Ravens Upset Raiders, Go to Super Bowl

Jan. 14 -- The wild-card Baltimore Ravens concluded their wild ride to the Super Bowl by beating a favored Oakland Raider team today the way they've been winning all season: with a punishing defense.

Led by Ray Lewis, Jamie Sharper and Duane Starks, the Baltimore defense notched four sacks, four interceptions and held the No. 1 Raiders rushing game to just 24 yards all afternoon as the Ravens (15-4) advanced to Super Bowl XXXV.

There, they will compete against the NFC champion New York Giants, who earlier today pummeled the favored Minnesota Vikings 41-0 at the Meadowlands.

Sharpe’s Catch Is Biggest Play of Game

As expected, this game was a defensive battle — the teams combined for just 471 yards of total offense and instead relied on their defensive squads to make big plays and their kickers to pile up the points.

The Ravens never trailed today, scoring the only touchdown of the game on a 96-yard play with 11 minutes and eight seconds left in the second quarter. William Thomas sacked Trent Dilfer for a six-yard loss and Jamal Lewis wasn't able to push the Ravens into safer territory as he was stopped for no gain, setting up the 3rd-and-18 situation on the Ravens' four yard line.

With their backs against their own end zone, Baltimore wideout Shannon Sharpe caught Dilfer's short pass over the middle and broke through the defensive clutter to sprint the length of the field for the 96-yard score, the longest pass play in NFL playoff history.

The rest of the scoring rested on the legs of the two kickers. Matt Stover made three field goals for Baltimore — from distances of 29, 31 and 21 yards — but missed a 39-yard attempt when the ball bounced off the right upright.

Sebastian Janikowski's 24-yard field goal with 10:11 left in the third accounted for Oakland's only points today. Johnnie Harris' interception on a 3rd-and-19 situation set up that drive for the Raiders, who had to settle for the field goal when Randy Jordan dropped a 2-yard pass from Rich Gannon.