Being a passionate Ravens fan living in New England can be a true test of patience. While you have to respect the success of the Patriots, being constantly surrounded by their fans has its challenges.
There’s no denying the hatred that exists between Ravens and Steelers but you have to respect their fan base. They’re loyal, educated about their team, and they eat, sleep and breathe the black and gold.
In what New Englanders like to refer to as Title Town (insert eye roll here), the Patriots relevance is typically more short-lived. When January rolls around, suddenly everyone in New England is a die-hard Patriots fan.
In a way though, being a Ravens fan in Boston is a lot of fun. I’ve lived here for nine years, embraced the hatred, and watched the rivalry evolve into arguably the best in the NFL. I’ve been fortunate in recent years, as the Ravens have played at Gillette a lot. The stakes have often been high, and the results have been mixed, which in large part is why the rivalry is so great.
Despite the fact that the Ravens have had more success in Foxborough than any team in recent memory, my most memorable trip there was perhaps the most heart breaking loss in team history. Although it was gut wrenching at the time, its memorability is inextricably tied to the resolve and perseverance the Ravens exhibited on January 22, 2012.
Their willingness to tackle adversity stemming directly from that bitter loss would in large part fuel a championship the following year.
I have some great close friends who are Patriots fans, and I made the trip to Foxborough that day with one of them. It was a typical New England January day, twenty-nine degrees, cold and cloudy. It was perfect football weather.
As we made the way to our seats you couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming amount of purple. Ravens fans travel well and there were thousands in attendance that day. In fact the entire two rows behind us were made up of Lewis, Reed and Flacco jerseys. It was a welcomed sight in enemy territory.
The game was back and forth. It started as an offensive struggle, but both teams then began to exchange blows. There is no need to relive the sequence of events that led to the loss. Unfortunately they are all still fresh in our minds.
The Ravens had their opportunities, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Lee Evans dropped a perfectly thrown ball, and Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. It was without a doubt the most difficult loss in Ravens history.
When Cundiff’s chip shot was shanked left, I buried my face in my hands as I felt the high fives being exchanged around me. I turned for some consolation to the fellow Ravens fans sitting behind me, but they were gone.
I can’t say I blame them.
Had I not been there with a Patriots fan I would have been headed for the turnstiles myself.
However, my friend and I made an agreement beforehand, regardless of the outcome, the other would suck it up and stay for the ceremony and trophy presentation. I am confident I was literally the only Ravens fan who remained in the stadium thirty minutes after the game ended. Needless to say, it was a long walk back to the car.
So you are probably wondering why a game I’d like to forget is for me the most memorable game in Ravens history, right?
There is little doubt that without the experience of this loss, the Ravens don’t lift the Lombardi in 2012. That loss, as heartbreaking and miserable as it was at the time, was as integral a part to the Ravens championship season as Ray Lewis’ announcement to the team that he would retire after the 2012 season.
Speaking of Ray, after that loss he rallied the Ravens in the locker room and said, “we gotta come back to work, and make sure we finish it next time.”
When the Ravens returned to Gillette the following year, that’s exactly what they did. While they were underdogs in that game, just as they’ve been every time they’ve traveled to Foxborough, they won in dominating fashion.
A trip to New Orleans was almost never in doubt.
But it all started after that missed 32-yard field goal.
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