Despite all of the reasons to be optimistic – including how well they’d played on the road in January over the past five years – the Ravens still faced long odds. The Broncos were a 10-point favorite, the game time forecast was originally in the teens, and the Mile High crowd was descending on downtown Denver for a rematch of what had been a cakewalk for Manning and company in Baltimore four weeks earlier.
Denver billboards and local newspapers bragged about the “Ray Lewis Retirement Party” at Mile High. It was a dig at the retiring legend, who would be battling Manning one last time. Someone’s season was going to end on Saturday afternoon.
Ray Lewis vs. Peyton Manning – the final battle.
“They are always classic,” said Lewis, who hadn’t defeated Manning in 12 years, but had been a teammate at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu so often that they became good friends. “It’s just one of those chess matches. He knows me very well. I know them very well. He is dealing with a lot of different new pieces out there, but they are doing a heck of a job adjusting to his scheme and getting to playing real fast out there. [As] for me and him back colliding…at the end of the day, it’s not about me and Peyton. It’s about their team against our team. I just like our team. I love our team right now, and I am really looking forward to going out there and playing them.”
The Broncos and their fans expected to win and handily. Las Vegas was sure of it. They hadn’t lost in 11 weeks.
How are the Ravens going to come into this altitude on short rest, with Joe Flacco as quarterback, and beat Peyton Manning? Ray Lewis is old and slow. Did you see the last game in Baltimore?
“We love the position that we’re in right now,” said tight end Dennis Pitta. “When nobody gives you a chance there’s not a whole lot of pressure on you. You can go out and play relaxed, play confident, and do what you know you’re capable of doing.”
The energy level in Baltimore for every aspect of “The Lance Dance” was magical. It was truly a day to remember and with the quick week, the players were questioned about being a “team of destiny.” Most didn’t bite, but there was no doubt that the team was brimming with confidence and riding the wave of emotions regarding Lewis and their underdog status.
Privately, there was an internal belief amongst many of the more spiritual players that they were a team of destiny. All of the signs and what they’d experienced – the 4th & 29 play in San Diego, Suggs coming back against all odds, Lewis coming back after being told he couldn’t, the “mutiny” after the Texans loss, the firing of Cam Cameron, and surviving the December swoon – led to their next task on the mystical journey: They’d have to get on a plane to fly to Denver and beat Peyton Manning in the bitter cold, an environment where he isn’t at his best, in order to truly be destiny’s child.
“I don’t think anybody thinks we can win this game but us,” defensive tackle Art Jones said. “That’s the beauty of football. Our story is just now starting to be written.”
As much as there were questions about Flacco’s heart and ability to win the big game, Manning had lost more NFL games in January than anyone in recent memory. Despite his status as a future Hall of Famer and perhaps the greatest quarterback to have ever played the game, Manning possessed just one more Super Bowl ring than Flacco. His brother, Eli, had one more than Peyton. During his postseason career, Manning had traditionally performed far better in the confines of a dome (which he saw often in Indianapolis) or in warm weather. And that’s when he was younger and before he had neck fusion surgery to resurrect his career via rehab during the 2011 season, leading up to his tour of NFL campuses once the Colts cut him and his salary to draft Andrew Luck. Harbaugh’s brother in San Francisco wooed Manning as did Arizona, Miami, Seattle, and several others.
Manning chose Elway and Denver because he thought it was his best chance to get to a Super Bowl. And now, with two games to go and home field advantage, perhaps playing in these conditions would be more detrimental to him personally than to the Ravens?
Manning was 9-10 in the postseason coming into the game. Four of those wins came in 2007 when he led the Colts to a Super Bowl win. In five cold weather playoff games, Manning was 2-3 with four touchdowns and nine interceptions while posting a combined 60.6 quarterback rating. This time, however, the crowd would be on his side, and he’d be running his hurry up offense in the cold silence of Mile High Stadium.
