Ebony Bird
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Ravens Throwback Thursday: Jermaine Lewis makes history in Super Bowl

By Chris Schisler

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The Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XXXV victory is mostly remembered for Ray Lewis and the defense knocking the snot out of Kerry Collins and the New York Giants offense. Jermaine Lewis made history that night, and it shouldn’t be an after thought:

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. It was the Ravens first Super Bowl and a defensive shutout. The Giants would have remained scoreless if not for a lapse on the Ravens kickoff coverage. When Ron Dixon returned a kick for a touchdown he cut the Ravens lead to 17-7. What was a Baltimore blowout in the making got interesting at that moment. That could have been the moment that woke the Giants up and changed the momentum of the game.

Jermaine Lewis made history at that pivotal moment. Lewis matched Dixon’s 97 yard touchdown with an 84 yard scamper of his own to the end zone. It was the first time in the history of the Super Bowl that back to back kickoffs were returned for a touchdown. It was the ultimate one upping, and it prevented the game from changing.

Why it was such a big deal:

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17-7 gave the Giants hope. It was a two possession game in the third quarter. One big play put them back into the game and they must have thought a couple more plays like that could win them a championship. When it immediately went from 17-7 to 24-7, the hill the Giants needed to climb most have seemed impossible to climb.

The three score lead allowed Baltimore to keep their game plan the same. It kept Brian Billick’s team in the comfort zone. At that point it was simply about running Jamal Lewis and having the defense torment a one-dimensional Giants team.

While it will always be a tormenting thought that the Ravens were a kickoff return removed from having the only shutout in Super Bowl history, Jermaine Lewis’s big moment was worth it. The excitement that generated was off the charts for Baltimore fans. It was truly something nobody had seen before.

The Bottom Line:

Jermaine Lewis had one of the greatest plays in the history of the franchise. While Jacoby Jones owns the record for the longest kickoff return in the Super Bowl, Lewis had the most special return in Super Bowl history.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: 3 things the defense needs to work on

Ray Lewis was rightfully the MVP of the Super Bowl. There was no other player it could have been. He led the charge against an offense that was supposed to win it all. Jermaine Lewis was however one of the key players in that Super Bowl victory.

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