The Baltimore Ravens were 0-1, having lost badly at
Pittsburgh in Week 1, as they hosted the Cleveland Browns on September 14, 2003.
Head Coach Brian Billick’s team was coming off a 7-9 record in ’02 with many
first and second year players on the roster. Known for their solid defensive
play, they were starting a rookie, Kyle Boller, at quarterback and were heavily
dependent on RB Jamal Lewis to carry the offense. Lewis was two years removed
from a torn ACL that had cost him an entire season, but he rushed for 1327
yards in 2002 and showed no ill effects from his knee trouble.
The Browns, coached by Butch Davis, were also 0-1 after a
low-scoring loss to the Colts. They had gone a surprising 9-7 in ’02 to reach
the postseason. The team’s quarterback controversy had, at least for the
moment, been settled with backup Kelly Holcomb starting ahead of the
inconsistent Tim Couch. RB William Green led the running game and there was a
good group of receivers. But the defense was in flux.
There was a crowd of 69,473 in attendance at M & T
Bank Stadium. The tone for the game was set on the second play from scrimmage
when Jamal Lewis, showing off his breakaway speed to go along with his power-running
ability, ran 82 yards for a touchdown.
Following a punt by the Browns, Lewis took off for a
23-yard gain. The Ravens advanced to the Cleveland 26, converting a fourth down
along the way, but Matt Stover’s 44-yard field goal attempt was unsuccessful.
The Browns fumbled the ball right back and Baltimore went
45 yards in nine plays, the big ones passes from Kyle Boller to WR Travis
Taylor for 19 yards in a third-and-10 situation and 26 yards to WR Frank
Sanders to the Cleveland two yard line. The Browns stopped Lewis on three
straight carries and the Ravens settled for a 20-yard Stover field goal. It was
10-0 in favor of the home team after a quarter of play.
The teams traded punts as the game moved into the second
quarter before Boller was intercepted by FS Earl Little, who returned it 21
yards to give the Browns possession at the Baltimore 21. They couldn’t move the
ball but Phil Dawson kicked a 44-yard field goal to get them on the board.
The Ravens responded with a scoring drive of their own
that was keyed by Lewis blasting up the middle on the first play for 48 yards
to the Cleveland 12. A penalty backed Baltimore up from there but they came
away with a Stover field goal from 40 yards for a 13-3 lead.
Following a short Cleveland punt, the Ravens gained just
eight yards in seven plays but ended up with a franchise-record 56-yard field
goal by long-range PK Wade Richey (it was Richey’s only field goal for the
Ravens). That was it for the first half scoring and Baltimore went into
halftime winning by 16-3. Notably, Lewis had already rushed for 180 yards.
Neither offense was able to move to start the third
quarter and traded punts, but one of them was returned for 44 yards by
Baltimore DB Lamont Brightful to the Cleveland 26. However, the Ravens failed
to capitalize when Boller fumbled and DT Orpheus Roye recovered for the Browns.
Cleveland put together an eight-play, 62-yard drive that featured a pass from
Kelly Holcomb to WR Dennis Northcutt for 27 yards. The series stalled at the
Baltimore 17 and Dawson booted a 35-yard field goal to make it a ten-point
game.
A short series by the Ravens resulted in a punt, but the
teams quickly traded turnovers. With Boller out of the game with a knee injury,
new Ravens QB Chris Redman fumbled to give the Browns the ball at the Baltimore
22 and they scored in five plays that were capped by Holcomb tossing a
five-yard touchdown pass to WR Kevin Johnson. Dawson converted the extra point
and Cleveland was now just three points behind at 16-13.
However, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Lewis
made another big run, going 63 yards down the middle for a TD. Stover’s PAT gave
the Ravens a ten-point margin once again. The Browns reached the Baltimore 45
on the next series and had to punt, pinning the Ravens back at their eight.
While Lewis had a 19-yard carry around end, Baltimore again had to kick the
ball away.
Time was now working against the Browns and, while
Holcomb threw two completions, they couldn’t get beyond the Baltimore 38. An
incomplete pass setting up a fourth-and-two situation was followed by a sack of
Holcomb that lost 13 yards and gave the Ravens the ball back on downs.
Lewis carried four times and FB Alan Ricard contributed a
30-yard run as the Ravens went 38 yards in eight plays. Stover capped the
series with a 21-yard field goal that made the tally 26-13 with less than two
minutes remaining. The game ended with SS Ed Reed intercepting a Holcomb
desperation pass and returning it 54 yards for a touchdown. What had for a time
been a close game ended up being a 33-13 win for Baltimore.
With his many long gains, Jamal Lewis set a new NFL
single-game rushing record with 295 yards on 30 carries that included two
touchdowns. As a team, the Ravens set a franchise mark with 343 yards on the
ground, part of a total of 393 yards of offense in comparison to Cleveland’s
175. Baltimore also had the edge in first downs (14 to 9). Each team turned the
ball over three times.
Beyond the huge performance by Lewis, which broke the
record of 278 yards set by Cincinnati’s Cory Dillon in 2000, there wasn’t much
of a passing game. Kyle Boller completed 7 of 17 throws for 78 yards with no
touchdowns and one intercepted, and in relief Chris Redman went to the air only
once. Travis Taylor was the club’s top receiver with two catches for 27 yards.
For the Browns, Kelly Holcomb was successful on 17 of 37
passes for 147 yards and a TD with two picked off. Kevin Johnson had 6 catches
for 34 yards and a touchdown and Dennis Northcutt gained 62 yards on his 5
receptions. William Green led the running game with 54 yards on 17 attempts.
“On a day like today, I can’t regret anything,” said
Jamal Lewis. “It was beautiful.”
It was all part of a season in which Lewis joined the
exclusive 2000-yard rushing club with a total of 2066 on 387 carries (5.3 avg.)
and 14 touchdowns. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl
selection, was selected as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the
Associated Press, and received NFL Most Valuable Player honors from the Pro
Football Writers. His single-game record lasted until 2007 when Adrian Peterson
of the Vikings exceeded it by a yard.
The Ravens compiled a 10-6 record to top the AFC North. They
lost to Tennessee in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Cleveland had a
disappointing year, going 5-11 and finishing at the bottom of the division.
Jamal Lewis added to the misery by not only rushing for a record total against
them, but when the teams met again in Cleveland he gained 205 yards, giving him
500 yards against one team in a season.
