2001: Ravens Throttle Giants in Super Bowl XXXV

Nine weeks into the 2000 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens were 5-4 and hardly seemed likely to reach the postseason, let alone the Super Bowl. But from that point they won seven straight games to close out the regular season, securing a wild card spot with a 12-4 record that placed them second in the AFC Central. From there they dominated the Broncos at home and the Titans (the club that won the division title) and Raiders on the road to win the AFC title and storm into a Super Bowl matchup against the New York Giants on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Under Head Coach Brian Billick, the Ravens were propelled forward by the defense. At defensive tackle, Pro Bowler Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa effectively plugged the middle of the line. The brilliant All-Pro MLB Ray Lewis (pictured above) led a unit that included Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper on the outside. Cornerbacks Duane Starks and Chris McAlister were highly effective and joined in the backfield by 35-year-old Pro Bowl FS Rod Woodson and SS Kim Herring. The unit gave up just 165 points over the course of the 16-game season, shutting out four opponents and allowing no more than one TD in 11 contests. If anything, it had stepped up its game in the playoffs.

At midseason, Trent Dilfer took over for Tony Banks at quarterback and provided good leadership as well as a steady hand as game-manager of a conservative, run-oriented offense that kept mistakes at a minimum. Rookie RB Jamal Lewis came on strong in the second half as well, gaining 1364 yards on the ground. 11th-year veteran TE Shannon Sharpe caught 67 passes. OT Jonathan Ogden anchored the offensive line.

The Giants, coached by Jim Fassel, had also gone 12-4 in winning the NFC East, and won more consistently across the course of the season. QB Kerry Collins took every snap and threw for 3610 yards and 22 touchdowns, reviving his career. Running backs Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne combined for 1776 rushing yards and 13 TDs (although Dayne tailed off badly toward the end), and Barber also added 70 pass receptions for 719 yards. Wide receivers Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard were effective and caught 15 scoring passes between them. The solid defense featured Pro Bowl LB Jessie Armstead, DE Michael Strahan, MLB Mike Barrow, and CB Jason Sehorn. New York defeated the Eagles in the Divisional playoff round and then routed the Vikings for the NFC title.


The game started quietly as neither team was able to generate much offense, although as they exchanged punts, the Ravens were winning the battle for field position. The Giants had the first possession of the game, but the second and third times they had the ball, they started at their own 13 and one yard lines, respectively. Midway through the first quarter, WR Jermaine Lewis (pictured at left) returned a punt 33 yards into New York territory, and while a holding penalty cost the Ravens ten yards, they started in good field position at the 41. Two plays later, Dilfer threw to WR Brandon Stokley for a 38-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead.

The clubs returned to trading punts, with Sharper intercepting a Collins pass in the second quarter that Baltimore was unable to capitalize on, but which stopped New York’s deepest penetration thus far (to midfield). The Giants nearly got a big break when Armstead intercepted a Dilfer pass and returned it for an apparent TD, but a defensive holding penalty on DT Keith Hamilton nullified the play.

With less than four minutes remaining in the half, the Ravens took over at their own 12 following another punt by the Giants, but following a six-yard completion to Stokley and a two-yard run by Jamal Lewis, Dilfer threw a pass to WR Qadry Ismail for a 44-yard gain down the left sideline to the New York 36. Four plays later, Matt Stover kicked a 47-yard field goal.

The Giants, getting the ball back with 1:34 remaining on the clock, briefly created some excitement as Collins completed a 17-yard pass to WR Ron Dixon and Barber took off on a 26-yard run to the Ravens’ 29 yard line. But on the next play, McAlister intercepted a Collins pass to snuff out the threat and Baltimore held a 10-0 lead going into halftime.

Following a punt by the Ravens on the first possession of the third quarter, Collins was again intercepted, this time by Kim Herring. Tony Banks replaced Dilfer at quarterback for this series (Dilfer had suffered a hand injury), but after Baltimore advanced to the New York 24, Stover missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.

The game settled back into a monotony of short possessions ending in punts until suddenly a stunning scoring spree erupted. First, Starks intercepted a Collins pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown to stretch Baltimore’s lead to 17-0. However, Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a TD to make it a 10-point game again. But on the next kickoff, it was Jermaine Lewis responding for the Ravens with an 83-yard touchdown. In just 36 seconds, a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns were scored, and the tally now stood at 24-7 in favor of Baltimore.

After that outburst, the game settled back into a defensive struggle. Baltimore took advantage of a short punt by Brad Maynard from his end zone to start with good field position at the New York 38 and drove to a three-yard touchdown run by Jamal Lewis. A fumble by Dixon on the ensuing kickoff return set up a 34-yard Stover field goal for the game’s final points. New York gained just one first down in its last four possessions and Baltimore came away the winner by a score of 34-7.

The Ravens defense capped a tremendous year by holding the Giants to 152 total yards and 11 first downs, and Ray Lewis was named the game’s MVP (Lewis accounted for 11 tackles, four assists, and four blocked passes). Collins was sacked four times and intercepted four times as well. Baltimore’s offense did little to generate excitement, but gained 244 yards and didn’t turn the ball over (thanks to the negated interception), as opposed to New York’s five turnovers. The teams set a Super Bowl record by punting 21 times (11 by the Giants, 10 by Baltimore).

Trent Dilfer (pictured below) completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown. Jamal Lewis ran for 102 yards on 27 carries that included a TD. Brandon Stokley caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown and TE Ben Coates added three receptions for 30 yards.


For the Giants, Kerry Collins had a rough outing, completing just 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards and four interceptions. Tiki Barber led the team in rushing with 49 yards on 11 carries and also caught 6 passes for 26 yards. Ike Hilliard’s 30 yards on three receptions led the team.

“We came after them early, set a tempo,” said Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, Marvin Lewis. “We applied pressure to let them know we'll play our defense and keep attacking and not let anyone take us out of our game.”

Speaking of the kickoff return for a TD by Jermaine Lewis that trumped Ron Dixon’s, Brian Billick said, “The emotional swing of the game at that point, you could see it on their side. When Jermaine took it back the other way, it was more dramatic...The emotional flipflop, even though the points were the same, I think had to be devastating to them.”

It was a triumphant return to Tampa for Trent Dilfer, who had spent six disappointing seasons with the Buccaneers before moving on to the Ravens. However, winning the Super Bowl did not guarantee job security and he was released in the offseason, catching on with Seattle.

The Ravens parted ways with Dilfer due to the free agent signing of the more highly-esteemed Elvis Grbac, who had been a Pro Bowl quarterback for the Chiefs. While Grbac ultimately proved to be a disappointment, the team again made it to the postseason in 2001, once more as a wild card, but fell to Pittsburgh in the Divisional round. New York dropped more precipitously, going 7-9 in ’01 before returning to the postseason as a wild card team in 2002 – the Giants would not vie again for a championship until the 2007 season.

2000: Four NFL Runners Reach 200 Yards on Same Day

As much as modern pro football has become more pass-oriented, running the ball is still an integral part of the game and running backs still achieve big performances. December 3, 2000 was a day for ground-gaining achievements as an unprecedented four NFL runners gained 200 yards rushing on the same date.

The highest total was registered by rookie RB Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos (pictured at right), who had 251 yards on 37 carries in a game against the Saints at the Louisiana Superdome. Both the 6’0”, 230-pound Anderson and the Broncos had been on a hot streak. Denver had won six of its last seven games, including four straight, coming into the contest against the 8-4 Saints. Anderson had already gone over 100 yards on four occasions and twice flirted with 200, including 195 the week before at Seattle, making the most of his opportunity to play after injuries had cut down veterans Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary.

Anderson scored the first of his four touchdowns (all by rushing) in the opening period and his second TD, of five yards, in the second quarter put the Broncos ahead to stay. They won handily, 38-23.

Cincinnati RB Corey Dillon, who at the time held the NFL single-game record with 278 yards in a game that he set just six weeks before on October 22 (coincidentally, against Denver), reached the 200-yard threshold for the second time in 2000 with 216 on 35 attempts against the 3-9 Arizona Cardinals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals had not been as successful as the 6’1”, 225-pound fourth-year running back out of Washington – they were 2-10 entering the game and had lost four straight.


Dillon (pictured at left) set the pace from the start, running for 57 yards on the team’s second play from scrimmage to set up a short TD pass from QB Scott Mitchell to TE Tony McGee. By the half, he had gained 134 yards and scored on a one-yard TD run to extend Cincinnati’s lead to 14-0. It was 21-0 in the third quarter before the Cardinals began to come back and narrowed the margin to 21-13. But Dillon, along with RB Brandon Bennett, keyed a long, 17-play fourth quarter drive that ran the clock down and ended with a 32-yard Neil Rackers field goal to cap the 24-13 win.

At Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, fourth-year RB Warrick Dunn gained 210 yards on 22 rushes with two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers were 7-5, and had won four of their last five, while Dallas was a dismal 4-8. The 5’8”, 180-pound Dunn typically split duty with FB Mike Alstott, who was struggling with injuries, and with more of an opportunity to run the ball had his first 100-yard game of the year the previous week (106 vs. Buffalo).

Tampa Bay dominated the Cowboys throughout the game. It was already 3-0 in the first quarter when Dunn took off on a 70-yard run for the first touchdown of the game. He scored again in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard carry that made the final tally 27-7. It was the third 200-yard rushing performance of the year against the Cowboys, who had given up just two such performances over the previous 40 seasons, and also marked Tampa Bay’s first-ever win over Dallas.


Finally, RB Curtis Martin of the New York Jets (pictured at right) rolled up a then-club-record 203 yards on 30 carries at Giants Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jets were 8-4 and battling the 7-5 Colts in the AFC East. The 5’11”, 210-pound Martin was in his third year in New York after three seasons with the Patriots and had been to the Pro Bowl three times. He had been over a hundred yards twice thus far in 2000.

The Jets were ahead by 7-0 in the first quarter when Martin’s 36-yard run keyed a drive that was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from QB Vinny Testaverde to WR Dedric Ward. It was 20-0 at halftime, but the Colts came back in the second half to close to within 20-17. A fumble recovery by the Jets set up a two-yard scoring run by Martin that clinched the 27-17 win for New York.

Mike Anderson not only led the day but, of the four, had the highest yardage total of the season with 1487, fourth-ranked in the league, on 297 carries. His 5.0 average gain ranked third and 15 rushing touchdowns second (and first in the AFC). It was the high point of his seven-season career in which he reached the thousand-yard mark just once more (1014 in 2005). He did not have any more 200-yard games.

Corey Dillon was right behind Anderson at fifth in the NFL with 1435 yards on 315 carries. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns. It was the fourth of an eventual six straight thousand-yard seasons and was his highest yardage total with the Bengals, although his career high of 1635 came with New England in 2004. Dillon was named to the Pro Bowl for the second of three straight years (and four overall).Including a 246-yard game as a rookie in 1997, and with the two in 2000, he ended up with a total of three 200-yard games for his career.

Curtis Martin ended up with a 12th-ranked 1204 yards on 316 attempts for a 3.8-yard average and nine touchdowns. Factoring in pass receiving yards, however, he ranked ninth in yards from scrimmage with 1712, the highest total of the four. Also the most prolific rusher of the group, his thousand-yard season was the sixth of an eventual 10 straight to start his career, a distinction he shares with Detroit’s Barry Sanders (Emmitt Smith had 11 consecutive, but that streak started with his second season). Martin led the NFL with a career-high 1697 yards in 2004, at age 31, when he was a consensus 1st-team All-NFL selection. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. The performance against the Colts was his only career 200-yard game.


Warrick Dunn (pictured at left) ranked 18th with 1133 yards on 248 attempts. His 4.6-yard average gain ranked considerably higher, tying him for seventh in the league with Dillon. He scored eight touchdowns on the ground. It was the second thousand-yard season of an eventual five for Dunn, with his career high being 1416 with the Falcons in 2005. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000 for the second of three times. Like Anderson and Martin, the game against the Cowboys marked his only rushing total over 200 yards.

2000: Duce Staley – and Pickle Juice – Help Eagles Defeat Cowboys

It was a hot day at Texas Stadium for the season-opening game between the host Dallas Cowboys and visiting Philadelphia Eagles on September 3, 2000. The temperature at game time was 109 degrees, with readings on the artificial surface of 150.

Second-year Head Coach Andy Reid pulled the Eagles off the field early from pre-game warmups. Trainer Rick Burkholder also had the players drink pickle juice, a practice the club had begun during training camp as a means to combat both dehydration and cramping.

Reid took an aggressive approach once play began. Dallas having won the toss, the Eagles took them by surprise by executing an onsides kick that they successfully recovered (WR Dameane Douglas made the play for Philadelphia). The offense proceeded to drive 58 yards in eight plays, ending with QB Donovan McNabb tossing a one-yard TD pass to TE Jeff Thomason.

Philadelphia’s defense sacked star QB Troy Aikman three times during the first Dallas possession; rookie DT Corey Simon recorded one in his first regular season play. Before the first quarter ended, the Eagles took a 14-0 lead when a pass interference penalty put the ball on the Dallas one yard line and RB Duce Staley plowed into the end zone. Two minutes later, and now into the second quarter, LB Jeremiah Trotter intercepted an Aikman pass and returned it 27 yards for another Eagles TD and a 21-0 tally.

Aikman was sacked a fourth time and took a total of six hits by the Eagles defense before leaving the game during the second quarter with a concussion, to be replaced by former Philadelphia QB Randall Cunningham. The Eagles scored once more, on a 33-yard field goal by David Akers, before the Cowboys got on the board with field goals of 34 and 38 yards by Tim Seder, both following interceptions. The score at halftime stood at 24-6.

Philadelphia’s offense took control once again in the third quarter, with a time-consuming 14-play drive that covered 61 yards and culminated in another Akers field goal, this one from 37 yards. After the Cowboys went three-and-out, the Eagles put together another long possession of 72 yards in nine plays, with McNabb running the last three yards for a touchdown.

The Eagles scored once more in the fourth quarter as Staley ran 60 yards to set up a six-yard TD run by RB Brian Mitchell. Dallas scored a touchdown on a four-yard pass from Cunningham to WR Joey Galloway, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion, but the outcome had long since been decided. The final score was 41-14, making it the worst opening-day defeat for the Cowboys since 1963.

Staley (pictured at top) was the star for the Eagles, gaining 201 yards rushing on 26 carries (just missing the franchise single-game rushing record by four yards) with one TD and also leading the club with four pass receptions for another 61 yards and a total of 262 yards from scrimmage. Overall, the team accumulated 306 yards on the ground, its highest single-game total since 1951.

Donovan McNabb passed for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while completing 16 of 28 throws; he also ran for 29 yards on five carries with a TD.

It was a hard day for Dallas across the board. Troy Aikman failed to complete any passes and threw the one interception that was returned for a score before leaving the contest. Randall Cunningham was successful on 13 of 26 passes for 135 yards with one touchdown and one picked off. The Cowboys, playing catch-up from the beginning, only ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards – RB Emmitt Smith had just 29 yards on 7 carries while WR Raghib “Rocket” Ismael led the team with 33 yards on two rushes. Joey Galloway was the top receiver with four catches for 62 yards and the late touchdown, but suffered a knee injury late in the game that knocked him out of action for the remainder of the season.

The opening win over the Cowboys didn’t generate immediate momentum for the Eagles, who lost their next two games, but, coming off of three straight losing seasons, they improved to 11-5, placed second in the NFC East, and secured a wild card spot in the postseason. Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay in the first round but lost to the Giants in the Divisional playoff.

Dallas, going in the opposite direction, went 5-11 to place fourth in the division. After making it to the playoffs in eight of the previous nine years and winning three championships, the Cowboys would not make it back to the postseason (or have a winning record) again until 2003.

Duce Staley, who was coming off back-to-back thousand-yard rushing seasons in 1998 and ’99, was lost for the year due to a foot injury in Week 5 and gained just 344 yards on the ground in 2000. The running game suffered without him (he still ended up with the highest yardage total of any running back on the team), but the second-year quarterback McNabb emerged to account for 76 percent of the team’s offense, rushing for 629 yards and passing for 3365.