NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
In 2011, the Baltimore Ravens came within a drop pass and a missed field goal from the Super Bowl. Losing heartbreakingly to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game by the score of 23-20. The Ravens and the fans felt it was their last hurrah, with Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs. But the Ravens were looking to write the wrong in 2011, going into the 2012 NFL season. And, using the emotions of 2011, Ray Lewis’s fiery passion was going to be key for that season’s run. Through it all, the 2012 Baltimore Ravens were led by emotion and heart during that season.
The 2012 Baltimore Ravens are what you would call a Cinderella team that went through a roller coaster season. The offense and defense were both in the middle of the pack on their side of the ball in 2012. Offensively, the Ravens were led by Joe Flacco, who threw for 22 touchdowns and had 10 interceptions in 16 games. While running back Ray Rice led the running game with 1,143 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns. And, wide receivers Torrey Smith and Anquan Bolden led the team in receiving yards with a total combined of 1,776 receiving yards.
The 2012 defense was ranked near the bottom of the NFL despite having Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs. The secondary had a total of 13 interceptions, led by safety Ed Reed and cornerback Cary Williams with 4 each. Pass rushing had a decent 2012, with a total of 37 sacks, led by Paul Kreger with 9 sacks. One stat that was low for the 2012 Baltimore Ravens was turnovers, with only 16 turnovers during the regular season. Though the 2012 Baltimore Ravens were down in the season, they made plays when it counted the most in games.
Regular Season:
What many people seem to forget is that the Ravens got off to a nice 9-2 through 11 games. They had some big-time wins against the Patriots with Tom Brady, the Cowboys, the Texans, and the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Also, had a memorable win against the Chargers, where the Ravens had to convert a 4th and 29 late. By week 13, the Ravens were sitting at 9-2 and in contention for a potential #1 seed in the AFC. And then things started to come apart for the Ravens from week 13 all the way to week 17.
The Ravens started the season with a 9-2 record, then went on a bit of a losing streak. They went on to lose 3 consecutive games against the Steelers, the Redskins, and a Peyton Manning Broncos team. In Week 16, the Ravens wrapped up the AFC North with a 33-14 win over the New York Giants. Then, losing the season finale to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 after winning the AFC North the week before. Started the season 9-2, the Ravens finished 10-6 after losing 4 of their last 5 ball games to crawl into the playoffs.
2012 Playoffs:
In the Wild Card round, the Ravens had to face the team that once called Baltimore home, the Indianapolis Colts. This game also marked the return of Ray Lewis, who returned after missing the previous 10 games with a triceps injury. Before the game that week, Ray Lewis told everyone that he would be retiring after the 2012 season. And, Ray Lewis had a monster in his return by making 13 tackles in the last home game of his career. The defense was able to hold the Colts to only 3 field goals on the day for a 24-9 win.
The next week, the Ravens would head to Denver for a rematch of Week 15 against the Denver Broncos. The game itself turned into a memorable one as it became known as the “Mile High Miracle” for Ravens fans. With at least then a 1 minute left, Jacoby Jones saved the season by catching a Joe Flacco Hail Mary. The Ravens would then pick off Peyton Manning a 2nd time to set up Justin Tucker’s game-winning field goal. And, the Ravens would stun the Denver Broncos in double overtime by the score of 38-35 to move on in the playoffs.
In the AFC Championship, the Ravens would get their chance at redemption against the New England Patriots. Joe Flacco continued his magical postseason with another 3 touchdown passes and no interceptions against the Patriots’ defense. Anquan Bolden had 2 big touchdown catches to put the game out of reach for the Ravens. The defense was able to force 3 turnovers in the 2nd half, with 2 interceptions of Tom Brady. And, the Ravens were able to get their redemption from their heartbreaking loss in 2011 with a 28-13 win.
Super Bowl XLVII:
In Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens would face the NFC champions, the San Francisco 49ers, in New Orleans. Coming in, the Baltimore Ravens were coming in as 4-point underdogs against the 49ers. And this game became known as the Harbaugh Bowl, where we saw John and Jim Harbaugh coaching against each other. The whole game was hyping it up as the Harbaugh Bowl, but also Ray Lewis’s last game of his career. The game itself was as topsy-turvy as you would see any other Super Bowl in history.
The Ravens would get out to a 21-3 lead by 3 Joe Flacco touchdown passes, all in the 1st half. And then Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the 2nd half for a touchdown of 109 yards. By then, the Ravens were up 28-6 and looked like they were about to cruise to a 2nd Super Bowl title. And then the light bizarrely went out for about 34 minutes, holding the Ravens’ momentum. And then, after play resumed, the momentum switched sides from Baltimore to San Francisco.
Then the 49ers were able to score 17 unanswered points and made a 5-point game going into the 4th quarter. And then Justin Tucker was able to make 2 field goals to provide some breathing room. But the Ravens need to rely on their defense to preserve a Super Bowl title. The defense, with about 2 minutes left were able to pull off one of the greatest goal stands. And, held on after letting a safety for the 49ers, the Ravens held on to win Super Bowl XLVII 34-31, led by emotion and heart.
Joe Flacco was named Super Bowl MVP with another 3-touchdown game with zero interceptions, capping off a memorable postseason. For the run that Joe Flacco had in the 2012 playoffs, he earned himself a 6-year contract. Ray Lewis, after coming back for the postseason, went out as a champion in his final game that led by emotion and heart. He showed that his passion for the Ravens was how the 2012 Ravens played with emotions and heart. And then many players on that 2012 team left either by free agency or by trade.
The 2012 Baltimore Ravens will go down as one of the most memorable underdog runs in NFL history. From starting the season hot, then scratching and clawing their way to the playoffs, this team showed the meaning of underdog. And for Joe Flacco to beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the same postseason made him a postseason legend. And, the retirement of Ray Lewis meant that the Ravens had to play their absolute best for him. When people talk about the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, they will show how this team led by emotion and heart.
