2012 Baltimore Ravens season

The 2012 season was the Baltimore Ravens' 17th in the National Football League (NFL). While the Ravens failed to improve on their 12–4 record from 2011, they still managed to clinch the AFC North division title in Week 16 and finish the regular season with a 10–6 record, sending them to their fifth straight playoffs, where they advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season and third time in five years, and then to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000. They won their second Super Bowl, 34–31 against the San Francisco 49ers. It was the first time in franchise history that the Ravens won consecutive division titles. This marks head coach John Harbaugh's fifth season as the head coach of the franchise and fifth consecutive post-season appearance. The Ravens played their home games at M&T Bank Stadium.

2012 Baltimore Ravens season
OwnerSteve Bisciotti
General managerOzzie Newsome
Head coachJohn Harbaugh
Offensive coordinatorCam Cameron (fired Dec 10)
Jim Caldwell (interim)
Defensive coordinatorDean Pees
Home fieldM&T Bank Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st AFC North
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Colts) 24–9
Won Divisional Playoffs
(at Broncos) 38–35 (2OT)
Won AFC Championship
(at Patriots) 28–13
Won Super Bowl XLVII
(vs. 49ers) 34–31
Pro BowlersSelected but did not participate due to participation in Super Bowl XLVII:
RB Ray Rice
FB Vonta Leach
G Marshal Yanda
DT Haloti Ngata
FS Ed Reed
KR Jacoby Jones
Uniform

The Ravens dedicated their season to former owner and founder Art Modell, who died on September 6, 2012.[1] On Week 1, all team members wore an "Art" decal on their helmets, and for the rest of their season, they wore an "Art" patch on the left side of their jerseys.

Ray Lewis, the last remaining member of the original Ravens roster from 1996 and the 2000 Super Bowl championship team, announced just after the regular season finale before the playoffs that he would be retiring after the conclusion of the season. Following three playoff matchups including a thrilling 38–35 double OT victory against the top-seeded Denver Broncos, his final game was a victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Lewis is believed by many to be the greatest Raven of all time[2] and previously led the Ravens to Super Bowl XXXV in what was just their first playoff appearance in franchise history.

Offseason

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Roster changes

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Against Pittsburgh on December 2

2012 draft class

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2012 Baltimore Ravens draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
2 35 Courtney Upshaw  LB Alabama
2 60 Kelechi Osemele *  G Iowa State
3 84 Bernard Pierce  RB Temple
4 98 Gino Gradkowski  C Delaware
4 130 Christian Thompson  S South Carolina State
5 169 Asa Jackson  CB Cal Poly
6 198 Tommy Streeter  WR Miami (FL)
7 236 DeAngelo Tyson  DE Georgia
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • ^[a] The team traded its first-round selection (#29) to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the #35 overall selection in the second round, as well as the Vikings' fourth-round selection (#98 overall).
  • ^[b] The team traded up from its original third-round selection (#91 overall) to the #84 overall selection, also giving the Atlanta Falcons their fifth-round pick (#164 overall).
  • ^[c] The team traded its original fourth-round selection (#124 overall) to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for wide receiver Lee Evans.
  • ^[d] Compensatory selection.

Personnel

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Staff

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2012 Baltimore Ravens staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – John Harbaugh
  • Assistant to the head coach – Dan Parsons

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Bob Rogucki
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Juney Barnett
  • Assistant athletic trainer – Kevin Domboski
  • Assistant athletic trainer – Ron Medlin


Final roster

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"Source". Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

2012 Baltimore Ravens roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 13 reserve, 8 practice squad

Schedule

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Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 9 at Atlanta Falcons W 31–17 1–0 Georgia Dome Recap
2 August 17 Detroit Lions L 12–27 1–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
3 August 23 Jacksonville Jaguars W 48–17 2–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
4 August 30 at St. Louis Rams L 17–31 2–2 Edward Jones Dome Recap

Regular season

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 Cincinnati Bengals W 44–13 1–0 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
2 September 16 at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–24 1–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
3 September 23 New England Patriots W 31–30 2–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
4 September 27 Cleveland Browns W 23–16 3–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
5 October 7 at Kansas City Chiefs W 9–6 4–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 14 Dallas Cowboys W 31–29 5–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
7 October 21 at Houston Texans L 13–43 5–2 Reliant Stadium Recap
8 Bye
9 November 4 at Cleveland Browns W 25–15 6–2 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap
10 November 11 Oakland Raiders W 55–20 7–2 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
11 November 18 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 13–10 8–2 Heinz Field Recap
12 November 25 at San Diego Chargers W 16–13 (OT) 9–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
13 December 2 Pittsburgh Steelers L 20–23 9–3 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
14 December 9 at Washington Redskins L 28–31 (OT) 9–4 FedExField Recap
15 December 16 Denver Broncos L 17–34 9–5 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
16 December 23 New York Giants W 33–14 10–5 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
17 December 30 at Cincinnati Bengals L 17–23 10–6 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.


Game summaries

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Regular season

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Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

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Week One: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 10 3013
Ravens 10 7 171044

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

The Ravens started their season at home against the Bengals. They jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first quarter with Justin Tucker's 46-yard field goal. This was followed up by Ray Rice's 7-yard run to make the score 10–0. The Bengals got on the board in the 2nd quarter with Mike Nugent's 34-yard field goal to shorten the lead to 10–3. However, the Ravens were able to pull away as Joe Flacco found Anquan Boldin on a 34-yard touchdown pass to move ahead 17–3. The Bengals responded coming within 7 when Benjarvus Green-Ellis ran for a 6-yard touchdown making the score 17–10 at halftime. In the 3rd quarter, the Bengals were able to get within 4 points with Nugent kicking a 19-yard field goal shortening the Ravens' lead to 4 17–13. However, the Ravens overpowered the Bengals scoring 27 unanswered points as Flacco found Dennis Pitta on a 10-yard pass to move ahead 24–13 followed up by Tucker scoring a 40-yard field goal moving them ahead 27–13. This was followed by an Ed Reed interception that was returned 34 yards for a touchdown moving the team ahead 34–13. In the 4th quarter, the Ravens scored again off of Rice's 1-yard run for a 41–13 lead and finished the game off of Tucker's 39-yard field goal to make the final score 44–13.

Ed Reed returned an interception for a 34-yard touchdown, making Reed the all-time leader in career interception return yards with 1,497. The previous record of 1,483 yards was held by Rod Woodson.[citation needed]

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Two: Baltimore Ravens at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 7 10 0623
Eagles 7 0 10724

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

For the first time in 5 years, head coach John Harbaugh made his first return to Philadelphia, where he served as the Eagles' special teams coordinator and defensive backs from 1998 to 2007, and was also part of the 2004 Eagles that made Super Bowl XXXIX. Baltimore took the lead in the second quarter and held it for most of the game, but with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter Michael Vick ran for a one-yard touchdown. With the surprising loss, the Ravens fell to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. New England Patriots

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Week Three: New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 13 7 7330
Ravens 0 14 71031

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

This game was played in the shadow of the death of wide receiver Torrey Smith's brother, who had died in a motorcycle crash the night before. The Ravens entered the game hoping to be able to avenge the AFC Championship loss of the previous season, which came at the hands of the Patriots. New England started off fast as they drew to a 13–0 lead in the first quarter. However Baltimore scored 2 straight touchdowns to take the lead with 1:47 left to go in the half. Then Brady scored a touchdown right at the end of the half to retake the lead 20–14. The second half started off with a touchdown run by Ray Rice to put the Ravens on top 21–20. Then the Patriots retook the lead when Tom Brady scored a touchdown. After that the Baltimore defense began to step it up and held the Pats to a field goal. Then the momentum shifted as Baltimore scored a touchdown (Flacco to Torrey Smith). After forcing a Patriots punt, the Ravens drove down the field to score a field goal as time expired to win the game 31–30.

The Ravens avenged the AFC Championship loss and improved to 2–1 and continued their unbeaten record at home from the previous year along with continuing their streak of winning after a loss.

Based on Torrey Smith's performance through personal hardship, this game was ranked #9 on NFL.com's Top 20 NFL Games of 2012 as Showing Up.[3] Smith finishes with six receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

This game was also remembered for two controversial incidents. Late in the fourth quarter, with New England leading 30–28, coach John Harbaugh was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for coming out onto the field, which by NFL rules, is prohibited. However, Harbaugh was claiming that he was trying to only call a timeout to save time for his team. Since the NFL was using replacement refs at the time, and not the original refs, this was another controversial incident involving the former. The penalty resulted in an irate Ravens crowd chanting "Bullshit" three separate times in just over a minute during the Patriots last drive, which was picked up by NBC microphones and was clearly audible (and not censored) during the broadcast, which led to play-by-play announcer Al Michaels saying, "That's the loudest manure chant I've ever heard".

Tucker's game-winning field goal also led to controversy. The ball, after it had been kicked, sailed over the top of the right upright. It was ruled "good", giving Baltimore the win. However, clear replays show that the ball was extremely close to sailing wide of the upright. This led to the Patriots sideline going crazy over the call, with defensive lineman Vince Wilfork taking his helmet off in disgust. Since field goals that sail over the uprights are not reviewable (field goals that go between the uprights can be reviewed, although it's very uncommon), the play could not be reviewed. Patriots coach Bill Belichick, as he was leaving the field, angrily grabbed one of the officials, resulting in him being fined $50,000 by the NFL. Belichick later admitted that he didn't know field goals were not subject to review.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week Four: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 7 3616
Ravens 0 9 14023

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

After a scoreless first quarter, the Ravens scored first in the second quarter as Joe Flacco found Torrey Smith on an 18-yard touchdown pass (with a failed PAT) for a 6–0 lead. The team increased their lead as Justin Tucker made a 45-yard field goal to make the score 9–0. The Browns scored not long before halftime when Trent Richardson ran for a 2-yard touchdown, making the halftime score 9–7. After the break, the Ravens went right back to work as Flacco threw several completions to Anquan Boldin before scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 16–7 lead. However, The Browns drew within 6 points as Phil Dawson nailed a 51-yard field goal, making the score 16–10. But then, the Ravens pulled away as Cary Williams picked off Weeden and returned the ball 63 yards for a touchdown, making the score 23–10. In the fourth quarter, the Browns tried to come back as Dawson nailed two field goals from 50 and 52 yards out making the score 23–13 and then 23–16, respectively. However, they were unable to tie the game on their last drive with the game ending on a Brandon Weeden Hail Mary pass from the Baltimore 18-yard line, which was thrown too far and went out the back of the endzone. With their ninth straight win over the Browns, the Ravens improved to 3–1. The game was also the first of the NFL season to use NFL referees and not replacement ones following the officials lockout.

Week 5: at Kansas City Chiefs

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Week Five: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 3 0 609
Chiefs 0 3 036

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 7
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 68,803
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Game information

The Ravens improved to 4–1 by winning a game that included six turnovers, four by Kansas City, and five total field goals by both teams. With the Bengals' loss to the Dolphins the Ravens moved into first place in the AFC North.

Week 6: vs. Dallas Cowboys

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Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 3 10929
Ravens 3 14 7731

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

The Ravens survived a wild back and forth game in which they nearly lost an eight point lead in the final 45 seconds of the game. Following a Dallas touchdown and a failed two-point conversion with 0:36 left in the game, the Cowboys recovered the onside kick and got into field goal after a pass interference call on Chykie Brown put the ball in Baltimore territory. However, Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey missed a 51-yard field goal wide left with 0:02 left, preserving the win for Baltimore. With their fourth straight win, the Ravens improved to 5–1, and became 4–0 all-time against the Cowboys. This was also their 14th straight regular season home win.

However, Baltimore also lost Ray Lewis to a potentially season-ending triceps injury and Lardarius Webb with a season-ending ACL injury.[4]

Week 7: at Houston Texans

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Week Seven: Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 3 0 7313
Texans 9 20 7743

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 21
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT/12:00 pm. CDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,708
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

Days before the game, the team was fined $20,000 for not adding Ed Reed to the injury report.[5]

The Ravens drew first blood as Justin Tucker nailed a 51-yard field goal, but Connor Barwin sacked Joe Flacco in the end zone for a safety that started a string of 29 unanswered Houston points. Matt Schaub found Kevin Walter in the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown pass to take a 9–3 lead, and the Texans added on in the 2nd quarter with Johnathan Joseph returning an interception 52 yards for a touchdown. Schaub's one-yard pass to Owen Daniels and a pair of Shayne Graham field goals put the hosts up 29–3 at halftime. The Ravens got right back to work in the 3rd quarter as Flacco connected with Tandon Doss on a 15-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 29–10, but the Texans pulled away as Arian Foster ran for two short scores, which were separated by a 54-yard Tucker field goal early in the fourth quarter.

It was the Ravens' first loss ever to the Texans in franchise history and first loss to a Houston NFL team since 1996. The Ravens headed into their bye week 5–2 while also dropping their record to 5–1 against the Texans in the regular season and 6–1 against them overall.

Week 9: at Cleveland Browns

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Week Nine: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 14 0 01125
Browns 0 9 3315

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

The Ravens broke out of a two quarter offensive slump, scoring 11 points in the final five minutes of the 4th quarter to complete a season sweep of the Browns for the fifth straight season. By winning their tenth straight game against the Browns, the Ravens improved to 6–2.

Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders

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Week Ten: Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 10 7320
Ravens 10 17 21755

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 11
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 71,339
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

The Ravens got their 15th straight home win (16 including playoffs) by defeating the Raiders. Baltimore set a franchise record for points in a game with 55 – improving on the previous record of 48 set against the Detroit Lions on December 13, 2009 – as the team improved to 7–2. (this mark would eventually be surpassed in Week 1 of the 2019 season when the Ravens scored 59 points on the Miami Dolphins). Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a 105-yard touchdown, making him the first player in league history to have two career kickoff returns of at least 105 yards.[6] Jones had returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown in Week 6 against the Cowboys.

Week 11: at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Eleven: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 10 0 3013
Steelers 7 0 3010

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 18
  • Game time: 8:20 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 63,446
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
Game information

The Ravens got their third straight win against the Steelers while picking up their 12th-straight regular season division rival win and improved to 8–2.

Week 12: at San Diego Chargers

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Week Twelve: Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Ravens 0 0 310316
Chargers 0 10 03013

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 25
  • Game time: 4:05 pm. EST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 57,882
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Game information

The game went into overtime with a field goal by Tucker. The field goal was set up by conversion of a 4th and 29 play where Joe Flacco completed a short pass to Ray Rice and Rice raced 29 yards on the ground for the first down, which would become the 2012 best play of the year as well as be given the nickname, "Hey Diddle-Diddle".[7] With the surprising win, the Ravens move into 9–2, getting revenge for the previous year's loss in San Diego on Sunday Night Football.

Week 13: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Thirteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 3 71023
Ravens 0 13 7020

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 71,442
  • Referee: Alberto Riveron
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Game information

With third-string quarterback Charlie Batch at the helm, the Steelers handed the Ravens their first home loss since December 5, 2010 and the Ravens fell to 9–3. This also snapped their 12-game winning streak over division rivals and 3-game winning streak over the Steelers.

Week 14: at Washington Redskins

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Week Fourteen: Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Ravens 7 14 07028
Redskins 14 0 68331

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 9
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 81,178
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information

With the loss to the Redskins the Ravens fell to 9–4 and 0–2 on the road against NFC East teams. Also, it was the first consecutive loss for the Ravens since Week 6 of their 2009 season.

The Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron the next day, promoting Jim Caldwell to the position.[8]

Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week Fifteen: Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 3 14 14334
Ravens 0 0 31417

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 71,317
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

The Ravens were blown out at home, losing their third straight game and falling to 9–5. However, they clinched a playoff berth following the Steelers' loss to the Cowboys later in the evening.[9] The Ravens later rematched and defeated the Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs in a game known as the Mile High Miracle.

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

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Week Sixteen: New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 0 0714
Ravens 14 10 3633

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

The Ravens used a dominant defensive and offensive performance to blow out the Giants. The Ravens led the time of the possession battle 39:21–20:39, had 533 total yards vs. the Giants 186, and went 11-18 on third down. With the win the Ravens not only improved to 10–5 but also clinched the AFC North division title (by having four wins in division games).

Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Seventeen: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 7 0 01017
Bengals 0 7 61023

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 30
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 61,565
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Game information

The Ravens allowed their starters to come out for a few minutes in the first quarter, then played their second-string players for the rest of the game.[10] With the loss to the Bengals, the Ravens finished the season 10–6.

Postseason

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Week Date Opponent (Seed) Result Record Game site Recap
Wild Card January 6, 2013 Indianapolis Colts (5) W 24–9 1–0 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
Divisional January 12, 2013 at Denver Broncos (1) W 38–35 (2OT) 2–0 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
AFC Championship January 20, 2013 at New England Patriots (2) W 28–13 3–0 Gillette Stadium Recap
Super Bowl XLVII February 3, 2013 vs. San Francisco 49ers (N2) W 34–31 4–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap


AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. #5 Indianapolis Colts

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: #5 Indianapolis Colts at #4 Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 6 309
Ravens 0 10 7724

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information
 
Ray Lewis lines up in the backfield for the final play of the Ravens' 24–9 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Wildcard Round of the 2012–2013 NFL Playoffs. This would be Lewis' final play in Baltimore.

By winning the AFC North title, the Ravens hosted the Colts – a team that once played in Baltimore until moving to Indianapolis in 1984 – in the wild-card round. This relocation remains a controversial issue. The Ravens had faced the Colts in the playoffs twice before, losing both times without scoring any touchdowns in divisional rounds: in 2006 and 2009.[citation needed]

The Ravens, with Ray Lewis playing in his final home game,[12] limited the Colts to three field goals while Joe Flacco managed a pair of touchdown throws. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was a part of the Ravens' coaching staff from 2008 to 2011, serving as defensive coordinator during the 2011 season. Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell was the head coach of the Colts from 2009 to 2011. Before the game, Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was hospitalized with an illness.[13]

The win also marked the first time in NFL history that a starting quarterback has won at least one playoff game in his first five seasons as Flacco's playoff record improved to 6–4 and the team's overall record improved to 11–6.

AFC Divisional Playoff Game: at #1 Denver Broncos

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AFC Divisional Playoff Game: #4 Baltimore Ravens at #1 Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OT2OTTotal
Ravens 14 7 770338
Broncos 14 7 770035

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

The Ravens faced the Denver Broncos for the second time in the playoffs, having defeated them 21–3 in the 2000 Wild Card playoffs, and also faced Peyton Manning for the third time in a playoff run.

The Broncos clawed to a 35–28 lead but had to punt back to the Ravens in the final two minutes. In the signature play of the game—a deep touchdown strike by Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones which has come to be known as the Mile High Miracle—the Ravens tied the game after facing a 3rd-and-3, and with only :41 seconds left in the 4th quarter. After Baltimore tied the game, Manning and the Broncos took a controversial kneel down with 30-seconds left on the clock and two timeouts to take it to overtime. Later in the first overtime Manning was intercepted at his own 45-yard line, setting up the winning Ravens field goal in the opening minute of the second overtime. By improving to 1–2 against Manning in the playoffs, this was the Ravens' first victory against him since the 2001 season when he was with Indianapolis, along with their first-ever road victory against him. Synonymous with the biggest play of the game, this game goes down in Ravens lore as the Mile High Miracle. The victory improved their overall season record to 12–6.

AFC Championship: at #2 New England Patriots

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AFC Championship: #4 Baltimore Ravens at #2 New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 7 71428
Patriots 3 10 0013

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: January 20, 2013
  • Game time: 6:30 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), clear and windy
  • Game attendance: 68,756
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Steve Tasker
Game information

The Ravens found themselves playing against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row after losing to them in heartbreaking fashion by a score of 23–20 in the 2011 AFC Championship game.

With the comeback win after trailing in the first-half, the Ravens not only improved their overall record to 13–6, but also advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in twelve years.

The Ravens were the last team to defeat the Patriots at Foxborough in the playoffs until the Tennessee Titans pulled off the feat 7 years later, which would ultimately turnout to be to be the final game Tom Brady played for the team.

Super Bowl XLVII: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 7 14 7634
49ers 3 3 17831

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: February 3, 2013
  • Game time: 6:30 pm. EST/5:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Stave Tasker, and Solomon Wilcots
Game information

The Ravens advanced to their second Super Bowl in franchise history, facing the San Francisco 49ers. This would be the first time two brothers were head coaches of opposing teams in the Super Bowl with the 49ers being led by Jim Harbaugh, John Harbaugh's younger brother. The Ravens were designated the visiting team. After leading the entire game, the Ravens held on at the end, stopping the 49ers on four plays inside their own 10-yard line, then taking an intentional safety with four seconds remaining to milk the clock. During the 3rd quarter of the game, half of the power went out in the Superdome, leading to over a 30-minute delay in the game. They finished the season with an overall record of 14–6 with their 4–0 playoff run and improved to 2–0 in Super Bowl appearances, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss as a franchise. The Ravens' win also marked the third-straight season in which a team seeded third or lower in its conference would defeat a top-seeded team from the other conference in a Super Bowl. With this win, the Ravens won their second Super Bowl, becoming one of two teams to appear in multiple Super Bowls without a defeat, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Team owner Steve Bisciotti stated during a press conference that the Ravens Super Bowl ring for the 2012 season was going to be white gold instead of yellow gold, at the request of players and coaches.[14] While offensive coordinator Cam Cameron was fired after a week 14 loss to the Washington Redskins, head coach John Harbaugh stated that Cameron deserved and received a Super Bowl ring.[15]

Statistics

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Team leaders

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Statistic Player(s) Value
Passing yards Joe Flacco 3,817
Passing touchdowns Joe Flacco 22
Rushing yards Ray Rice 1,143
Rushing touchdowns Ray Rice 9
Receiving yards Anquan Boldin 921
Receiving touchdowns Torrey Smith 8
Points Justin Tucker 132
Kickoff return yards Jacoby Jones 1,167
Punt return yards Jacoby Jones 341
Tackles Bernard Pollard 98
Sacks Paul Kruger 9.0
Interceptions Cary Williams/Ed Reed 4

stats values are correct through the end of the regular season. '

League rankings

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  • Total offense (YPG): 343.2 (19th)
  • Passing (YPG): 241 (15th)
  • Rushing (YPG): 102.4 (23rd)
  • Total defense (YPG): 372.3 (25th)
  • Passing (YPG): 247 (23rd)
  • Rushing (YPG): 125.8 (23rd)

Stats correct through week 13.

Standings

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Division

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AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Baltimore Ravens 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 398 344 L1
(6) Cincinnati Bengals 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 391 320 W3
Pittsburgh Steelers 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 336 314 W1
Cleveland Browns 5 11 0 .313 2–4 5–7 302 368 L3

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1 Denver Broncos West 13 3 0 .813 6–0 10–2 .457 .385 W11
2[a] New England Patriots East 12 4 0 .750 6–0 11–1 .496 .466 W2
3[a] Houston Texans South 12 4 0 .750 5–1 10–2 .496 .432 L2
4[b] Baltimore Ravens North 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 .496 .438 L1
Wild cards
5 Indianapolis Colts South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .441 .403 W2
6[b] Cincinnati Bengals North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .438 .381 W3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 .465 .438 W1
8[c] San Diego Chargers West 7 9 0 .438 4–2 7–5 .457 .286 W2
9[c] Miami Dolphins East 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .500 .415 L1
10[d] Tennessee Titans South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 .512 .344 W1
11[d][e] New York Jets East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 .512 .401 L3
12[e] Buffalo Bills East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 .480 .281 W1
13 Cleveland Browns North 5 11 0 .313 2–4 5–7 .508 .388 L3
14 Oakland Raiders West 4 12 0 .250 2–4 4–8 .469 .219 L2
15[f] Jacksonville Jaguars South 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 .539 .531 L5
16[f] Kansas City Chiefs West 2 14 0 .125 0–6 0–12 .516 .438 L4
Tiebreakers[g]
  1. ^ a b New England clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed over Houston based on a head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Baltimore clinched the AFC North title over Cincinnati based on a better divisional record (4–2 to 3–3).
  3. ^ a b San Diego finished with a better conference record than Miami (7–5 to 5–7).
  4. ^ a b Tennessee finished ahead of New York Jets based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b New York Jets finished ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East based on record versus common opponents (5–7 to 3–9).
  6. ^ a b Jacksonville finished with a better conference record than Kansas City (2–10 to 0–12).
  7. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

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  1. ^ Ravens Dedicate Season To Art Modell Archived 2012-10-14 at the Wayback Machine, by Ryan Mink. BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved on November 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Stevens, Matthew (August 15, 2019). "NFL 100: Ranking the top Baltimore Ravens of all time". Ravens Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Top 20 NFL Games of 2012". NFL.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  4. ^ "Ravens hit with season-ending injuries to Lewis, Webb". Yahoo! Sports. Reuters. October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "Ravens fined $20K for not listing Ed Reed on injury report – NFL". Sports Illustrated. October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. ^ "Jacoby Jones returns kick 108 yards". ESPN.com. February 4, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2022."Who Will Return Kicks for the Baltimore Ravens?". The Baltimore Wire. April 10, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "Rice is AFC Player of the Week". RSN. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Baltimore Ravens fire offensive coordinator Cam Cameron". Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  9. ^ "Watch Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys [12/16/2012]". NFL.com. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Ravens vs. Bengals - Game Recap - December 30, 2012 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  11. ^ [1] FootballZebras.com. Retrieved on January 02 2013.
  12. ^ "Ravens' Lewis says he will retire at end of season". TSN.ca. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  13. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (January 6, 2013). "Bruce Arians in hospital, misses Indianapolis Colts' loss". National Football League. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  14. ^ "What Will The Super Bowl Ring Look Like?". Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "Harbaugh: Cameron deserves Super Bowl ring". February 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "2012 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
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