Ray Lewis’s emotional farewell tour will go through New England
There are many times in sports where an event transcends reality. Through sports we can enter a world where miracles happen and underdogs rise to greatness. Saturday’s upset featuring the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens was no exception.
For Ray Lewis, things really could not be better. He has made it clear that the 2012 season will be the last of his 17-year career, and here he is finishing it off in dramatic style. Lewis has long been a force in the Ravens’ defense, and he is playing with his heart on his sleeve for the people of Baltimore one more time.
The Ravens are coming off of a great 10-6 season and a pretty good year for Ray Lewis despite a triceps injury that kept him on the sidelines for a portion of the season. Lewis was told his season was over, but he recovered quickly so he could get back on the field as soon as possible.
“We did our job. Our job was to get him to the playoffs,” Ray Rice said back in December “If Ray Lewis comes back this week, that’s still up to him. Right now, we know for a fact that some time in the playoffs, we’ll have Ray Lewis.”
And have Ray Lewis, the Ravens did. The Broncos were favorites to win in Sunday’s game; however, with Lewis behind the defense and a solid performance from Joe Flacco, the Ravens fought on to a 38-35 win over Denver in double overtime.
“Our team is so confident and everything went against us,” Lewis said, “but we found a way to come here together and we’re leaving together. It’s just awesome.”
His presence on the team as a leader sparked the momentum that got them this far. Now they will have to make it past the New England Patriots if they wish to make it through the playoffs. This game is not without the sting of last year’s Conference Championship game where the Ravens suffered a 23-20 loss after kicker Billy Cundiff missed a crucial field goal.
The Patriots are going into the upcoming game more battered than usual as they lost Rob Gronkowski for the second time, they still pose a threat and a major obstacle though. Will Ray Lewis’ good fortune continue or will his luck run out in Foxboro? It certainly would be a great finish to his last season in the NFL, but even if the Ravens lose to the Patriots it has been an incredible run and he will be missed on the field.
