NFL Old School Game of the Week: Holmes TD Catch Gives Steelers AFC North Title over Ravens

Santonio Holmes comes down with what would be the game-winning touchdown in the Steelers' Week 15 win over the Ravens.

 The rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers is famous for its hard-hitting low scoring affairs as was the case in Week 15 when the Ravens hosted the Steelers in a game with major ramifications on the AFC playoffs.

The Steelers came into the game with a 10-3 record and a chance to wrap up the AFC North division with a win over the Ravens.

Pittsburgh was led by head coach Mike Tomlin, who was in his second season as the Steelers' head coach after taking over for Bill Cowher who retired following 15 seasons in the Steel City.

The Steelers had a dynamic offense featuring quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, but the team was led by its defense who had held all opponents to under 300 yards in every game of the season to this point.

The defense was led by linebacker James Harrison and safety Troy Polamulu who helped the Steelers come back from a 10-point deficit the week before to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 20-13(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/11/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-steelers.html).

Meanwhile, the Ravens entered the game with a 9-4 record needing a win to keep the Steelers from clinching the division title since Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore earlier in the season with a 23-20 comeback win in week 4.

Baltimore was had a pair of rookies in rookie head coach John Harbaugh, older brother of former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and quarterback Joe Flacco who had been selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Despite this relative lack of experience at head coach and quarterback, the Ravens were in the hunt for a playoff spot primarily because of their defense which featured linebacker Ray Lewis and free safety Ed Reed which had allowed only 20 points over the team's previous three games which Baltimore won.

So a low-scoring hard hitting game was expected as the two teams meet in Baltimore with a possible division title on the line.

The game started out as expected with both defenses controlling the action as both teams traded punts until a little over three minutes left in the first quarter when Steelers free safety Ryan Clark intercepted a Flacco pass intended for Marcus Smith to give Pittsburgh the ball at its 33-yard-line.

The Steelers would drive to the Baltimore 41-yard-line until Roethlisberger was sacked by Lewis on a 3rd & 4 forcing Pittsburgh to punt the ball back to the Ravens, who would be given great field position to start the second quarter as Jim Leonhard returned the ensuing punt 46 yards to the Steelers' 43-yard-line.

A 24-yard pass from Flacco to tight end Todd Heap would help set up the first score of the game, a 28-yard field goal by Matt Stover to put the Ravens on top 3-0 with 12:34 left in the second quarter.

The Steelers would start its next possession at their 20-yard-line as Roethlisberger completed a seven-yard pass to fullback Sean McHugh which was followed by four straight running plays that put Pittsburgh at its 41-yard-line when Roethlisberger connected with Ward for 21 yards to give the Steelers a 1st down at the Baltimore 38-yard-line.

A holding penalty pushed the Steelers back four yards to the Ravens' 42-yard-line as Roethlisberger would compete passes of nine yards to Nate Washington and 18 yards to tight end Heath Miller to give Pittsburgh another 1st down at the Baltimore 16-yard-line.

The drive would stall as Roethlisberger would hit only one of his next three passes for four yards to force the Steelers to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Jeff Reed that tied the game 3-3 with 5:48 left in the second quarter as Pittsburgh had held the ball for nearly seven minutes on a 14-play, 68-yard drive.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis had seven tackles and one quarterback sack.

The Ravens would get the ball back at its 23-yard-line as Flacco handed the ball off to Le'Ron McClain three straight times as McClain ran for 20 yards on the three carries before Flacco completed a three-yard pass to Derrick Mason for a Baltimore 1st down at its 46-yard-line.

A three-yard run by McClain and an incomplete pass set up 3rd & 7 when Flacco found Mark Clayton for 17 yards and a 1st down at the Steelers' 34-yard-line which was followed by a 12-yard pass to fullback Lorenzo Neal to put Baltimore at the Pittsburgh 22 as the two-minute warning hit.

The Ravens would eventually drive to the Steelers' eight-yard-line until they had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Stover to put Baltimore back on top 6-3 with 52 seconds left before halftime.

The Steelers ran out the clock to the end first half trailing 6-3 but set to get the ball to start the second half only to go three & out on their opening possession as the game moved back into a stalemate as neither team could mount a scoring threat for the first half of the third quarter until the Ravens got the ball at the Pittsburgh 16-yard-line following a turnover when cornerback Samari Rolle knocked the ball loose from Holmes leading to a recovery by Ed Reed.

McClain would run for six yards on two carries before Flacco threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 4 to force the Ravens to settle for another Stover field goal, this time from 28 yards out to increase the Baltimore lead to 9-3 with 6:03 left in the third quarter.

The Steelers would almost turn it over again late in the third quarter when Holmes muffed a punt only to have it recovered by teammate Keyaron Fox who picked up the football and ran 18 yards to the Ravens' 33-yard-line setting the Pittsburgh offense in great shape.

Back-to-back running plays picked up nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Roethlisberger was sacked by linebacker Terrell Suggs and lost the football which was recovered by Ravens defensive tackle Brandon McKinney giving Baltimore the ball at its 22-yard-line just nine seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Ravens would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Steelers who took over at their 34-yard-line as Parker ran for 10 yards to start the drive which was followed by a 30-yard pass from Roethlisberger to Ward to put Pittsburgh at the Baltimore 26-yard-line.

A three-yard run by Parker and an eight-yard pass to Ward would give the Steelers another 1st down at the Ravens' 15-yard-line when Roethlisberger would throw the ball three straight times, only completing one of them to Miller for three yards to force a 30-yard field goal by Jeff Reed to make it 9-6 with 9:29 left in the fourth quarter.

The Ravens would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as a three-yard run by McClain followed by a 19-yard pass from Flacco to Clayton put the Ravens at their 47-yard-line when McClain ran for 10 yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.

Then on 3rd & 7, Flacco found Mason for 11 yards and another Baltimore 1st down at the Steelers' 29-yard-line when McClain ran the ball twice, picking up only two yards to force a 3rd & 8 from the Pittsburgh 27-yard-line.

That is when disaster nearly struck for the Ravens as Flacco was sacked by linebacker Lawrence Timmons, causing him to fumble the football which was recovered by running back Willis McGahee at the Steelers' 41-yard-line forcing a 4th & 22 as the Ravens looked to pin the Steelers back with a punt.

Sam Koch's punt would go 33 yards to the Steelers' eight-yard-line as Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense came back onto the field with 3:36 left in regulation.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 passes for 246 yards and threw one TD.

The drive got off to a good start as Roethlisberger complete a 13-yard pass to Ward, followed by another 13-yard completion to Ward to put the Steelers at their 34-yard-line with three minutes left.

Two straight incomplete passes lead to a 3rd & 10 when Roethlisberger connected with Washington for 16 yards to give the Steelers a 1st down at the 50-yard-line where Roethlisberger found Washington again for nine yards to set up 2nd & 1 at the Ravens' 41-yard-line the two-minute warning hit.

Roethlisberger would then hand the ball off to Moore who picked up just three yards but good enough for a 1st down at the Ravens' 38-yard-line when Roethlisberger hit Washington again, this time for 24 yards and a 1st down at the Baltimore 14-yard-line as Pittsburgh called timeout with 1:12 left in regulation.

Roethlisberger would then hit Ward for 10 yards to set up 1st & goal at the Ravens' four-yard-line when Roethlisberger spiked the football to stop the clock with 52 seconds left.

An incomplete pass intended for tight end Matt Speath forced a 3rd & goal which would likely be the Steelers' last chance to take the lead as if Pittsburgh did not get into the end zone they would probably kick the field goal to tie the game.

That is when Roethlisberger took the snap scrambled to his left and fired a pass for Holmes who made the catch but at first glance looked to have the ball outside of the end zone at the one-yard-line.

The game was then stopped to review whether or not the ball had crossed the plane as Holmes had made the catch.

After the review, officials ruled that the ball had crossed the plane as Holmes made the catch making it a touchdown that with the extra point gave the Steelers a 13-9 lead with 43 seconds to go following a 12-play, 92-yard drive in which Roethlisberger completed seven of 11 passes for 89 yards.

However, the Ravens would be given great field position to start their last chance effort to win the game as the Steelers would forced to kick the ensuing kickoff from their 15-yard-line following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following the extra point.

The Ravens would get the ball at their 47-yard-line needing a touchdown as Flacco's first pass fell incomplete which was followed by a 14-yard pass to McGahee to put the Ravens at the Steelers' 39-yard-line as Baltimore called timeout with 25 seconds left.

McGahee would gain only one yard on the next pass before going out of bounds with 17 seconds left when Flacco threw a pass toward the end zone that was intercepted by Steelers cornerback William Gay who returned the pick to the Pittsburgh 11-yard-line, allowing Roethlisberger to take a knee to run out the clock as the Steelers had claimed the AFC North Division title with a hard-fought 13-9 win.

The Ravens would rebound to win their final two games of the regular season to finish with a 11-5 record good enough to earn them a Wild Card spot while the Steelers finished with a 12-4 record to earn the #2 seed in the AFC Playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Ravens would knock off the Miami Dolphins 27-9 in the Wild Card round which was followed by a 13-10 upset win over the #1 seed Tennessee Titans to send Baltimore to the AFC Championship Game where they would meet the Steelers who defeated the San Diego Chargers 35-24 to host the Ravens in the third meeting of the 2008 season between the two teams.

Much like the previous two meetings, the game was a defensive battle that wasn't decided until late in the game when Polamulu picked off a Flacco pass and returned 40 yards for a touchdown to seal the 23-14 win and send Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl where they faced the Arizona Cardinals.

In one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time, Holmes would make another shoestring touchdown catch as his six-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds left gave the Steelers a 27-23 win and their sixth Super Bowl championship.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Ravens Win First Ever Game in Baltimore

 

64, 124 fans filled Memorial Stadium to see the Baltimore Ravens' very first NFL game on September 1, 1996.

Shockwaves went sent through the NFL on November 6, 1995 when Art Modell announced he was moving the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, a city that had not had a NFL team since the Colts' infamous move to Indianapolis following the 1983 season.

The main reason for the move was the city of Baltimore could provide a new stadium for the Browns while the city of Cleveland could not, or at least Modell's mind.

This caused a major dispute as Cleveland tried to convince Modell and the NFL not to move the team to Baltimore, eventually leading to a settlement on February 9, 1996  when the Browns could move to Baltimore, but the Browns' name, colors, and history would remain in Cleveland until a new stadium was built in time for the 1999 season.

Essentially, the city of Baltimore would be given a new NFL franchise even though the team that made up the 1995 Cleveland Browns would playing in the Charm City beginning with the 1996 season.

The team formerly known as the Browns would become the Baltimore Ravens on March 29, 1996, thanks to a fan survey to chose the new nickname which was named after the famous poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, who lived in Baltimore during much of his literary career.

This was all building up to the Ravens' first game on September 1, 1996 when Baltimore would host the Oakland Raiders to begin their new franchise.

The Ravens were led by head coach Ted Marchibroda, who had been the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1975-1979, leading to the Colts to three straight AFC East division titles during his tenure in Baltimore and was just coming off a four-year run as the coach of the Colts in which his team came within inches of catching a Hail Mary to win the 1995 AFC Championship Game just a few months before.

As for the players, the Ravens had veteran Vinny Testaverde at quarterback and two impressive rookies in offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who had been the Ravens' first two selections in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, the Raiders came into Baltimore without their starting quarterback as Jeff Hostetler was out with strained ligaments in his right knee, meaning that Billy Joe Hobert would get the start at quarterback for the Raiders in the season opener.

In front of a crowd of over 64,124 fans at the old Memorial Stadium(the new stadium would not be ready until 1998), the Baltimore Ravens made their NFL debut.

Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis would make two key plays in the Ravens' first ever NFL game.

The Ravens got the ball to start the game as they began their drive in team history with Testaverde completing his first four passes of the game for 30 yards as he lead the Baltimore offense to the Raiders' 35-yard-line until three incomplete passes and a pair of offensive penalties forced the Ravens to punt the ball back to Oakland.

After forcing the Raiders to punt, the Ravens got the ball back at their 15-yard-line and put together an 8-play, 85-yard drive which saw Testaverde complete passes of 48 yards to Derrick Alexander and 13 yards to Earnest Byner, setting up the first touchdown in Ravens history as Testaverde scrambled up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown run to give Baltimore a 7-0 lead with 39 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Raiders would respond with a 9-play, 79-yard drive in which Hobert went a perfect 4-for-4 on his passes as he connected with James Jett for a 33-yard completion to Oakland in Baltimore territory, then found Daryl Hobbs for a 15-yard gain on 3rd & 2 at the Ravens' 26-yard-line and then ended the drive with a seven-yard touchdown strike to Tim Brown to tie the game 7-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the second quarter.

The Raiders would be given a golden opportunity to take the lead when  the Ravens' Earnest Hunter fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Raiders defensive back Dan Land at the Baltimore 19-yard-line.

But just as quickly as the Raiders got the ball, they gave it right back to the Ravens as Hobert was picked off by Lewis in the end zone to give Baltimore the ball back at its 20-yard-line.

The Raiders would force a three-and-out as Testaverde was sacked on 3rd & 6 by Raiders defensive end Anthony Smith to force the Ravens to punt out of the end zone, giving possession to Oakland at Baltimore 47-yard-line.

After two runs by Napoleon Kaufman picked up only three yards, Hobert found Jett for nine yards and a 1st down at the 35-yard-line, which was followed by a 30-yard pass to tight end Rickey Dudley to give Oakland a 1st & goal at the Ravens' five-yard-line.

Following an illegal motion penalty that pushed the Raiders back five yards, Hobert hit Brown again, this time for a 10-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 14-7 lead with 6:50 left in the first half.

The two teams would trade punts for the rest of the first half as the Raiders went into the locker room with a 14-7 halftime lead and were set to get the ball to start the second half.

Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown only caught four passes for 31 yards, but two of those catches were for touchdowns.

However on the third play of the second half, Hobert would be picked off by Ravens cornerback Antonio Langham whose 28-yard return set the Baltimore offense up at the Raiders' 25-yard-line.

But the Ravens could not take advantage of the turnover as Testaverde would be sacked on 3rd & 10 for a nine-yard loss by Raiders cornerback Albert Lewis, forcing Baltimore to punt the ball back to the Raiders.

The Ravens would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at the Oakland 45-yard-line when Marchibroda decided for the Ravens to use a no-huddle offense to catch the Raiders' defense off guard.

The strategy paid off as the Ravens traveled 38 yards in eight plays to set up a 25-yard field goal by Matt Stover to cut the Oakland lead to 14-10 midway through the third quarter.

Following another Raiders punt, the Ravens got the ball at their 26-yard-line where they drove to the Raiders'  21-yard-line as Testaverde hit Brian Kinchen for 29 yards to put Baltimore in Oakland territory.

But the Ravens would lose 13 yards on an Alexander reverse which would force Baltimore to settle for another Stover field goal, this one from 37 yards out to make it an one-point game at 14-13 with 1:17 left in the third quarter.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where they drove to their 42-yard-line when they were faced with a big 3rd & 1 situation.

That is when Lewis made his second big play of the game as he tackled running back Harvey Williams for an one-yard-loss to force another Raiders punt to give the Ravens the ball back at their 17-yard-line with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

It would only take the Ravens two plays to drive into Oakland territory as Testaverde connected with Michael Jackson for 27 yards to start the drive, then hit Hunter for 25 more yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Raiders' 31-yard-line.

Two runs by Carwell Gardner picked up nine yards to set up 3rd & 1 when Raiders defensive tackle Russell Maryland couldn't get off the field before the snap, drawing a too many men on the field penalty and giving the Ravens a 1st down at the Oakland 17-yard-line.

This was followed by a 12-yard run by Testaverde to set up 1st & goal at the five-yard-line where two straight running plays gained four yards setting up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Testaverde handed the ball of Byner who punched it for the go-ahead touchdown.

The Ravens went for two to make it a seven-point game but Testaverde's pass fell incomplete to keep the score 19-14 with 7:50 left in the game.

Ravens quarterback Vinny Testaverde completed 19 of 33 passes for 254 yards and ran the ball eight times for 42 yards and one touchdown.

The Raiders would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line but a six-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by Ravens linebacker Mike Caldwell would force another three-and-out to give Baltimore the ball back at its 28-yard-line.

After both teams would go three-and-out on their ensuing possessions, the Ravens would get the ball at their 20-yard-line with 4:47 left in the game, hoping to pick up a few 1st downs to run out the clock.

The drive would begin very well for the Ravens as Testaverde ran for 16 yards to pick up a 1st down, which was followed up by a nine-yard run by Byner to set up 2nd & 1 at the Ravens' 45-yard-line.

However, Gardner would be stopped for no gain on 2nd down to set up a crucial 3rd & 1 when Testaverde handed the ball off to Byner who ran for five yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line.

Two offsides penalties by the Raiders gave the Ravens another 1st down and allow for Testaverde to take three knees to run out the clock as the Ravens would come away with a 19-14 victory, giving the city of Baltimore its first NFL win since December of 1983.

The win over the Raiders would be the highlight of the Ravens' inaugural season as the team managed to win only four games to finish with a 4-12 record but brighter days would so be ahead for Baltimore as four years later they would win the Super Bowl as they defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV, thanks to one of the greatest defenses in NFL history which was led by Lewis.

Since then, the Ravens have become an consistent winner as they have qualified for the postseason 13 time since 2000 as they have claimed six division titles, appeared in the AFC Championship Game and won two Super Bowls, the first in 2000 and the other in 2012.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Ravens Overcome 17-Point Deficit to Knock off Jaguars in Shootout

 

Ravens quarterback Tony Banks threw for five touchdown passes to lead the Ravens back from a 17-point deficit against the Jaguars in 2000.

When it comes to the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, they think of the tenacious defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis that allowed only 10.3 points per game during the 2000 season.

But in Week 2 of the 2000 NFL season, it would be the Ravens' offense that would lead them to victory.

The Ravens entered the 2000 season under a cloud of controversy as Lewis, who had made the Pro Bowl the previous three seasons, was charged with double murder outside an Atlanta nightclub the night after Super Bowl XXXIV was played there.

Lewis would strike a plea bargain on June 5 as he pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in exchange for testimony against the two other accomplices that he had been charged with.(The trial would end in a not guilty verdict for the other two individuals).

Lewis would be fined $250,000 by the NFL but would serve any suspension as he hoped to lead the Ravens to the playoffs after an 8-8 season the year before, the best record since the franchise moved from Cleveland in 1996.

Second year head coach Brian Billick hoped to improve the offense with quarterback Tony Banks, running back Priest Holmes, and free agent signee Shannon Sharpe at tight end in hopes of leading the Ravens to the playoffs for the first time in team history(The history and records of the Browns remained in Cleveland as the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999).

While the Ravens were just hoping to get to the playoffs, the Jacksonville Jaguars were trying to get back there for the fifth season in a row as they had made the playoffs the previous four years, including two trips to the AFC Championship Game.

The year before, the Jaguars had finished with the best record in the league at 14-2 but were stunned by the Tennessee Titans 33-14 in the AFC Championship Game.

With the nucleus of quarterback Mark Brunell, wide receivers Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith, plus head coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were hoping 2000 would be the year they finally made it to the Super Bowl.

The Jaguars and Ravens both won their Week 1 games to set up their AFC Central showdown(both teams were in the same division until the NFL's realignment in 2002)in Baltimore where one of the wildest games in Ravens history would take place.

The Jaguars got the ball to start the game where it took them just one play to drive into Ravens territory as Brunell hit Smith for a 26-yard gain to give Jacksonville a 1st down at the Baltimore 39-yard-line.

But later in the drive, Brunell would overthrow a wide open Smith in the end zone, forcing the Jaguars to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Mike Hollis to give Jacksonville a 3-0 lead with 11:15 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out from the Ravens and a 20-yard-punt that gave the Jaguars the ball in Ravens territory, Brunell would fire a deep pass down the right sideline for Smith who made the catch in stride for a 45-yard touchdown to increase the Jacksonville lead to 10-0 with 7:49  left in the first quarter.

The Jaguars would force another three-and-out on the Ravens' ensuing possession to get the ball back at their 23-yard-line where it took them five plays to drive to the Baltimore 43-yard-line when Brunell again threw deep for Smith who again made the catch for the 43-yard touchdown to push the Jacksonville lead to 17-0 with 2:32 to go in the opening quarter.

Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith would catch 15 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns.

It looked like it was going to be a long day for the Ravens especially after they went three-and-out again on their next possession to punt the ball back to the Jaguars as the first quarter came to an end with Baltimore down 17-0.

But the Ravens' defense would make their presence felt on the first play of the second quarter when defensive end Rob Burnett jarred the ball loose from Jaguars running back Chris Howard, leading to a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Duane Starks at the Jacksonville 14-yard-line.

It would only take the Ravens one play to get into the end zone as Banks fired a 14-yard strike to Travis Taylor to cut the Jaguars' lead to 17-7 just 12 seconds into the second quarter.

After both teams punted on their next possessions, the Jaguars got the ball at their 10-yard-line when they put together their longest drive of the game: a 14-play, 63-yard drive that took up nearly seven minutes as Brunell completed three passes to Smith for 43 yards on the drive to set up Hollis' 45-yard field goal which increased Jacksonville's lead to 20-7 with 3:36 left in the second quarter.

Following a three-and-out by the Ravens, the Jaguars got the ball at their 42-yard-line where Brunell completed four of six passes for 30 yards to set up another Hollis field goal, this one from 48 yards out to make it 23-7 in favor of Jacksonville with 44 seconds left before halftime.

The Ravens would get one more chance to put points on the board before halftime but could not as Banks threw an interception on the last play of the half as Baltimore went into the locker room trailing 23-7 but would get the ball to start the second half.

If the Ravens were to get back in this game, they would need to get some sort of score on this drive.

Starting at his 32-yard-line, Banks would hit Travis Taylor for 40 yards on the first play of the second half to give the Ravens at the Jaguars' 28-yard-line.

After two plays gained five yards, Banks would connect with Taylor again, this time for a 23-yard touchdown to make it a 23-13 game.

Billick decided to go for two to try and make it an one-score game which he got as Banks found Coates in the end zone for the two-point conversion to cut the Jaguars' lead to eight points at 23-15 just 89 seconds into the third quarter.

It looked that the touchdown had given Baltimore the momentum especially after the defense forced a three-and-out to give their offense the ball back at their 39-yard-line.

But on 3rd & 11, Banks was picked off by Jaguars free safety Reyna Stewart, whose 24-yard return gave the Jaguars the ball at the Ravens' 41-yard-line.

The Jaguars would drive to the Ravens' 18-yard-line until an offensive pass interference penalty and a sack by Burnett of Brunell pushed Jacksonville back 15 yards for 2nd & 25.

The Jaguars would get 17 of the yards back before sending in Hollis to kick a 34-yard field goal to increase the Jacksonville lead to 26-15 with 6:47 to go in the third quarter.

Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell completed 28 of 50 passes for 386 yards and threw three touchdowns.

The Ravens would begin their next possession at their 24-yard-line when Holmes after being held in check for most of the game made his presence felt as he would lead the Ravens down the field.

First, Holmes would run for 17 yards on 2nd & 4 from the Baltimore 30-yard-line to give the Ravens a 1st down at their 47-yard-line.

It looked like the Ravens were going to have punt when Banks threw an incomplete pass on 3rd & 6, only to have Jaguars defensive end Joel Smeege be called for holding which drew a five-yard penalty and an automatic 1st down.

Holmes would strike again on 2nd & 3 from the Jaguars' 37-yard-line when he ran for the three yards needed for the 1st down, then ran for 20 more on 2nd & 4 from the 28-yard-line to set up 1st & goal at the eight-yard-line.

Following a three-yard-run by Jamal Lewis on 1st down, Banks connected with fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo for a five-yard touchdown to cut it to 26-21 as Billick decided to go for two again.

It looked like the Ravens had converted the two-point conversion as Banks found Sharpe in the end zone, only to have it called back because of a pass interference penalty on Sharpe, which push the Ravens back 10 yards and forced them to go for the extra point which they got to make it 26-22 with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Jaguars had the ball at their 12-yard-line when the Ravens forced their second turnover of the game as linebacker Jamie Sharper knocked the ball loose from Jaguars running back Stacey Mack and recovered it at the 12-yard-line.

After an incomplete pass to Holmes on 1st down, Banks found Jermaine Lewis in the end zone for the 12-yard touchdown to give the Ravens their first lead of the game at 29-26 with exactly 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line where they picked up 23 yards on the first two plays of the drive until Ravens safety Corey Harris deflected a Brunell pass that landed in the hands of strong safety Kim Herring for an interception.

Herring's 30-yard return set up Baltimore at the Jacksonville 35-yard-line but the Ravens could not pick up a 1st down and had to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Matt Stover which increased their lead to 32-26 with exactly seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line when the Brunell-to-Smith connection struck again as Brunell connected with Smith for a 33-yard gain that would lead to a 48-yard field goal by Hollis to cut the Ravens' lead in half to 32-29 with 3:53 left in regulation.

The Jaguars needed a defensive stop in hopes of at least tying the game and they would get that as they forced the Ravens to go three-and-out on their next possession to get the ball back at their 39-yard-line with 2:42 left on the clock.

The drive began with a 17-yard completion by Brunell to McCardell to give the Jaguars a 1st down at the Ravens' 44-yard-line.

Then, Brunell connected with Smith for four yards and then was dropped for no gain by Ravens defensive back James Trapp setting up 3rd & 6 from the Baltimore 40-yard-line.

That is when Brunell fired a pass that bounced off the hands of McCardell, only to land in the hands of Smith, who then broke a tackle at the 10-yard-line and ran in for a shocking 40-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 36-32 lead with 1:45 left in the game.

The Ravens would get one more shot as they took over at their 25-yard-line with 1:42 left and two timeouts in their pocket, needing a touchdown to win.

After Banks threw an incomplete pass intended for Sharpe, Banks found Billy Davis for 19 yards and a 1st down at the Baltimore 44-yard-line.

Following another incomplete pass, Banks connected with Davis again, this time for 15 yards and another Ravens 1st down at the Jacksonville 41-yard-line as Baltimore called timeout with 65 seconds left.

Banks would then hit Ayanbadejo for 12 yards and another 1st down at the Jacksonville 29-yard-line when Banks spiked the ball to stop the clock with 48 seconds left setting up 2nd & 10.

That is when Banks fired a pass for Sharpe, who made the catch at the two-yard-line, and then fell into the end zone for the 29-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 39-36 lead with 41 seconds left.

Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe(82) celebrates after his game-winning touchdown catch.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 28-yard-line but could do nothing with it as time ran out with the Ravens winning the game 39-36 in a game where both quarterbacks combined for 648 yards and eight touchdown passes.

The Jaguars would bounce back with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals the following week, but then went on a five-game losing streak to which they never recovered from as they finished the season with a 7-9 record to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1995.

Little did anybody know it but the 2000 season was the beginning of the end of the Jaguars' run as one of the elite in the AFC as they would go 6-10 in 2001 + 2002, which lead to the firing of Coughlin at head coach after eight seasons in Jacksonville.

Meanwhile, the Ravens would get off to their best start in franchise history as they won five of their first six games to start the season with 5-1 record.

But the Ravens would hit a rough patch as they went the entire month of October without scoring an offensive touchdown in five games, leading to the benching of Banks in favor of veteran quarterback Trent Dilfer.

The Ravens would break their offensive dry spell in the team's tenth game of the season as Dilfer would threw three touchdown passes in a 27-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to begin a seven-game winning streak to clinch the first playoff berth in Baltimore history as they finished with a 12-4 record.

From there, the Ravens' defense would take over as they allowed only 23 points in the playoffs as Baltimore defeated the Denver Broncos 21-3 in the Wild Card Round, then beat the Tennessee Titans 24-10 in the Divisional Round, followed by a 16-3 win over the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship Game, and then a 34-7 rout of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV for the team's first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

As for Banks, he would be released by the Ravens in the offseason and signed with the Dallas Cowboys, only to be released in the preseason, leading him to sign with the Washington Redskins, where he was named the team's starting quarterback as the 2001 season began.

Banks would lead the Redskins out of a 0-5 hole to finish the season with a 8-8 record, but again he would be released and would sign with the Houston Texans where he served as David Carr's backup for the next four years until his retirement following the 2005 season.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Unlikely Heroes Help Ravens to Comeback Win Over Seahawks

Ravens quarterback Anthony Wright would complete 20 of 37 passes for 314 yards and throw four touchdown passes in the Ravens' comeback win over the Seahawks.

Sometimes in a NFL season it is not the star players of a team, but players who have been struggling or backups who came in to provide a spark to a team and turn their season around.

For the 2003 Baltimore Ravens, those unlikely heroes came in the form of quarterback Anthony Wright and wide receiver Marcus Robinson who saved the Ravens' season in their Week 12 game with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Ravens entered the game with a 5-5 record, having lost their previous two games and needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

While the Ravens had their usual stout defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis and strong safety Ed Reed, the offense was not very explosive as rookie quarterback Kyle Boller had not provided the strong passing game Baltimore had been looking for as he averaged only 138.8 yards per game until he tore his quadriceps muscle in his left leg during the Ravens' 33-22 to the then St. Louis Rams.

Not impressed by backup Chris Redman's performance in relief of Boller, head coach Brian Billick named Wright the starting quarterback for the Ravens' next game against the Miami Dolphins.

Wright, who had started five games in his NFL career up to that point, lead the Ravens' offense to only two field goals in a 9-6 overtime loss to Miami, but still got the nod as the starting quarterback as the Ravens prepared to host the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks entered the game with a 7-3 record thanks to an undefeated record at home and an offense which featured quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander.

Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren had his team in the thick of the NFC playoff race, but needed a win on the road to bolster their chances of a playoff spot.

Despite having lost three of their first four road game of the season, many experts believed Seattle could go into Baltimore and pick up the win.

For the Ravens to win, they needed a strong passing game to accompany running back Jamal Lewis and one player that they needed to have a big game was Robinson, who had been signed by the Ravens in the offseason but had only caught nine passes for 76 yards and zero touchdowns in the entire season.

That stood in sharp contrast to his 1999 season with the Chicago Bears where he caught 84 passes for 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns.

If the Ravens were to pull off the win, they would need the Robinson of 1999 to show up to help Wright and the struggling Ravens offense.

After a first quarter which saw both teams punt on every possession, the Seahawks began the second quarter with a 3rd & 4 at their 26-yard-line when fullback Mack Strong ran for nine yards and the 1st down.

That got the Seattle offense moving as Hasselbeck would hit his next three passes for a total of 43 yards to lead the Seahawks to the Ravens' 22-yard-line.

However, the drive would stall as Hasselbeck would threw two incomplete passes and be sacked by RAvens nose tackle Kelly Gregg for a five-yard-loss, forcing Seattle to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Josh Brown which gave the Seahawks a 3-0 lead with 11:54 left in the second quarter.

Following the Seattle field goal, the game went back into a punting contest until the Ravens' defense forced a turnover when Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs sacked Hasselbeck, which knocked the football loose for a fumble that was recovered by Suggs and returned seven yards to the Seahawks' three-yard-line to give Baltimore a 1st & goal.

However, the Ravens could not move the football on three plays and were force to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Matt Stover which tied the game at 3 with 3:36 left before halftime.

The Seahawks would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as Hasselbeck would complete four of his next seven passes for 54 yards to lead Seattle to the Baltimore 26-yard-line.

From there, the Seahawks went to Alexander who carried the ball three times for 24 yards, setting up Hasselbeck's two-yard touchdown pass to  Darrell Jackson for the game's first touchdown and to give Seattle a 10-3 lead with 23 seconds to go in the first half.

Ravens running back Jamal Lewis would carry the ball 26 times for 117 yards.

It seemed that the Ravens were going to go into the halftime break down a touchdown as they took over at their 36-yard-line with just 16 seconds to go.

But inexplicably the Ravens did not take a knee and decided to run the ball as Wright handed the ball off to Chester Taylor, who coughed up the football after he was hit by Seahawks linebacker Anthony Simmons, leading to a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Ken Lucas whose 24-yard-return gave Seattle the ball at the Ravens' 10-yard-line with just eight seconds left in the half.

That was enough time for Seattle to take a shot at the end zone which they did as Hasselbeck threw a pass to Bobby Engram, who made the catch for the Seahawks' second touchdown in 23 seconds to extend Seattle's lead to 17-3 with as the first half came to a close.

The Ravens would get the ball to start the second half, but it seemed that a 14-point lead would be a huge hill for Baltimore to climb especially since their offense had gained only 42 yards of total offense in the first half.

The Ravens gained eight yards on the first two plays of the half to set up a 3rd & 2 at their 37-yard-line when Wright went deep and connected with Travis Taylor for a 43-yard completion to the Seahawks' 20-yard-line.

Two plays later, Wright would hit Robinson for a 13-yard touchdown to trim the Seahawks' lead in half to 17-10 with 12:18 to go in the third quarter.

However, the Seahawks would respond quickly with a three-play, 56-yard drive that ended with Hasselbeck firing a 38-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson to push the Seahawks' lead back to 14 points at 24-10, just 89 seconds after the Ravens' touchdown.

The Ravens would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession and after Dave Zastudil shanked a 24-yard punt, the Seahawks had the ball at the Baltimore 29-yard-line.

The Baltimore defense would hold and not permit a 1st down, forcing the Seahawks to call on Brown to attempt a 46-yard field goal, which he made to extend the Seattle lead to 27-10 midway through the third quarter.

The Ravens would get the ball back at their 35-yard-line where it took them five plays to get back into the end zone as Wright connected with Robinson for another touchdown, this one for 50 yards to bring Baltimore back to within 10 points at 27-17 with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

It would only take the Seahawks 20 seconds to score again as Hasselbeck fired a deep pass for Jackson, who made the catch in stride and ran down the left sideline for a 80-yard touchdown to push the Seattle lead back to 17 points at 34-17.

All of a sudden the defensive stalemate that had occurred in the first half had turned into a up-and-down track meet and it wasn't over yet.

After Jackson's 80-yard touchdown catch, Lamont Brightful returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards to the Baltimore 48-yard-line, where it took the Ravens five plays drive down the field and score again as Wright and Robinson connected for their third touchdown of the quarter, a 25-yarder to once again make it a 10-point game at 34-24 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.

Following a 38-point third quarter, the Seahawks would score on the second play of the fourth quarter as Hasselbeck threw his fifth touchdown of the game as he found Engram for a five-yard touchdown to make it a 17-point game again at 41-24 with 14:16 left in the 4th quarter.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck would throw a career-high five touchdown passes on 23-of-41 passing for 333 yards.

After an exchange of punts, the Ravens got the ball back at their 16-yard-line needed to put together a scoring drive quickly as they trailed by 17 points.

But the Ravens would be forced to punt the ball back to Seattle, only to get a break when Lucas muffed the punt, leading to a fumble that was recovered by Baltimore's Joe Maese at the Seattle 35-yard-line.

However, on the very next play, Jamal Lewis fumbled the football at the end of a six-yard-run, which was recovered by Seahawks safety Damien Robinson at the Seahawks' 32-yard-line.

The Ravens defense did not permit a 1st down and forced the Seahawks to punt the ball when Ed Reed struck as he blocked Tom Rouen's punt, then picked up the loose ball and ran it for a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Seattle lead to 41-31 with 6:41 to go in regulation.

The Seahawks would begin their next possession at their 25-yard-line where they drove to the Ravens' 31-yard-line until Ray Lewis made his presence felt as he forced and recovered a fumble after a run by Strong to give the Ravens the ball back at their 29-yard-line with 4:16 to go.

From there, Wright would lead the Ravens to the Seahawks' 39-yard-line until back-to-back sacks drove Baltimore back to their 35-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 28 as the two-minute hit.

Down 10 points, the Ravens had no choice but to go for it as Wright threw a deep Hail Mary pass that was deflected by Robinson and caught by Frank Sanders for an miraculous 44-yard gain to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seahawks' 21-yard-line.

Three plays later, Wright connected with Robinson for a fourth touchdown as Robinson's nine-yard touchdown catch brought the Ravens to within a field goal at 41-38 with 1:12 to go in regulation.

Baltimore attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by the Seahawks' Alex Bannister at the Ravens' 42-yard-line.

Things seemed bleak for the Ravens to force overtime as they were only 71 seconds left and Baltimore had only two timeouts.

Alexander carried the ball for six yards on 1st down forcing Baltimore to burn a timeout with 64 seconds left to set up 2nd & 4.

That is when the Ravens got a break thanks to the referees.

As the Seahawks lined up for 2nd & 4, Seattle right tackle Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack lined up as an eligible receiver as Alexander ran the ball for three yards as the officials threw a flag for saying Womack failed to tell the referees that he was an eligible receiver when in fact he did.

The referees corrected the mistake and took back the penalty to set up 3rd & 1, but in the process forget to restart the clock as it had stopped with 58 seconds left because of the flag.

This resulted in the Ravens essentially getting an extra timeout but it didn't seem like it was going to matter as Seattle needed just one more yard to pull out the victory.

But Alexander was stopped inches short of the 1st down, setting up a crucial 4th & inches as the Ravens got to use their final timeout with 44 seconds left.

Holmgren decided not to punt or call on Brown to attempt a 50-yard field goal and instead went for the 1st down as Hasselbeck took the snap and tried to sneak it for the 1st down, only to be stopped short by Ravens defensive lineman Orlando Brown and Marques Douglas, giving the Ravens the ball at their 33-yard-line with 39 seconds left and a chance to drive into field goal range.

After an incomplete pass on 1st down, Wright went deep for Robinson on 2nd down where Robinson drew a 44-yard pass interference penalty on Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seattle 23-yard-line with 25 seconds left.

From there, Wright handed the ball off to Jamal Lewis, who picked up seven more yards, which was followed by Wright spiking the ball with four seconds left.

An illegal formation penalty would push the Ravens back five yards but it would not matter as Stover calmly made a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 41 as time expired in regulation.

Marcus Robinson would catch seven passes for 131 yards and four touchdowns.

The Seahawks would win the overtime coin toss and began their first drive of overtime at their 27-yard-line where a sack of Hasselbeck by Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware forced Seattle to punt the ball back to the Ravens who took over at their 21-yard-line.

From there, the Ravens would run the ball on four of their next five offensive plays with Jamal Lewis carrying the ball three times for 16 yards while Wright ran for eight yards on a quarterback scramble to lead Baltimore to the Seattle 46-yard-line.

But a pair of penalties and a five-yard run by Lewis forced a 3rd & 15 at the Ravens' 49-yard-line when Wright would find his favorite target, Robinson, for 19 yards to give Baltimore a 1st down at the Seahawks' 32-yard-line.

Lewis would carry the ball three straight times for eight yards before Stover was called on to kick the game-winning 42-yard field goal to give the Ravens a 44-41 overtime win and completing what was then the greatest comeback in team history.

But for Wright the win over the Seahawks would be the highlight of his day as later that night, his wife give birth to their second child, a girl named Trinity.

The Seahawks would recover from their heartbreaking loss in Baltimore by winning their final two games of the regular season to finish with a 10-6 record and earn a Wild Card spot in the NFC Playoffs, which ended with a 33-27 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers after Hasselbeck's infamous declaration of "We're gonna score" when Seattle won the overtime coin toss, only to have Hasselbeck throw a pick-six in the extra period.

As for Wright, he would remain the starter for the Ravens for the rest of the 2003 season, leading Baltimore a 4-1 record over its final five games to earn them a 10-6 and the AFC North Division title.

However, Wright's magic carpet ride would in the Wild Card Round as the Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans 20-17 on a 46-yard field goal by Gary Anderson with 29 seconds left.

Wright would miss the 2004 season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, but came back in 2005 to win the starting quarterback job back from Boller, only to be benched after posting a 2-5 record in his seven starts.

Wright would never start another NFL game again as he bounced around for three more years, being a third string quarterback on the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants before ultimately retiring following the 2008 season.

Meanwhile, Robinson would leave the Ravens following the 2003 season and sign with the Minnesota Vikings, where he would catch 107 passes for 1,553 yards and 17 touchdowns before he retired in 2008 as well.

While they may have not the greatest of careers, Wright and Robinson will always be remembered fondly by Ravens fans for their performances in their amazing comeback win over the Seahawks.