.
2016
The 2016 Ravens improved on their 5 – 11 record from 2015, finishing 8 – 8, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated from playoff contention after their week 16 loss to a division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the first time the Ravens missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2004 – 2005, as well as the first in the Harbaugh/Flacco era.
2017
The Ravens were eliminated from playoff contention during the final week of the season against the Bengals. Needing to stop the Bengals offense one final time in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, they instead allowed Andy Dalton to connect with Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard game-winning touchdown on fourth and long. Baltimore finished at 9 – 7, losing out on tiebreakers to the Titans and Bills for wild card spots in the playoffs.
2018
Baltimore started the season at 4 – 5 and was in danger of missing the playoffs again. However, after Joe Flacco suffered an injury against the Steelers in week 9, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, one of three first-round draft picks that year, filled in and led the Ravens on a 6 – 1 stretch to finish out the season. In a reversal of luck from the previous season, the Ravens won their week 17 game against a resurgent Cleveland Browns team to hold off the Steelers and clinch the division title. They were defeated by the Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The following season, Flacco was traded to the Broncos, entrenching Jackson as the starting quarterback, and longtime linebacker C.J. Mosely departed for the New York Jets in free agency.
With Lamar Jackson succeeding Joe Flacco at quarterback, the Ravens started off the 2019 season with two straight wins, then two straight losses, and seemed to finish with a mediocre record. However, Baltimore took off from there, acquiring 12 straight victories to finish with a 14 – 2 record, the team’s best since their establishment in 1996, surpassing the team’s previous best of 13 wins in 2006. The Ravens were the only team to score at least 20 points in all their regular season games. Also, Lamar Jackson broke the single-season record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206, previously held by Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the 2006 season. However, their season would be ended abruptly at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, 28 – 12.
2020
After their stellar 2019 season, the Ravens star players like Patrick Queen and J.K. Dobbins in the 2020 draft. The 2020 season would be a back-and-forth affair. Despite going 5 – 1 heading into their bye week, Baltimore would lose four of their next five games, including a shocking loss to the Patriots that ended their record streak at 31 for most consecutive regular-season games in which a team scored at least 20 points, with the addition of a week 12 game against the Steelers that was supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night, but was postponed to the following Wednesday due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the Ravens organization. After the outbreak cleared, the Ravens went back into their prime, winning their final five games, including a 47 – 42 Monday Night thriller against the Browns in which Lamar Jackson left the game in the middle of the third quarter, which erased a 34 – 20 lead that the Ravens had over the Browns but returned after the two-minute warning to throw a touchdown pass on his first play back to Marquise Brown to keep it alive. Overall, the Ravens finished 11 – 5 and secured a wild-card berth in the playoffs, defeating the Titans in the wild-card round 20 – 13 to avenge the previous year’s divisional round, but fell to the Bills the following week, 17 – 3.
References:
1. Jump up to:a b c d Burke, Mike (12 January
In the wildcard playoff game, the Ravens won 30 – 17 against division rival Pittsburgh, at Heinz Field. In the Divisional round, the Ravens were matched up against the Patriots, and despite a strong effort and having a 14-point lead twice during the game, the Ravens were defeated by the Patriots, ending their season.
2015
The 2015 season marked the 20th season of the franchise’s existence, competing in the NFL which the franchise has recognized with a special badge being worn on their uniforms during the 2015 NFL season(19). After coming up short against the Patriots in the playoffs, Baltimore was picked by some to win the AFC and even the Super Bowl. However, they lost key players such as Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Terrell Suggs, Steve Smith Sr., and Eugene Monroe to season-ending injuries. Injuries and their inability to win close games early in the season led to the first losing season in the John Harbaugh – Joe Flacco era.
2016
The 2016 Ravens improved on their 5 – 11 record from 2015, finishing 8 – 8, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated from playoff contention after their week 16 loss to a division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the first time the Ravens missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2004 – 2005, as well as the first in the Harbaugh/Flacco era.
2017
The Ravens were eliminated from playoff contention during the final week of the season against the Bengals. Needing to stop the Bengals offense one final time in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, they instead allowed Andy Dalton to connect with Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard game-winning touchdown on fourth and long. Baltimore finished at 9 – 7, losing out on tiebreakers to the Titans and Bills for wild card spots in the playoffs.
2018
Baltimore started the season at 4 – 5 and was in danger of missing the playoffs again. However, after Joe Flacco suffered an injury against the Steelers in week 9, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, one of three first-round draft picks that year, filled in and led the Ravens on a 6 – 1 stretch to finish out the season. In a reversal of luck from the previous season, the Ravens won their week 17 game against a resurgent Cleveland Browns team to hold off the Steelers and clinch the division title. They were defeated by the Chargers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The following season, Flacco was traded to the Broncos, entrenching Jackson as the starting quarterback, and longtime linebacker C.J. Mosely departed for the New York Jets in free agency.
2019: Lamar Jackson helps the team toward home-field advantage throughout the playoffs
2020
After their stellar 2019 season, the Ravens star players like Patrick Queen and J.K. Dobbins in the 2020 draft. The 2020 season would be a back-and-forth affair. Despite going 5 – 1 heading into their bye week, Baltimore would lose four of their next five games, including a shocking loss to the Patriots that ended their record streak at 31 for most consecutive regular-season games in which a team scored at least 20 points, with the addition of a week 12 game against the Steelers that was supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night, but was postponed to the following Wednesday due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the Ravens organization. After the outbreak cleared, the Ravens went back into their prime, winning their final five games, including a 47 – 42 Monday Night thriller against the Browns in which Lamar Jackson left the game in the middle of the third quarter, which erased a 34 – 20 lead that the Ravens had over the Browns but returned after the two-minute warning to throw a touchdown pass on his first play back to Marquise Brown to keep it alive. Overall, the Ravens finished 11 – 5 and secured a wild-card berth in the playoffs, defeating the Titans in the wild-card round 20 – 13 to avenge the previous year’s divisional round, but fell to the Bills the following week, 17 – 3.
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