Baltimore Ravens: Top 5 Season Openers

2 of 6

Jul 24, 2014; Owings Mills, MD, USA; A detailed view of an Baltimore Ravens helmet in the grass after practice at Under Armour Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Ravens Host Bears 2001

This is one that is a personal favorite of mine. It was the first Ravens game I ever went to. The Ravens hosted the Chicago Bears and the entire day was a celebration of the Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season. There was an inflated Lombardi Trophy on the field, before the game. The crowd went wild in jubilation before the football was even kicked off. I couldn’t imagine a better day than that. It was my first Ravens game, with my Dad and it was perfect.

The Ravens won the game 17-6. It was a pretty dominant game by the Ravens. Victory was never in question, as Shane Matthews and the Bears offense couldn’t move the ball at all. The Ravens defense picked up where it left off. The Bears managed to get just 56 rushing yards. Matthews was picked off twice (once by Ray Lewis) and threw for only 138 yards. The Ravens defense was unrelenting.

This was an awful game for those who like offensive football. It was a defensive slugfest. Being a Ravens fan, that was the kind of game you wanted. The offense was never the main attraction back in the day. Ray Lewis and the defense put on quite the show.

Next: 4. Joe Flacco Runs Wild In Debut

Home/Ravens All-Time Lists