Baltimore Ravens, 2012 Super Bowl XLVII Champions

Despite early injuries that led to struggles on the defensive side of the football, the Ravens jumped out to a 9–2 start thanks in part to a high powered no-huddle offense led by Joe Flacco. Needing just a single win to secure a second straight division title, the Ravens went on a three game losing streak, highlighted by the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, promotion of quarterback coach Jim Caldwell to offensive coordinator, and an embarrassing 34–17 loss at home to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on December 16. Regardless, the Ravens clinched their fifth straight playoff berth after the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys. Despite making the playoffs, this slump led some media outlets to questions the Ravens ability to win football games, but after making a statement with a decisive 33–14 victory over the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and securing back to back division titles for the first time in franchise history, they finished with a regular season record of 10–6 and a rare home playoff game in the Wildcard Round.
The 2012 season also saw long-serving linebacker Ray Lewis announce his retirement heading into the AFC Wildcard game against the Indianapolis Colts. Lewis tore his triceps midway through October in his 17th season with the Ravens after Baltimore selected him with the 26th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts during the wild card round on January 6, 2013 at M&T Bank Stadium, with Ray Lewis celebrating his final game at home with his trademark dance both at the start of the game as he was introduced and on the final play of the game when he was brought back onto the field. The Ravens were labeled as huge underdogs coming into the game, but they ended up beating the Denver Broncos in the second overtime, 38–35, in the divisional round on Saturday January 12, 2013. It looked as though they had lost the game as they got the ball with just over a minute left on their twenty-three-yard line, but a clutch 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones sent the game to overtime. In overtime an interception of Peyton Manning by Corey Graham, who had already returned one interception for a touchdown earlier in the game, put the Ravens in field position to kick the winning field goal. The win vaulted the Ravens to play for the AFC Conference Championship against the New England Patriots on Sunday January 20, 2013; the Ravens won 28–13; the win placed the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2013. They won the championship with the score of 34–31 after a blackout of the stadium in the 3rd quarter.