A Brief History
The Baltimore Ravens are an American Football team playing in the NFL, based out of Baltimore, Maryland. They compete in the AFC (American Football Conference) division, specifically the North section. The Ravens have won the AFC Conference twice and the Super Bowl twice in their 26-year history. Last year, the Baltimore Ravens put on a disappointing showing, finishing at the bottom of the AFC North division. The management may have thought that a poor season can be made up for with a strong draft performance, they took a chance hoping it will pay off, just like you can take a chance playing Platincasino Live casino games for a chance to win. Nonetheless, even with a somewhat poor performance, the team still has a rich history, so let’s take a look at some key moments.
The Beginning
The Baltimore Ravens were founded in 1996 when they were moved from Cleveland to Baltimore by then-owner Art Modell. However, as part of the agreement with the city of Cleveland and the NFL, Art was not allowed to take the Brown’s colors, branding, history, or team records, as another team would take over the team’s place in 1999. Instead, Art would have to form an expansion team with his personnel, which he called the Baltimore Ravens. He brought in veteran NFL coach Ted Marchibroda to coach the team in its infancy.
The First Magic Moment
While the Ravens’ got off to a rocky start, it wouldn’t take long for them to have their first magical moment. In the year 2000, the Ravens made it to the NFL playoffs for the first time in their history, advancing through the wild card system after finishing 2nd in the AFC Central division (before the Central division was eliminated in 2002). Led by new head coach Brian Billick, the Ravens won both their Wild Card and Divisional playoffs, beating Denver 21-3 and Tennessee 24-10. They faced Oakland in the AFC Championship match, coming on top in a low-scoring game, 16-3. This took them to Super Bowl XXXV, where they faced the NY Giants. Baltimore continued their incredible defensive record and won 34-7 – winning their first Super Bowl title.
Harbaugh x Flacco
When people think of successful coach-quarterback combinations, Harbaugh and Flacco should be near the top of anyone’s list. After joining in 2008, Harbaugh and Flacco made 7 playoff appearances – over half of the total playoff appearances in Ravens’ history.
The year 2012 was a very bright one: we say 2012 UK Olympics, the skydiving record was broken and the Ravens had their most successful year by far. This is the year the Ravens’ won their second AFC Championship and second Super Bowl, beating the San Francisco 49ers in a tense 34-31 victory. Joe Flacco threw for 287 yards and 3 TDs during this game, cementing just how central he was to the team’s success.
The Current Era
After the Harbaugh x Flacco partnership ended, the Baltimore Ravens have been going from strength to strength, putting in some great season performances. They’ve made three playoff appearances since 2018, with last year being the first time in the current era that they haven’t done so. During this time, they’ve won the AFC North a further two times, once in 2018 and once in 2019. Many pundits expect the Ravens to bounce back from their injury-plagued 2021 season, especially after such a successful draft. They’re being tipped for a return to the NFL post-season, and they could even make a run at the Super Bowl title.
