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The Big Twenty
2019 marked the end of what’s been a spectacular, tragic, exciting and controversial two decades in the region.
At NBC Sports Washington, we gathered a panel of sportswriters, former athletes and other experts to look back on the region’s biggest sports stories with our The Big Twenty project. Agree? Disagree? Want to share your story? We’re on Twitter at @NBCSWashington.
The List
We are excited to reveal story number 10 in our countdown – Ray Lewis, Ravens’ historic defense wins Super Bowl XXXV. Check back every weekday through February 13th as we reveal where each story ranks.
Just five years after professional football returned to Charm City, the 2000 Ravens found themselves on top of the football world. For a fanbase still bitter about the departure of the Colts nearly two decades earlier, the Ravens’ championship legitimized the franchise in a city desperate for good football.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis, the Ravens clamped down on offense after offense en route to one of the most statistically-dominant seasons of all time.
The 2000 Ravens allowed just 10.3 points per game, an astonishing number that set the record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season in NFL history. The record still stands today, and given the offensive environment football finds itself in, likely will for a very long time.
They shut out a record four opponents and allowed 20 points just three times during the season. After a three-game losing streak in October culminating with a 9-6 home loss to the Steelers, the Ravens reeled off 11 straight wins, including four in the postseason.
In those 11 wins, they allowed 90 total points.
No, that’s not a typo. They allowed 8.2 points per game. No wonder they didn’t lose a game for three months.
WATCH AND READ MORE AT NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.COM/THEBIGTWENTY
