The 2000 Baltimore Ravens: The Defense Never Rests
When the 2000 Baltimore Ravens broke through they went all the way—not just to the playoffs, not even just to a Super Bowl title, but with one of the great defenses in modern NFL history.
When the 2000 Baltimore Ravens broke through they went all the way—not just to the playoffs, not even just to a Super Bowl title, but with one of the great defenses in modern NFL history.
The modern era of the NFL can be fairly said to have begun in 1978. Three significant changes took place—the first significant restrictions were placed on defensive backs, thereby opening up offenses and beginning to create the modern style. The schedule expanded to 16 games and a wild-card round was added to the playoffs. The […]
The New England Patriots had won a Super Bowl in 2001 when they were seen as a miracle team on a magical ride. When the Pats missed the playoffs in 2002 there were fair questions as to whether this duo of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady were really going to have long-term success. The 2003 New England Patriots obliterated those questions with another Super Bowl trophy that said Belichick and Brady were here to stay
The issue of Tampa Bay playing in the cold was a prominent issue at the time. Not only is this a topic for conversation any time a warm weather team goes north, but the Bucs own recent history had seen consecutive playoff losses in Philly. What’s more, they had just won for the first time in franchise history when the weather was below 32 degrees—and that was against the 4-12 Chicago Bears.
The St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans were not likely candiates to give America a great championship battle. They weren’t even good candidates to make the playoffs, much less the Super Bowl when the 1999 NFL season began. But in an unpredictable year, a great battle is exactly what America got, as the Rams-Titans Super Bowl came down to but a single yard.
The Denver Broncos got a long-overdue Super Bowl win in 1997 by going the wild-card route and then winning the Super Bowl itself as a double-digit underdog. The 1998 Denver Broncos completed a back-to-back run and they did it with considerably more authority, as John Elway completed his illustrious career.
The NFL playoffs expanded to five teams per conference in 1978 and then six in time for the 1990 season. No team seeded below #4—the demarcation point for having to play three straight road games—had ever won the Super Bowl. The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers made history and were the first.