2. Home curse ends as J. Lewis eclipses 2,000 – Dec. 28, 2003
With Cleveland upsetting Cincinnati earlier in the day, the Ravens had already clinched the AFC North, but they had other goals in mind.
In addition to Jamal Lewis eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark, Baltimore desperately wanted to end the home curse against the Steelers, who had beaten the Ravens in Baltimore every year since the aforementioned victory in 1996. Lewis (27 carries, 114 yards) ran his way into the record books with a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but the Ravens needed overtime to snap the streak, winning 13-10 on a 47-yard field goal by Matt Stover.
The Ravens would bow out of the playoffs the next week to the Tennessee Titans, and criticism remains today that Brian Billick should have rested his starters in Week 17. However, anyone outside Baltimore wouldn’t understand how important it was to finally beat the Steelers in the Charm City, snapping the curse that had tormented Ravens fans for years.
No. 1 >>>
