Defensive superstar Ray Lewis played linebacker for which NFL team in 2000?

Ray Lewis played linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. That season, he anchored one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history and helped Baltimore win its first Super Bowl.

The 2000 Ravens finished the regular season 12–4 and allowed only 165 points, an NFL record for a 16-game season at the time. Lewis was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Pro honors. His leadership was central to a defense that also featured players such as Jonathan Ogden, Rod Woodson, Sam Adams, and Peter Boulware.

Baltimore reached Super Bowl XXXV after defeating Denver, Tennessee, and Oakland in the playoffs. The Ravens then beat the New York Giants 34–7, with Lewis leading the defense and being named Super Bowl MVP. A common mistake is associating Lewis with the Cleveland Browns because the Ravens franchise originated after the Browns’ relocation, but the 2000 team was definitively Baltimore.