10 greatest Ravens teams of all time

10. 2010 Ravens

After a 12-4 regular season, the Ravens managed only a Wild Card berth with the Steelers winning the division on a tiebreaker. That sent the Ravens up against the Chiefs, and they blew them out, 31-7.

However, that only meant a third game against the Steelers. The previous two contests had been decided by three points each. This one turned out to be an exciting battle despite the Ravens leading 21-7 at the break.

The Steelers rallied for a 24-21 lead, but Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 24-yard field goal with 3:54 to go. However, the Steelers earned the win on Rashard Mendenhall’s 2-yard run with 1:33 left.

9. 2020 Ravens

A three-game losing streak started in late November, and the Ravens appeared to be toast. However, they rallied for five straight victories to finish 11-5 and grab a wild-card spot.

That wasn’t good news for the Titans, who couldn’t get Derrick Henry going despite an early 10-0 lead. The Ravens took the lead in the third quarter on J.K. Dobbins’ 4-yard scoring run and eventually earned a 20-13 win.

But Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense sputtered in the divisional round against the Bills. Jackson threw for 162 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. He got sacked three times in the 17-3 loss.

8. 2008 Ravens

Things looked pretty solid as the Ravens went 11-5 and earned a Wild Card berth. They took on the Dolphins and came away with a solid 27-9 win.

In the divisional round, the Ravens got a 43-yard field goal from Matt Stover with 53 seconds remaining for a 13-10 win. That pushed them into the AFC Championship game against the rival Steelers.

The Ravens made a push, getting a 1-yard scoring run from Willis McGahee with 9:29 left in the game to make it 16-14. However, the Steelers sealed the deal when Troy Polamalu picked off Flacco and raced 40 yards for a score with 4:24 to go. Flacco tossed three picks with no touchdowns and got sacked three times.

7. 2006 Ravens

Most of the great Ravens teams anchored their identity on defense, and this was no exception. The Ravens ranked No. 1 in fewest points allowed with 201.

Steve McNair was wrapping up his NFL career and led the Ravens to a 13-3 regular season, winning nine of their last 10 games. The victories set a franchise record that stood for 13 years.

However, the offense fell flat in the division round of the playoffs. The Ravens didn’t surrender a touchdown to Peyton Manning and the Colts, but gave up five field goals in a 15-6 decision. Matt Stover’s 51-yard connection with 13:03 left in the game pulled the Ravens to within one score. But Baltimore couldn’t scratch the scoreboard again.

McNair didn’t work out in the clutch, throwing for 173 with no touchdowns and two costly interceptions.

6. 2011 Ravens

The Ravens ranked among the best defenses in the NFL in almost every category. A 12-4 regular-season finish put them in the divisional round of the playoffs, where they took down the Houston Texans by a score of 20-13.

Unfortunately, the mighty Patriots awaited in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots seemed to be in control, but Joe Flacco hit Torrey Smith from 29 yards out for a 17-16 third-quarter lead. Billy Cundiff added a 39-yard field goal to make it 20-16.

However, Tom Brady’s 1-yard sneak with 11:29 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the final score in a 23-20 decision. Flacco, with 306 yards passing, outplayed Brady, who threw no TDs and two picks. But Brady got the last laugh.

5. 2001 Ravens

Coming off their great Super Bowl run, the Ravens still had the defensive talent to make another run. But they had Elvis Grbac at quarterback. He threw 15 TD passes and 18 interceptions in a forgettable season.

However, the Ravens’ defense earned the team a playoff berth with a 10-6 record. Then they dominated the Dolphins in a 20-3 Wild Card decision. The Ravens limited the Dolphins to 151 total yards, and Grbac played moderately well.

However, things changed against the Steelers in the divisional round. Grbac tossed three interceptions with no scores and completed less than half of his attempts (18 of 37). The Steelers won, 27-10.

4. 2023 Ravens

This team had the look of a Super Bowl contender. With Lamar Jackson totaling 4,499 yards of offense and accouting for 29 touchdowns, the Ravens to a 13-4 record into the playoffs.

Jackson shined again in a 34-10 win over the Texans, totaling 252 yards of offense that included 100 rushing. He accounted for four touchdowns in one of his best-ever playoff performances.

However, the Chiefs awaited in the AFC Championship game. Baltimore jumped ahead 7-0, but the Chiefs scored 17 unanswered points for an eventual 17-10 win. The Chiefs kept Jackson in the pocket as he attempted only six runs for 15 yards. Jackson passed for 241 yards, but it wasn’t enough. This turned out to be one of the most disappointing losses in Ravens’ playoff history.

3. 2019 Ravens

After starting the season 2-2, the Ravens went on a roll. They won 12 straight games and entered the playoffs as the Super Bowl favorite. But boy, did they flop.

Despite the game of games by Jackson, the Ravens crumbled into a 28-12 loss. Jackson completed 31 of 59 passes for 365 yards, but just one touchdown. He got picked off twice. He also rushed 20 times for 143 yards, losing a fumble.

It’s hard to imagine a player putting up those numbers and his team scoring only 12 points. But all the Ravens got were two field goals from Justin Tucker and a 15-yard scoring pass from Jackson to Hayden Hurst.

The 14 wins stand as the franchise record for the regular season.

2. 2012 Ravens

From a record standpoint, this team didn’t figure to be this high on the list. And when you look at how the team finished the regular season, it makes it more head-scratching. The Ravens were 9-2 after a Week 12 win over the Chargers. But they flopped to losses in four of their last five games. Included in the mix was a 34-17 whipping at the hands of the Broncos.

However, in the Wild Card game, the Ravens found a spark and won 24-9 over the Colts. They carried that momentum into the division round, where they avenged the loss to Peyton Manning and the Broncos. In a back-and-forth game, the Ravens shocked the Broncos with a 70-yard scoring strike from Flacco to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds left in regulation to tie the game. Watch it here.

Justin Tucker advanced the Ravens with a second-overtime field goal from 47 yards out.

The Patriots were up next, but the Ravens had the momentum. They trailed 13-7 at the break, but the second half was all Flacco and the Ravens in a 28-13 decision.

That put Baltimore in the “HarBowl” with John Harbaugh taking on his brother Jim, who coached San Francisco. The Ravens led 28-6 when Jones returned the second-half kickoff for a score. But the 49ers rallied, and trailed only 31-29 with 9:57 to go. But the Ravens prevailed in a 34-31 final. Flacco threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

1. 2000 Ravens

It was all about defense. In just their fifth year of existence, the Ravens allowed only 165 points in the regular season. Eleven times, they allowed 10 or fewer points.

However, offense was an issue. They took a 12-4 mark into the playoffs and thumped the Broncos, 21-3. Then they held off the Titans by a score of 24-10. In the AFC Championship game, they beat the Raiders despite quarterback Trent Dilfer turning in one of the lesser quarterback performances in an AFC title-game win in NFL history. He completed only 9 of 18 passes with a touchdown and a pick. He did have 190 yards passing, but 96 came on a 10-yard toss that Shannon Sharpe turned into a touchdown. Dilfer had completed only five passes against the Titans and nine against the Broncos. So the Ravens carried him into the Super Bowl with three straight failures to complete double-digit passes.

The Super Bowl was no contest as the Ravens brutally beat the Giants. Dilfer managed to get into double-digit completions. But he still connected on less than 50 percent of his pass attempts (12 of 25).

But this was all about defense. The Ravens crushed Giants QB Kerry Collins, who completed only 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards with four interceptions. They sacked him four times. The defense also added a score with Duane Starks’ 49-yard interception return.

Ray Lewis made it clear, according to nytimes.com.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” Lewis said. “A lot of people try to rate people based on who was more dominant here or who was more dominant there. Our argument was simple. There are factual numbers. We did something that year that, historically, will never be done again. I have too much respect for the ‘85 Bears and all of those great defenses. But I’m telling you, what we did, nobody has ever done. There ain’t nobody who has ever dominated like that.”

Lewis said the Ravens didn’t worry about the offense’s production.

“There were mixed feelings on if we can win with our style of football and not scoring a lot of points. By midseason, the language was, ‘who gives a darn?’” Ray Lewis said. “Whether you like it or not, this is how we’re going to win. We don’t have to score all these points. Once the psyche changed, the game started to be played for each other. Nothing was more important.”