Did the Baltimore Ravens Ever Win a Super Bowl?
Yes. The Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV on January 28, 2001, defeating the New York Giants 34-7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This remains the franchise's only Super Bowl championship. The Ravens also won an earlier championship under a different name: the Baltimore Colts won Super Bowl V on January 17, 1971, against the Dallas Cowboys 16-13, but that team relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 and is now considered a separate franchise.
The 2000 Ravens season that led to Super Bowl XXXV is historically significant as one of the most dominant defensive performances in NFL history. The team allowed just 165 points across the entire season, a record low that still stands. The defense was led by linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive tackle Sam Adams, and cornerback Chris McAlister, among others. Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl XXXV MVP, the only Ravens defensive player to win that award in the franchise's championship season.
The Ravens' path to the Super Bowl included a playoff run that captured Baltimore's sports identity at the moment. After the 1996 relocation of the Cleveland Browns franchise, the Ravens arrived in Baltimore in 1996 and began building a defense-first organization. By 2000, the team had assembled one of the most feared defenses in the league. The Ravens' playoff opponents that year included the Denver Broncos (27-10), Pittsburgh Steelers (27-10), and Oakland Raiders (16-3 in the AFC Championship), establishing the team as a genuine force.
The Giants matchup in the Super Bowl was a mismatch on offense. Baltimore's defense held New York's star running back Tiki Barber to just 49 rushing yards. The Ravens' own offense, led by quarterback Trent Dilfer and running back Jamal Lewis, contributed significantly, but the game was won by the Ravens' ability to disrupt the Giants' game plan entirely. The 34-7 margin remains one of the largest point differentials in Super Bowl history.
For Baltimore sports fans, the Super Bowl XXXV victory resolved a long championship drought. The Colts had not won a championship since Super Bowl V in 1971, and the city had no major professional sports championship from that point through 1997 in any sport. The Ravens' win marked the beginning of a new era. Just three years later, in 2003, the Baltimore Orioles came close to contention again, though no championship followed for that franchise.
The economic impact of the Super Bowl victory was visible in Baltimore immediately. Merchandise sales of Ravens gear spiked, and attendance at M&T Bank Stadium (then called PSINet Stadium, renamed in 2003) increased in subsequent seasons as fans invested in a winning team. The stadium, located at 1 M&T Bank Stadium in downtown Baltimore, had only opened in 1998, so the Super Bowl victory validated the city's investment in both the team and the facility.
Since 2001, the Ravens have had sustained success but no additional Super Bowl appearances. The franchise has made the playoffs consistently, including notable playoff runs in 2006 and 2012-2013. In the 2012 season, the Ravens reached Super Bowl XLVII but lost to the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. That loss, while significant, is sometimes remembered more for the power outage that occurred during the second half at the Superdome in New Orleans than for the game itself.
For someone visiting Baltimore, the Ravens' Super Bowl victory is embedded in the city's sports identity. Fans often reference the 2000 season as the franchise's defining moment, and Ray Lewis's leadership during that era remains a touchstone for how the team's culture is understood. The defense-first approach that led to that championship has influenced how Baltimore sports fans view football success, favoring physical, tough play over high-scoring offenses.
The Ravens' single Super Bowl win also sits within a broader context of Baltimore sports history. The Colts' Super Bowl V victory in 1971 is historically significant but belongs to the Indianapolis franchise since 1984. The Ravens' 2001 championship is thus the only Super Bowl trophy won by a team that has remained in Baltimore throughout its championship history.
Related Questions
Has Baltimore won any other major sports championships since the Ravens' Super Bowl? The Baltimore Orioles won the World Series in 1983, the last major championship won by a Baltimore professional sports franchise before the Ravens' 2001 Super Bowl victory, creating a 18-year gap between titles.
What was the attendance at Super Bowl XXXV? The game drew 71,715 spectators to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa; current Super Bowl attendance figures vary by location and venue size.
