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The 2000 season was the Baltimore Ravens' fifth in the National Football League (NFL) and the second under head coach Brian Billick. The Ravens ended the season as Super Bowl XXXV champions. The Ravens finished the year with a 12–4 record (their first winning season), finishing 2nd in the AFC Central and qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team. In the franchise's first post-season appearance, the Ravens won all three games, culminating in a trip to Tampa, Florida for Super Bowl XXXV, where they defeated the New York Giants, 34–7. The team's defense, which set a league record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game regular season with 10.3 points per game, is considered among the greatest of all time, including 4 games where they kept their opponents from scoring. Though just five seasons removed from the relocation from Cleveland, only three players (Matt Stover, Rob Burnett, Larry Webster) and zero coaches remained from the 1995 Cleveland Browns roster and staff. The Ravens ranked #22 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. They were the highest ranked team which did not win its division, and also the highest that had to win 4 playoff games. Offseason The Ravens spent most of the offseason concerned with the status of their star linebacker Ray Lewis, who, along with two acquaintances, was arrested and charged with murder after an incident outside an Atlanta nightclub on January 31, 2000. On June 5, a plea bargain was struck, and murder and aggravated assault charges were dropped in exchange for Lewis' testimony against his companions. Lewis pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of justice and was sentenced to one year of probation. The NFL fined Lewis $250,000. The Ravens made some key moves in the offseason to help bolster the team. They signed defensive tackle Sam Adams and tight end Shannon Sharpe in free agency. They used the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft on running back Jamal Lewis. Draft Undrafted free agents Season summary The Ravens started the season with a 5–1 mark, with three of their victories coming by shutout. Despite the great play of the defense, the offense had major struggles after the first month of the season. Following a 37–0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens would not score a touchdown for five consecutive games. The Ravens won the first two of these games due to their defense and field goals from kicker Matt Stover, then lost the next three, including a critical division loss at home to the Tennessee Titans. During this game, quarterback Tony Banks was benched in favor of Trent Dilfer, who would take over for the rest of the season. After a loss at home to Pittsburgh to fall to 5–4, the Ravens broke both their touchdown-less streak and losing streak against the Bengals the next week. It would be the first of seven straight wins to end the regular season. The Ravens finished one game behind the Titans in the AFC Central, so the Ravens had to begin their playoff run at home in the wild card round against the Denver Broncos. The team cruised to a 21–3 victory, setting up a date with the Titans the following week in Nashville. The Ravens prevailed 24–10, with linebacker Ray Lewis's 50-yard interception return for a touchdown clinching the game. The team then traveled to Oakland to meet the Raiders for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Ravens advanced to their first Super Bowl after a 16–3 victory, as the defense held Oakland, the league's top rushing offense during the season, to just 24 yards on the ground. The Ravens easily defeated the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, 34–7, as Ray Lewis led another dominant performance by the defense and was named most valuable player of the game for his efforts. The Ravens relied heavily on their defense, which set several NFL records during the 2000 season, including fewest points ever allowed during a 16-game season (165) and fewest rushing yards ever allowed (970). The defense also forced more turnovers than any team in the league that year (49), and Ray Lewis was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Starting cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Duane Starks combined to intercept ten passes, and defensive end Rob Burnett contributed with 10.5 sacks. Defensive tackle Sam Adams was voted to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro, as was safety Rod Woodson, who had four interceptions and ranked second on the team in tackles during the regular season. The defense also had plenty of other key players, including linebacker Jamie Sharper, outside linebacker Peter Boulware, and defensive tackle Tony Siragusa. Siragusa played alongside Sam Adams, as the two men combining for nearly 700 pounds and were big factors in the Ravens setting the run-stopping record. Offensively, the Ravens relied heavily on the running game. Rookie running back Jamal Lewis led the way with 1,364 yards and veteran Priest Holmes added 588 rushing yards. The passing game was rather pedestrian (23rd in yards passing), but Trent Dilfer brought stability to the position when he took over for Tony Banks mid-season. Tight end Shannon Sharpe, acquired as an unrestricted free agent from Denver during the offseason, was the team's leading pass receiver with 67 catches for 810 yards. Left tackle Jonathan Ogden was selected first-team All-Pro, and widely regarded as the league's best Offensive Lineman. The Ravens also had one of the best special teams units in the NFL. Return specialist Jermaine Lewis scored two touchdowns on punt returns during the season, and ran back a kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Placekicker Matt Stover made 35 field goals on 39 attempts and was voted to the Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro. The 2000 Ravens team marked Baltimore's first playoff appearance in 23 years, since the Baltimore Colts were AFC East champions and made it to the AFC Divisional game in 1977. Staff Final roster Schedule Preseason Regular season Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Postseason Division standings Game summaries Regular season Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers In the opening game for Baltimore's regular season, they squared off against division rivals Pittsburgh Steelers at their turf. In a game where the Ravens had 336 yards of total offense, they first scored points with a field goal kick from Matt Stover. Later in the first quarter, Qadry Ismail would catch a pass from Tony Banks for seven more points. After another field goal kick, the Steelers were being shut out by the end of halftime, 13–0. The final score in the game resulted from another field goal from Stover, and the final score resulted with the Ravens winning 16–0. With this win, the Ravens began their season at 1–0. Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars At the Ravens first home game, Baltimore trailed the Jacksonville Jaguars for the majority of the game, where the home team gained another 300+ yards of total of.... Discover the Duane Heppner popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Duane Heppner books.