1. Super Bowl Champions

Hey, not sure if you heard, but Ray Lewis is going out a champion! John Harbaugh had the greatest season of his coaching career, taking a team that endured injury after injury to the Super Bowl to face his brother’s 49ers.

Flacco can now say he’s elite after his playoff performance, and Ed Reed finally got the ring he deserves.

Party hard Baltimore, party hard.

*Cue Seven Nation Army chant*

2. Winning AFC Championship

There isn’t a more perfect way to get revenge against the team that knocked you out of the playoffs last season than a beat down on Tom Brady in New England. Joe Flacco was flawless and, as he’s done for the past few games against the Pats, outplayed Brady. Ray’s retirement party got put on hold for two weeks.

3. Jacoby Jones’s game-tying touchdown in Denver

Jacoby Jones was the recipient of one of the most important passes in Ravens history.

With just seconds remaining, Flacco avoided Denver’s pass rushers and showed why he has the strongest arm in the league, throwing the ball 70 yards down field, just over the head of safety Rahim Moore.

Every Ravens fan lost their voice after this play.

4. Winning AFC North

Just as they did in Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens crushed the Giants. Eli Manning was on his rear-end the entire game and watched Flacco put on one of his best performances of the season. Flacco threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns.

Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce each ran for over 100 yards en route to Baltimore’s second-straight AFC North title.

5. 4th and 29 Hey Diddle Diddle

Sandwiched in between the two Pittsburgh games was a West coast trip to San Diego to face the always dangerous but under-achieving Chargers. It seemed that the Ravens were about to lose the game until Flacco dumped the ball off to Ray

Rice in the flats on a 4th and 29 with just over a minute in overtime.

Rice made just about the entire Charger defense miss and got the first down by inches. Justin Tucker tied the game on a field goal, and then kicked the game winner in overtime.

6. Jacoby Jones punt return at Pittsburgh

It was the only touchdown of the game for the Ravens. Special teams hero Jacoby Jones fielded a Steeler punt and sprinted toward the end zone, finishing the great play with one of the best dances all season. The Ravens wound up winning the game 13-10.

7. Flacco 98-yard interception

Down 10-7 to the Broncos at home and driving, Flacco threw a predictable interception that Chris Harris returned for 98 yards to give Denver a 17-7 halftime lead en route to a blowout win in Baltimore. Since this play, and prior to the Super Bowl, Flacco did not throw an interception and lifted the Ravens all the way to New Orleans. In my opinion, the play jump-started Flacco to becoming elite, at least for the playoffs.

8. Ray Lewis’s “last ride” announcement

Lewis has been the face of the Ravens for the team’s entire existence and brought a Lombardi Trophy to Baltimore. He’s the best motivator sports have ever seen, and the second greatest linebacker to take the field, behind Lawrence Taylor.

Ray’s announcement motivated everyone in the Ravens organization to step it up and helped propel the Ravens to the Super Bowl. NO WEAPON!

9. Torrey Smith vs. Patriots after his brother passed

Twenty-four hours before the Ravens hosted the Patriots on Sunday Night Football, Tevin Smith, brother of Ravens’ receiver Torrey Smith, was killed in an automobile accident. Smith decided to play in the game and put on an incredible performance. Smith torched the Pats’ defense for 127 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. The Ravens won the game 31-30 thanks to a Justin Tucker field goal with time expiring.

10. Terrell Suggs’ return

Frankensuggs returned to the Ravens’ lineup just as they lost Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb. Although Baltimore got blown out in Houston, Suggs made a sack in his first game back after tearing his Achilles just six months prior. Suggs hasn’t put up the numbers as he did last year, but his presence and leadership has really improved the Ravens’ defense. He’s also good to look at, so it’s nice that we got to see him on camera sooner than we all thought.