Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams Face Infamy as Goats The 49ers’ Kyle Williams and the Ravens’ Billy Cundiff joined an infamous list of athletes on Sunday that includes the likes of Bill Buckner and Scott Norwood.

Defense Goes From Liability to Asset for Patriots During the regular season, teams averaged 411.1 yards a game against the Patriots’ defense; in the playoffs, that has dropped to 325.

Joe Flacco Outshines Tom Brady, but Still Comes Up Short The oft-criticized Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco did all he could to lead Baltimore over the Patriots in the A.F.C. Championship game, only to see his team fall.

Patriots Defeat Ravens to Advance to Super Bowl A missed field goal in the final seconds of regulation denied Baltimore a shot at overtime, sending New England on with a 23-20 victory.

Patriots’ Patchwork Defense Holds Together Against Ravens The unlikely hero of the Patriots’ victory against the Ravens was safety Sterling Moore, who was released by New England earlier this season.

For Ravens’ Leaders, The Time Is Now Safety Ed Reed and linebacker Ray Lewis are the heart and soul of the Ravens’ defense. This could be their last chance at a Super Bowl.

Rob Gronkowski Earning Name for Scores and Spikes Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has scored 31 touchdowns in 34 games, including in the playoffs, and has become one of football’s celebrated spikers.

Joe Flacco of Ravens Is Used to Criticism Joe Flacco, the quarterback whose knowledge of the Ravens’ offense was questioned this week by his teammate Ed Reed, is used to dealing with criticism.

Wilfork Anchors the Patriots’ Defense Lineman Vince Wilfork is headed to his fourth Pro Bowl, but, more important to him, the Patriots are in Sunday’s A.F.C. championship game.

Ravens Seek Offense Worthy of Their Defense To reach their first Super Bowl since the 2000 season, the Ravens cannot rely on defense alone, particularly against a Patriots team that has not lost since Nov. 6.

The 2006 Baltimore Ravens season began with the team trying to improve on their 6-10 record of 2005. The Ravens, for the first time in franchise history, started 4-0, under the leadership of former Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

The Ravens lost 2 straight games mid-season on offensive troubles, prompting coach Brian Billick to drop their offensive coordinator Jim Fassel in their week 7 bye. After the bye, and with Billick calling the offense, Baltimore would record a five-game win streak before losing to the Bengals in week 13.

Still ranked second overall to first-place San Diego, The Ravens continued on. They defeated the Chiefs, continued dominance over rival Cleveland, and held the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers to only one touchdown at Heinz Field, allowing the Ravens to clinch the AFC North.

The Ravens ended the regular season with a franchise-best 13-3 record. Baltimore had secured the AFC North title, the #2 AFC playoff seed, and clinched a 1st-round bye by season's end. The Ravens were slated to face the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the playoffs, in the first meeting of the two teams in the playoffs. Many Baltimore and Indianapolis fans saw this historic meeting as a sort of "Judgement Day" with the new team of Baltimore facing the old team of Baltimore (the former Baltimore Colts having left Baltimore under questionable circumstances in 1983). In one of the most bizarre playoff games in NFL history, both Indianapolis and Baltimore were held to scoring only field goals as the two defenses slugged it out all over M&T Bank Stadium. McNair threw two costly interceptions, including one at the 1-yard line. The eventual Super-Bowl-Champion Colts won 15-6, ending Baltimore's season

From 1996-1998, the team originally used a logo that featured raven wings flanking a shield with the letter "B". However, the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict that the logo infringed on the copyright in a logo drawing by Frederick E. Bouchat, a Maryland amateur artist and security guard.

Bouchat sued the Ravens, claiming that he was the first one to design the "B" shield shortly after the team announced their intentions to move to Baltimore. The team defended themselves, claiming that the logo was made independently. But the court ruled in favor of Bouchat, stating that team owner Modell had access to Bouchat's work: Bouchat had faxed a copy of his design to then-chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority John Moag, who shared the same office building as Modell.[4] Ultimately, however, a jury later awarded Bouchat zero damages during the damages phase of the case.[5]

As a result of the lawsuit, a new logo was designed, featuring a purple and black raven's head in profile, with the letter "B" superimposed in metallic gold and white. The secondary logo of the Baltimore Ravens is a shield with alternating Calvert Banners in kind with the flag of Maryland (which incorporates the flag of Baltimore) interlocked with a stylized "B" and "R"