Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland, competing in the NFL's AFC North division. Founded in 1996, the franchise emerged from the controversial relocation of Art Modell's Cleveland Browns, but through a legal settlement, the Ravens were treated as an expansion team. The name honors Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote "The Raven" while living in Baltimore. The team plays home games at M&T Bank Stadium, which opened in 1998, and trains at their facility in Owings Mills.

The Ravens quickly forged an identity built on ferocious defense and a punishing ground game. That identity peaked in 2000, when their defense allowed the fewest points in a 16-game regular season in NFL history, propelling the team to a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. A second Lombardi Trophy arrived in 2012, as Joe Flacco engineered a historic playoff run culminating in a 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens are one of only two franchises with multiple Super Bowl wins and zero losses in the big game.

Under owner Steve Bisciotti, who bought the team in 2004 for $600 million, and head coach John Harbaugh (hired in 2008), the Ravens have remained perennial contenders. They have won eight AFC North titles and made five AFC Championship game appearances. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP, has led the team to division crowns in 2023 and 2024. The franchise is valued at $4.63 billion as of 2023, ranking 28th among the world's most valuable sports teams. [edit]

Professional football disappeared from Baltimore in 1984 when the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Twelve years later, on February 9, 1996, the NFL approved Art Modell's relocation of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore. As part of the settlement, the Browns' name and history stayed in Cleveland, making the Ravens an expansion team that inherited the Browns' personnel. The team name was chosen through a fan contest, with "Ravens" winning to honor Edgar Allan Poe. The Ravens played their first game on September 1, 1996, beating the Oakland Raiders 19-14 before a sold-out crowd of 64,124 at Memorial Stadium.

The early years under coach Ted Marchibroda were middling, but the arrival of Brian Billick in 1999 and a defense anchored by Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, and Rod Woodson transformed the team. In 2000, the Ravens posted a 12-4 record, and their defense set a 16-game record by allowing just 165 points. They ripped through the playoffs, allowing only 16 points in three games, and crushed the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP.

After a few seasons of playoff near-misses, the Ravens drafted Joe Flacco in 2008 and hired John Harbaugh as head coach. The duo made the playoffs in each of their first five seasons, an NFL first. In 2012, Flacco threw 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in the postseason, leading Baltimore past the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The team transitioned to Lamar Jackson in 2018, and he won MVP in 2019 and again in 2023. Jackson's dual-threat ability has kept the Ravens in contention, with AFC North titles in 2023 and 2024. [edit]