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Baltimore Ravens: Ranking the best Ray Lewis dances

By Jake McDonnell

BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances in front of his teammates on the field during player introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances in front of his teammates on the field during player introductions against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances one last time on the field after defeating the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – JANUARY 06: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens dances one last time on the field after defeating the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 6, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

5. Dance before 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff vs. Colts

Even a decade into the Ravens’ arrival in Baltimore, the hatred towards the Indianapolis Colts still rang hard in Charm City. Despite being 22 years removed from Robert Irsay taking the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night, the boos heard at M&T Bank Stadium for the Ravens’ 2006 divisional playoff game against the Colts made the events of 1984 feel like yesterday.

Must Read: Baltimore Ravens: Top 5 defenses of all-time

Lewis did not add ‘Hot in Herre’ to his act until the 2007 season, but the intensity on this night was as high as it gets. The Ravens finished the 2006 regular season with a 13-3 record – still a franchise-best to this day – and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs for the first time in team history. Veteran Steve McNair finally gave the Ravens some stability at the quarterback position, and the defense ranked #1 in the NFL during the regular season. The unit faced a big test against Peyton Manning, who some Ravens fans became jealous of when his career took off in Indy when it could have been Baltimore.

Not all dances lead to wins

Unfortunately, the Ravens’ 2006 run came to an end at the hands of the Colts on that January night. The Ravens defense limited the Colts to five field goals behind Manning’s 170 passing yards, but the Ravens turned the ball over four times and scored just two field goals in a soul-crushing 15-6 loss. The Ravens did all they could on defense, but the offense hit a wall against a below-average Colts defense.

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