Rise and Conquer: A Baltimore Ravens Franchise

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Game: Madden 16
Sliders: TBA

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Ravens Timeline (2011-Present)

2011: The Ravens sign Vonta Leach and Bryant McKinnie, and draft Jimmy Smith, Torrey Smith, and Pernell McPhee. Each player would be instrumental in the team's eventual victory in Superbowl 47.


2011: The Ravens went 12-4 to win the AFC North. Baltimore hosted the Texans in the Divisional Round and won 20-13 behind their trademark defense, led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.



2011: The Ravens traveled to Foxborough to meet Tom Brady's Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. At 13-3, the Patriots had earned the #1 seed in the AFC. The game was a classic. Baltimore's defense picked off Brady twice and did not allow him to throw a touchdown pass. Brady's TD run on a goalline QB sneak put the Patriots ahead with 11:29 to play. Down 23-20, the Ravens had a chance to win late. Quarterback Joe Flacco found WR Lee Evans in the endzone for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown. However, Patriots DB Sterling Moore stripped the ball from Evans, making the pass fall incomplete. With 11 seconds remaining, the Ravens sent kicker Billy Cundiff to attempt a 32 yard, game tying field goal.

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dciqiWKb_Y4

Cundiff shanked the kick, and the Ravens lost 23-20. Linebacker Terrell Suggs was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Ray Rice, Vonta Leach, Marshall Yanda, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed all made the Pro Bowl.



2012: Ravens founder Art Modell passed away in September. The team wore "Art" patches on their jerseys to honor him.

2012: The team released Billy Cundiff and Lee Evans, who are infamous for their gaffes in the 2011 AFC Championship game. The team signed Corey Graham, Jacoby Jones, and James Ihedigbo, and drafted Courtney Upshaw and Kelechi Osemele.



2012: On Monday Night Football, the Ravens crushed the Bengals 44-13 in Baltimore to start the season. Two weeks later in Baltimore, the Ravens edged the Patriots 31-30 to avenge their AFC Championship game loss. On October 21, the Ravens are crushed by the Texans in Reliant Stadium 43-13. Two games later, the Ravens demolished the Raiders 55-20 in M&T Bank Stadium.



2012: On Sunday Night Football, the Ravens edged their archrival Steelers 13-10 thanks to a punt return touchdown from Jacoby Jones and two field goals by Justin Tucker. The next week, the Ravens beat the Chargers 1613 in overtime in San Diego. The Ravens dropped the next game at home to the Steelers 23-20 due to a 42 yard field goal from Shaun Suisham as time expired. After Ben Roethlisberger had been hurt weeks prior, the team turned to 37 year old Charlie Batch, who guided the team to victory. The next week, the Ravens dropped a second consecutive game to their neighboring rivals, the Redskins, 31-28 in overtime, in FedEx Field. The week after that, the Ravens dropped a third straight game, to the Broncos, by losing 34-17. Chris Harris returned an interception for a touchdown. Before the game, the Ravens fired OC Cam Cameron, and Jim Caldwell stepped in to replace him.



2012: After three straight losses, the Ravens crushed the Giants 33-14. Flacco threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, the Ravens clinched their second consecutive AFC North title. The Ravens finished at 10-6.


2012: the Ravens hosted #1 overall pick Andrew Luck and his Colts in the Wild Card round and won 24-9. Before the game, Ray Lewis announced that he would be retiring after the season. Anquan Boldin set a franchise record with 145 receiving yards. Lewis recorded 13 tackles in his final home game and his first game since tearing his bicep in October. Dennis Pitta also caught a touchdown.



January 12, 2013: the Mile High Miracle

The Ravens avenged their loss to the Broncos from a few weeks earlier with an incredible double overtime victory over Peyton Manning's Broncos in Denver. A desperation heave turned into a 70 yard TD pass to Jacoby Jones which tied the game at :31 and forced overtime. A 47 yard field goal from Juatin Tucker gave the Ravens the victory. Ray Lewis recorded 17 tackels to prolong his career one more week.


2012: The Ravens returned to Foxborough for the AFC Championship against the Patriots. Three TD passes from Joe Flacco led to a 28-13 victory.



2012: Superbowl 47/the Harbaugh-Bowl. The Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh, met the 49ers, coached by younger brother Jim Harbaugh, in the Mercedez-Benz Superdome. A 34 minute power outage delayed the game just as the Ravens began to take control. The Ravens held on to win 34-31, claiming their second championship in 11 years as a franchise. When the power went out, the Ravens led by 22. The 49ers clawed back, forcing the Ravens to stop them four times inside their own seven yard line at the end of the game. Jacoby Jones' 108 kickoff return touchdown made all the difference. With 3 TD passes (Boldin, Pitta and 58 yards to Jones) Joe Flacco was named the Superbowl MVP. Ray Lewis rode into the sunset with a second championship. Rice, Leach, Yanda, Jones, Ngata and Reed made the Pro Bowl.



2013: the Exodus

The Ravens, for the first time in franchise history, had a roster without Ray Lewis. The team lost a record 8 starters from the Superbowl winning team; no team had lost more than 5. The team drafted Matt Elam, Arthur Brown, Brandon Williams, Kyle Juszczyk, and Rick Wagner. The Ravens traded Anquan Boldin to the 49ers. The Ravens signed DL Chris Canty, Daryl Smith, and, thanks to a fax fiasco, Elvis Dumervil. Flacco signed a six year, $120 million dollar deal. Ed Reed, Cary Williams, Bernard Pollard, Dannell Ellerbe and Bernard Pollard are just a few of the names that left.



2013: On opening night, the Broncos avenged their loss by crushing the Ravens in Baltimore 49-27. Peyton Manning tied a record with 7 TD passes. Later in the season, the Patriots also avenged their loss, crushing the Ravens 41-7. The Ravens finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Yanda, Ngata, Suggs and Tucker made the Pro Bowl.



2014: the Ravens drafted CJ Mosley, Timmy Jernigan, Terrence Brooks, Crockett Gillmore, Lorenzo Talliaferro, and John Urschel. The Ravens traded for OT Eugene Monroe. The team signed HB Justin Forsett, WR Steve Smith, TE Owen Daniels, C Jeremy Zuttah, and S Darian Stewart. Jim Caldwell left to coach the Lions, so the Ravens hired Gary Kubiak as their new OC.



Behind Kubiak, Flacco threw for career-highs in TDs and yards, the offense scored a franchise record 409 points, and Justin Forsett enjoyed a career breakout. Dumervil, Forsett, Mosley and Yanda made the Pro Bowl. The Ravens easily beat the Steelers in the Wild Card round but lost a heart breaker 35-31 to the eventual champion Patriots in the Divisional Round.