The big ball has dropped, confetti has rained from the sky and final kisses with loved ones were had to signify the 2010s are officially over. It’s been a great decade for the Baltimore Ravens, who have won 98 regular-season games, made the postseason six times and won Super Bowl XLVII. But there have been many defining moments in Ravens history over this last decade and plenty of key memories for fans.
To help ring in the new decade, we here at Ravens Wire take a quick look at the best moments for Baltimore over the last one.
Matthew Stevens:
Joe Flacco’s historic playoff run
Fans might not remember it now but the Ravens were not exactly known for great quarterback play prior to Flacco. They had gone through a list of names even the most diehard of fans would be hard-pressed to remember. From Tony Banks to Jeff Blake and Stoney Case, it was rough sledding for Baltimore until Flacco was drafted in 2008.
But even leading up to their Super Bowl run in 2012, most pundits were still doubtful Flacco could even be a consistently mediocre quarterback, much less an “elite” one. So it felt like beautiful vindication when Flacco heated up in the postseason to put together a historically impressive run.
Over three games in the playoffs, Flacco threw for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions to get the Ravens into Super Bowl XLVII. There against the San Francisco 49ers, Flacco threw for another 287 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to win the Super Bowl MVP.
While Flacco had put together an amazing number of wins in his career prior to this playoff run, it was still too easy for pundits to take credit from Baltimore’s quarterback and place it on their defense or the whole team. But his 11 touchdowns and no interceptions tied NFL great Joe Montana for postseason stats, which couldn’t be ignored or brushed away. For at least a little while, Flacco was legitimately the league’s best quarterback.
Though some fans have been quick to dismiss Flacco’s meaning to the franchise with Lamar Jackson’s emergence, this was a key moment in Baltimore’s franchise history and put them on a road to continued success.
Kevin Oestreicher:
The Mile High Miracle
How can we overlook the play that essentially propelled Baltimore to the Super Bowl in 2013?
With their backs against the wall and no timeouts, Joe Flacco stepped up in the pocket and delivered a perfect ball into the waiting arms of Jacoby Jones to tie the game with under 40 seconds left and shift all of the momentum in Baltimore’s favor. Only a power outage in the Super Bowl was able to take that momentum away, and the rest is history.
Alex Bente:
Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII win
I wanted to go with the Mile High Miracle, but since my colleague, Kevin took that one first, I’ll have to say the Ravens hoisting the Lombardi trophy on February 3rd, 2013. Sure the Denver game was an essential step toward the Super Bowl, but the Ravens still had to win it. In a game that had blowout as a foregone conclusion until the lights went out (thanks, Beyonce), the Ravens held on in thrilling fashion to earn their second NFL Championship victory. It was a perfect end to a wild season and the final exclamation point for the storied careers of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed in Baltimore.
Vasilios Nikolaou:
New England Patriots rematch
The Ravens hosted the Patriots for a rematch of the 2011 AFC Championship game in Week 3 of the 2012 season. Torrey Smith had a career game only hours after a devastating family loss, Joe Flacco looked sharp, Justin Tucker had his first-ever game-winning field goal, and the crowd started the “loudest manure chant” that Al Michaels has ever heard. It was a game that literally had it all.
Neil Dutton:
Steve Smith’s “blood and guts” game
Steve Smith played his entire career with a chip on his shoulder, but this chip became an entire potato the first time he donned Ravens colors for a clash against the team of whom he spent the first 13 years of his career.
After the Panthers cut him after the 2013 season, he instructed folks to “put your goggles on cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere” if he got a chance to play against the Panthers. While there was a lack of viscera, Smith certainly bought the pain in Week 4 of the 2014 season. He finished with seven receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the game, after which he invited his former team to “mow his lawn” for him. Just brilliant.
