How it happened: Defense. Defense. Defense. Simply put, the 2000 Ravens’ “D” was one of the best units of all time. They delivered four shutouts, the most since Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain lineup of 1976, and allowed the fewest rushing yards and fewest points ever, barely 10 a game, over a 16-game schedule.

In the playoffs, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper—how’s that for a linebacking corps?—and company somehow ratcheted the intensity up another level, allowing just one TD in four games. (Remember, the TD that the Giants scored in the Super Bowl came on a kickoff return). In the big game, they held the G-men to 152 yards on offense and intercepted four passes, include the one Duane Starks ran back for a TD.

Offensively, the Ravens struggled at times during the year, but it didn’t matter. A rookie freight train named Jamal Lewis ran for 1,364 yards; Trent Dilfer took over and ran an efficient, if not prolific attack; and Matt Stover kicked a zillion field goals—a league leading 35 of 39, to be exact.

The bottom line is that our boys in purple went all the way in just their fifth season. And, really, they’ve been fantastic ever since—playing great defense and hard-nosed football every season. They even made us proud with their effort, if not always the results, during this past injury-plagued year. We totally expect to add a new “Top 20” moment or two to this list with a healthy squad in 2016.

All season long, we counted down the Ravens top moments
in franchise history to celebrate the team’s 20th season in Baltimore. Take a
look back at what moments we’ve chronicled.

#20: Naming the Team
#19: Testaverde Throws for 429 Yards
#18: First Ring of Honor
#17: Terrell Suggs Becomes Thigh Master
#16: The Insane Final Minutes of the
Vikings Snow Game
#15: Torrey Smith’s Emotional Win Over
Patriots
#14: Peter Boulware Gets Four Sacks in a
Single Game
#13: Justin Tucker Nails a 61-Yard Field
Goal to Beat Detroit
#12: Flacco Connects With Ray Rice on
Fourth and 29
#11: Ray Lewis Strips Eddie George in 2000
Playoffs
#10: Ed Reed’s 106-yard Interception
Return Against the Browns
#9: Jamal Lewis Rushes For 295 Yards Against
the Browns
#8: First Game in (New) Franchise History
#7: Ray Lewis’s Last Dance
#6: Ravens Beat Steelers in Playoffs For
First Time in Franchise History
#5: Mile High Miracle
#4: Draft Day ’96
#3: Art Modell Announces He’s Moving
Browns to Baltimore
#2: Winning Super Bowl XLVII

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The Ravens’ best running back ever was a rare beast coming out of the University of Tennessee: a 240-pounder with 4.5 speed, just as capable of running over an opponent as by him. He ranks 24th on the all-time career rushing list with more than 10,000 yards and, in 2003, posted the third-best, single-season total ever with 2,066 yards. That same year, he broke the NFL’s single-game rushing mark with 295 yards on 30 carries in a 33-13 win over the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. (The Vikings’ Adrian Peterson topped Lewis’ record by one yard against San Diego in 2007.)

How it happened: Remarkably, Lewis actually called this. Two years after knee surgery, the big back wasn’t feeling like he was getting his due and in a phone call with Cleveland’s Andra Davis a few days beforehand, he told the Browns’ linebacker that, if he got 30 carries, he’d break the record Corey Dillon of the Bengals had set in 2000.

In fact, Lewis would’ve went over 300 yards on the day, but 12 yards on one long run were called back because of a holding penalty. Lewis blasted open the game with an 82-yard rampaging run in the first quarter and sealed the deal with a 63-yard run in the fourth quarter, averaging an incredible 9.8 yards per carry on a very busy day. The 2003 squad was not exactly an offensive juggernaut with Kyle Boller at QB, but with a strong defense and Lewis running behind a Jonathan Ogden-led O-line, the Ravens went 10-6 that year and won the NFC North Division title.

All season long, we’ll be counting down the Ravens top moments in franchise history to celebrate the team’s 20th season in Baltimore. Take a look back at what moments we’ve chronicled so far.

#20: Naming the Team

#19: Testaverde Throws for 429 Yards

#18: Ring of Honor

#17: Terrell Suggs Becomes Thigh Master

#16: The Insane Final Minutes of the Vikings Snow Game

#15: Torrey Smith’s Emotional Win Over Patriots

#14: Peter Boulware Gets Four Sacks in a Single Game

#13: Justin Tucker Nails a 61-Yard Field Goal to Beat Detroit

#12: Flacco Connects With Ray Rice on Fourth and 29

#11: Ray Lewis Strips Eddie George in 2000 Playoffs

#10: Ed Reed’s 106-yard Interception Return Against the Browns

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New Jersey-based Goldin Auctions announced Monday they’re offering fans “the
chance to slip their fingers into more than a dozen football
championship and Super Bowl rings,” including a ring from one of last
year’s Super Bowl-winning Ravens.

Damien Berry, a reserve running back for the Ravens from 2011-2013, has made his Super Bowl souvenir available.

A ring from the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV win is up for grabs, too, courtesy of Jamie Sharper, as is a 1958 Baltimore Colts NFL Championship ring originally awarded to Colts’ defensive back and kick returner Leonard Lyles.

According to the Baltimore Ravens’ website, the team’s ring last year was a 10-karat white and yellow gold ring, containing 243 round cut diamonds, and possibly, the flashiest Super Bowl ring ever. A recent New York Giants’ Super Bowl ring sold for more than $50,000.

Also available at the right price (and we have no idea what that is): Jamal Lewis’ 2000 Ravens’ Super Bowl trophy.

“This
is a rare opportunity for a fan or a collector to own a Super Bowl ring
less than a year after it was earned and one from a landmark NFL game,”
said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions on the company’s website.
“NFL Championship rings and Super Bowl player rings are coveted by
collectors because it is rare for them to become available.”

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