"[ On Jan. 28, 2001, the Ravens routed the New York Giants, 34-7, in Tampa, Fla., where their crowning glory came on the wings of what brought them there: suffocating defense, big-play special teams and timely offense.
A decade ago – has it really been that long – the Ravens found themselves on top of the football world when they got a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Trent Dilfer to Brandon Stokley for the early lead, an 84-yard kickoff return from Jermaine Lewis for a clinching touchdown, and an MVP performance from Ray Lewis.
Lewis finished with five tackles and deflected four passes to become the seventh defensive player in the history of the Super Bowl -- and first middle linebacker -- to win the Pete Rozelle Award as MVP.
"This win is something they can't take away from us,” Lewis said after the Super Bowl triumph. “We are the best ever, the best ever right now."
The Ravens didn't get the shutout -- New York's Ron Dixon returned a kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown in the third quarter -- even though the defense deserved one.
The Ravens’ defense intercepted overmatched quarterback Kerry Collins for times and held the Giants to 152 total yards.
"This is the best defense ever to play the game," defensive tackle Tony Siragusa said.
Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards, and rookie running back Jamal Lewis punched out 102 yards with one touchdown.
"We're the best team in football and we proved it," said Dilfer, who made his return to Tampa triumphant. "We knew it. We had the heart, the will and the confidence. We knew we had a great team. Today was just a matter of going out and proving what we already knew." ]"
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