Tag: Super Bowl XLVII

Josh Bynes officially retires as a Raven after 12 NFL seasons

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven. Today, @bynestime56 will officially retire as a Raven Congratulations on your retirement, Joshâť• pic.twitter.com/Wz727HBRbz – Baltimore Ravens …

Following 12 seasons in the NFL, inside linebacker Josh Bynes is officially retiring as a Baltimore Raven.

Bynes was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2011. The very next season, Bynes would make the game-ending tackle on Ted Ginn Jr. on a kickoff in Baltimore’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Bynes was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad by the Detroit Lions during the 2014 season. After spending three seasons with the Lions, Bynes signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he would stay for the next two seasons before being released in the 2019 offseason.

Bynes returned to Baltimore during the 2019 season. The Ravens’ young pair of inside linebackers were struggling to start the season after losing C.J. Mosley in free agency to the New York Jets that offseason. Baltimore turned to Bynes and fellow veteran inside linebacker L.J. Fort a few weeks into the season, and the duo did not look back.

Bynes signed with the Cincinnati Bengals following the 2019 season. After one season with the Bengals, he signed with the Carolina Panthers but was released as part of final roster cutdowns before the 2021 season.

The Ravens were in a similar situation to start the 2021 season, with second-year first-round pick Patrick Queen struggling without Fort on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Baltimore again turned to Bynes to save the day, and he did just that.

Bynes remained a starter alongside Queen into the next season until the Ravens traded for All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears.

The former undrafted linebacker finished his 12-year career with 582 total tackles, 39 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, five interceptions, 34 passes defended, and one defensive touchdown in 138 games played.

Browns sign former Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco to practice squad

Browns sign former Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco to practice squad

After losing starting quarterback Deshaun Watson to a season-ending shoulder injury against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns are signing a former Ravens quarterback.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns are signing veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to their practice squad.

This will be the fourth team Flacco has been on since being traded by Baltimore to the Denver Broncos for a fourth-round pick in 2019. Following a one-year stint with the Broncos, Flacco has played for the New York Jets on two separate occasions and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The now 38-year-old quarterback experienced much success with the Ravens, including being named Super Bowl XLVII MVP to go with ten playoff wins over his 11 seasons in Baltimore.

Cleveland turned to rookie fifth-round quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 11. The UCLA quarterback led the Browns to a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers to improve to 7-3 and remain firmly in the hunt for the AFC North at best and a wild-card playoff berth at worst.

Flacco has plenty of post-season experience, so if Thompson-Robinson cannot get the job done over the remainder of the season, Cleveland may turn to the once Super Bowl MVP to steer the ship alongside their top-ranked defense.

8 years ago today, the Ravens won their second Super Bowl

On this day 8 years ago, the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, claiming the team’s second Lombardi Trophy

Super Bowl LV is set to take place in just a couple of days as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs to determine which team is the best in the NFL. But not too long ago, the league was under the Baltimore Ravens’ reign.

On this day eight years ago, the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII to claim the second Lombardi Trophy in the franchise’s existence. It was a monumental moment for the team, not only because the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of achievement in the NFL, but because it was linebacker Ray Lewis’ last ride. Lewis had announced the 2012 season would be his last as Baltimore entered the playoffs, making Super Bowl XLVII the last time he’d step on the field in pads and a keystone moment in Lewis’ Hall of Fame career.

The game was filled with twists and turns befitting its stature. Baltimore got out to a 28-6 lead early in the third quarter after Jacob Jones returned the second-half’s opening kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown. But a power outage soon after caused the game to be suspended for over a half-hour, allowing the 49ers to rally and ultimately make it a tight game, bringing the score to 31-29 midway through the fourth quarter. The Ravens obviously prevailed, beating San Francisco 34-31.

While fans have often criticized Baltimore’s lack of postseason success since Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens remain one of the best teams in the league. When looking at the rest of the league, an eight-year gap since the team’s last Super Bowl appearance is actually one of the shortest droughts in the NFL currently.

Take a look at where Baltimore sits on the list of longest Super Bowl/NFL Championship droughts:

Team Years
1 Detroit Lions 63
2 New York Jets 52
3 Cleveland Browns 48
4 Minnesota Vikings 44
5 Miami Dolphins 36
6 Cincinnati Bengals 32
7 Washington 29
8 Buffalo Bills 27
9 Jacksonville Jaguars 26
10 Los Angeles Chargers 26
11 Dallas Cowboys 25
12 Tennessee Titans 21
13 Houston Texans 19
14 Las Vegas Raiders (formerly Oakland) 18
15 Chicago Bears 14
16 Arizona Cardinals 12
17 New Orleans Saints 11
18 Indianapolis Colts 11
19 Green Bay Packers 10
20 Pittsburgh Steelers 10
21 New York Giants 9
22 Baltimore Ravens 8

The Ravens were the last team to represent the AFC North, quite a feat considering the Pittsburgh Steelers have also been one of the league’s best teams over the last decade. With the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns improving — the Browns made it to the divisional round of the playoffs as well last season — that could all change in the coming years. But for Baltimore’s fans, there hasn’t been much of a wait since past glory.

As we hear more about the Chiefs and Buccaneers this week, reflect back kindly on that dominant 2012 team.

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Ravens’ 2020 season ‘eerily similar’ to 2012’s Super Bowl-winning run

CB Jimmy Smith pointed out the “eerily similar” aspects of the Baltimore Ravens’ 2020 and 2012 seasons as Super Bowl LV looms large.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith has been with the team since he was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. Over those 10 years in the league, Smith has seen just about everything the game has to offer. He’s been on a 5-11 team in 2015 and he won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2012. So when he says this season is shaping up a lot like that 2012 Super Bowl-winning campaign, it’s time to listen.

“It’s similar,” Smith said about comparing the 2012 and 2020 seasons. “I’m not going to say it’s the same, nothing’s the same, but it’s eerily similar to us hitting a little adversity and then going on a hot streak and then being a wild card in the playoffs. That’s kinda the route we took then and we’re kinda on pace, but we’ll see.”

Smith isn’t joking when he says it’s eerily similar. While I’m not one for conspiracy theories, the two seasons have far more in common with one another than seems possible by accident. And, it all starts with that adversity he talked about.

That 2012 season saw the Ravens drop four of their final five games, including key contests against playoff contenders like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. Baltimore would then get some revenge by beating the Broncos in the playoffs on their road to Super Bowl XLVII. This season, the Ravens dropped four of five games in the middle of the season, including big losses to the Steelers and Tennessee Titans. But last week, Baltimore got revenge on the Titans in the postseason to advance to the divisional round.

There are some other odd similarities in the schedule of both seasons.

  • In both 2012 and 2020, the Ravens played the NFC East, as well as going up against the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots in the regular season. When combined with games against the AFC North, that’s 10-of-13 opponents being the same.
  • The Ravens opened the 2012 season with a beatdown of an AFC North rival in the Cincinnati Bengals, winning by a 31-point margin of victory. This season, Baltimore beat the Cleveland Browns by a 32-point margin of victory in Week 1.
  • The Ravens got matched up with the New York Giants in Week 16 of both seasons. Baltimore beat New York by at least 14 points in each season.

While these can just as easily be chalked up to how the NFL’s scheduling system works, the sheer number of similarities and specifics are difficult to ignore.

Even the setups to both playoff runs are eerily similar. The Ravens, in both instances, had quarterbacks that were having their place in the league questioned by outsiders. Joe Flacco was seen as a mediocre quarterback that couldn’t get over the hump, much like the narrative Jackson carried into the playoffs this season. Even the defenses, which were good but not great in the regular season, found a way to step up their play in the playoffs.

Smith also pointed out how both seasons were answers to disappointing playoff exits the year before.

“The first year in 2011, we went and kinda didn’t make it — kinda similar to last year, got all the way up there and basically didn’t make it. And then coming back and having, pretty much, the same team but still hitting some adversity that year — dropping like four games in a row and then squeezing into the playoffs and making that run.”

Whether destiny is a thing or Baltimore just faced enough adversity with enough talent on the roster to make a Super Bowl run possible is up for debate. But one game into the playoffs and the Ravens are hot right now. They still have a long way to go before the two seasons sync up perfectly but the fact so much aligns shouldn’t be ignored.

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Chiefs’ Super Bowl ring looks awfully familiar

The Kansas City Chiefs used the same company and got a very similar looking ring to what the Baltimore Ravens had after Super Bowl XLVII

The Super Bowl ring reveal is a special time each year for the winning team. It’s a chance for the players, coaches, and even fans to once again revel in being the best team in the NFL while getting something so many great players and teams have never achieved. On a more superficial level, it’s also a great opportunity to see the exciting and rather extravagant designs of rings few of us will ever be able to afford.

Now, some of you may think the combination of diamonds and glittering metals is a bit too overwhelming to notice a difference in general. But if you look back through the years, each team seems to outdo the previous winner in style and excess. Until this year at least . . .

The Kansas City Chiefs just unveiled their design after winning Super Bowl LIV and I couldn’t help but think I’ve seen that design before. Take a look at the Chiefs’ ring:

Does that remind you of anything? Let’s take a look back at the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII ring for comparison:

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Umm, that seems a little similar, don’t you think?

Aside from the team logo and some smattering of gold here and there, you can argue that these two rings are nearly identical. Now, I’m not sure how many different ways the “two Lombardi look” can be displayed on a piece of fine jewelry, but if a team strives to outdo years past, the Chiefs fall quite a bit short here.

Blame COVID, blame the ring company (it’s worth noting that the same company crafted both rings), blame whatever you want, but I’m not sure anything’s a valid excuse for the lack of imagination this year. Now, I’m not trying to take anything away from Kansas City’s remarkable Super Bowl season and victory, but I’d want the ring to be as unique and exciting as the experience and success it commemorates.

Maybe the Ravens, who are predicted to be among the top Super Bowl contenders this season, will host the Lombardi and earn new rings of their own. Then they can show the Chiefs how to actually outdo years past, not only when it comes to the bling, but maybe on the field too.

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Best Ravens moments of the last decade

With a new year underway, we here at Ravens Wire take a look back at the last decade to find some of the most meaningful franchise moments

The big ball has dropped, confetti has rained from the sky and final kisses with loved ones were had to signify the 2010s are officially over. It’s been a great decade for the Baltimore Ravens, who have won 98 regular-season games, made the postseason six times and won Super Bowl XLVII. But there have been many defining moments in Ravens history over this last decade and plenty of key memories for fans.

To help ring in the new decade, we here at Ravens Wire take a quick look at the best moments for Baltimore over the last one.

Matthew Stevens:

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Joe Flacco’s historic playoff run

Fans might not remember it now but the Ravens were not exactly known for great quarterback play prior to Flacco. They had gone through a list of names even the most diehard of fans would be hard-pressed to remember. From Tony Banks to Jeff Blake and Stoney Case, it was rough sledding for Baltimore until Flacco was drafted in 2008.

But even leading up to their Super Bowl run in 2012, most pundits were still doubtful Flacco could even be a consistently mediocre quarterback, much less an “elite” one. So it felt like beautiful vindication when Flacco heated up in the postseason to put together a historically impressive run.

Over three games in the playoffs, Flacco threw for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions to get the Ravens into Super Bowl XLVII. There against the San Francisco 49ers, Flacco threw for another 287 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to win the Super Bowl MVP.

While Flacco had put together an amazing number of wins in his career prior to this playoff run, it was still too easy for pundits to take credit from Baltimore’s quarterback and place it on their defense or the whole team. But his 11 touchdowns and no interceptions tied NFL great Joe Montana for postseason stats, which couldn’t be ignored or brushed away. For at least a little while, Flacco was legitimately the league’s best quarterback.

Though some fans have been quick to dismiss Flacco’s meaning to the franchise with Lamar Jackson’s emergence, this was a key moment in Baltimore’s franchise history and put them on a road to continued success.

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