### **Two Ravens Squads Ranked Among 25 Best Teams of Past 25 Years**
[ESPN’s Bill Barnwell](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45730439/ranking-25-best-nfl-teams-25-years-2000-patriots-eagles-seahawks) ranked the 25 best teams of the past 25 years, and two Ravens teams made the list: the Super Bowl-winning 2000 squad (No. 13) and the 2023 squad that was the AFC's top seed (No. 18).
To help compile the rankings, Barnwell measured each team's scoring offense and defense per game, including the postseason, and then normalized them against the league average. The 2000 Ravens offense was only in the 58th percentile, while the suffocating defense ranked in the 99th percentile.
"This defense was actually in the _99.7th_ percentile as a unit led by Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson and Chris McAlister allowed just 10.3 points per game and 0.8 points per drive, both of which rank as the lowest marks posted by any squad over the past 25 years," Barnwell wrote. "More than simply stifling opposing teams, the Ravens also served as valuable help for their offense, generating an unbelievable 49 takeaways during the regular season, the most of any team during this 25-year window. They added 12 more across four postseason victories, including five each in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl, a blowout win over the Giants."
The 2023 Ravens, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, were more balanced than the 2000 team, with a Jackson-led offense in the 92nd percentile and a defense in the 99th percentile.
"If you field one of the best defenses of the past quarter century and your quarterback plays well enough to win league MVP, you probably deserve to be on this list," Barnwell wrote. "I'm well aware of how things ended for the Ravens in the playoffs, but this team outscored its opposition by nearly 12 full points per game while facing the league's seventh-toughest schedule. Playing in a division in which every team posted a winning record, the Ravens comfortably won the AFC North and claimed the top seed in the AFC, blowing out playoff teams such as the Texans (25-9), Browns (28-3), Lions (38-6) and 49ers (33-19) in the process. They added a second big victory against the Texans in the divisional round, overcoming a slow start to win 34-10."
The 2012 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl received honorable mention.