Baltimore Ravens

When Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in 1996, he brought a franchise but not a history — the Browns' name, colors, and records stayed in Cleveland as part of an agreement with the NFL. Baltimore, which had lost the Colts to Indianapolis in the dead of night in 1984, was getting a second chance at professional football, but it would have to start from scratch.

The team was named the Ravens, after Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem — the literary giant having lived and died in Baltimore. The purple-and-black color scheme and the fierce raven logo gave the franchise an instant identity. Head coach Ted Marchibroda, who had also coached the old Baltimore Colts, provided a bridge to the city's football past.

The early years were challenging. The Ravens went 4-12 in their inaugural season and struggled to find consistent quarterback play. But general manager Ozzie Newsome was quietly building one of the most talented rosters in football, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The drafting of Ray Lewis in 1996 and the systematic accumulation of defensive talent would soon produce results that exceeded anyone's expectations.

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens fielded what many consider the greatest defense in NFL history. Led by Ray Lewis, who won both Defensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP, the Ravens allowed just 165 points in 16 regular-season games — a number so low it seemed like a misprint. The defense featured Lewis at middle linebacker, Rod Woodson and Chris McAlister in the secondary, and a ferocious front seven that made every snap feel like a mugging.

The offense, quarterbacked by Trent Dilfer, was mediocre at best — the Ravens famously went five straight games without scoring an offensive touchdown during the regular season. But the defense was so dominant that it didn't matter. Baltimore steamrolled through the playoffs, outscoring opponents 95-23 in four games, and won Super Bowl XXXV with a 34-7 demolition of the New York Giants.

The post-Super Bowl years brought coaching changes — Brian Billick kept the team competitive but couldn't recapture the magic — and the ongoing quest for a franchise quarterback. Kyle Boller, Steve McNair, and a series of temporary solutions cycled through, keeping the Ravens in contention most years but never quite at championship level.

The 2008 season marked the beginning of a new chapter. John Harbaugh was hired as head coach, and rookie quarterback Joe Flacco took the starting job immediately. The combination worked — Harbaugh brought discipline and adaptability, while Flacco provided the steady, sometimes spectacular quarterback play the franchise had always needed.

The 2012 season was the crowning achievement. Flacco played the best football of his career in the postseason, throwing 11 touchdown passes with zero interceptions in four playoff games — one of the greatest individual postseason performances ever. The Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, coached by John's brother Jim, featured the surreal "Blackout Bowl" power outage, a furious 49ers comeback, and ultimately a 34-31 Ravens triumph. Ray Lewis, in his final game, went out as a champion.

The post-Super Bowl years saw the Ravens remain competitive under Harbaugh's steady hand, making the playoffs regularly but unable to mount another championship run. Flacco's play declined, and by 2018 it was clear that the franchise needed a new direction at quarterback.