2009 Baltimore Ravens season The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise ' s 14th season as a team in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The franchise entered the season off an 11 – 5 record in their previous season , a playoff berth , but a loss in the American Football Conference ( AFC ) Championship game against the eventual Super Bowl XLIII champions , the Pittsburgh Steelers . The Ravens recorded nine victories to seven losses , although they were unable to win the AFC North division title . However , due to various playoff clinching scenarios in the AFC , the Ravens were able to clinch a wild card playoff berth against the New England Patriots , which they won . They , however , lost in the AFC playoffs divisional round against the Indianapolis Colts ; with this loss , the 2009 season came to an end for the Ravens . For head coach John Harbaugh , this was his second year with the franchise , compiling a overall record of 20 – 12 in the regular season . Offseason . Rex Ryan , a longtime fixture on the Ravens ' sidelines , departed for New York to become the New York Jets head coach after the Ravens fell to the Steelers in the 2008 AFC Championship game . Other notable offseason departures include linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard , both of whom left Baltimore to follow Rex Ryan to New York , and longtime placekicker Matt Stover . On March 5 , 2009 , Stover told reporters that the Ravens were " going in a different direction " . When Stover ' s tenure ended with the Ravens , the team severed ties with one of its two remaining players from the Ravens ' first season in 1996 ; the other being Ray Lewis . 2009 NFL Draft . The Baltimore Ravens had six selections going into in the 2009 NFL Draft , which was held in Radio City Music Hall in New York City , New York on April 25 and April 26 , 2009 . Regular season . The Ravens , in addition to facing its AFC North counterparts , will face opponents from the AFC West Division and the NFC North Division . They will also face the Indianapolis Colts from the AFC South Division and the New England Patriots from the AFC East Division based on the 2002 – 2009 NFL scheduling formula because of their second place finish in the AFC North Division . The Ravens have the fifth easiest strength of schedule in the NFL based on its aforementioned opponents ' win to loss ratio from the 2008 season , with its opponents winning 43 . 8 % of their scheduled games in 2008 . Schedule . The 2009 NFL schedule was released on April 14 , 2009 . COLOR KEY : Game summaries . Week 1 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . The Baltimore Ravens began the 2009 season at home for the second season in a row . They hosted the Kansas City Chiefs , who struggled to a franchise - worst 2 – 14 record in 2008 . The Ravens dominated time of possession and offensive production throughout the game , but their special teams miscues made the game much closer than the score would indicate . The Ravens found the end zone half way through the first quarter for their first touchdown of the season when Flacco found Willis McGahee for a 3 yard touchdown pass . The Ravens would later increase their advantage with a Steven Hauschka field goal . In the second quarter , a special teams miscue led to Chiefs safety Jon McGraw blocking a Sam Koch punt into the end zone , where he recovered for a touchdown . Early in the third quarter , Derrick Johnson intercepted an errant Joe Flacco pass and returned it to the Ravens 3 yard line . Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle found standout receiver Dwayne Bowe for a touchdown three plays later . The Ravens would respond with an 11 play , five minute drive capped off by a 9 yard touchdown to Todd Heap . After trading touchdowns halfway through the fourth quarter , the Ravens defense forced a turnover on downs , and the Ravens offense capitalized with a Le ' Ron McClain 1 yard touchdown run . The Ravens would add an additional touchdown from McGahee in the final minute of the game to open their season with a 38 – 24 win , and the second win in as many home openers . With the win , not only do the Ravens improve to 1 – 0 , they are the only team in the AFC North to win their home opener on Kickoff Sunday ; the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Tennessee Titans 13 – 10 on Kickoff Night the Thursday prior . Week 2 : at San Diego Chargers . The Chargers host the Ravens in their home debut in San Diego after a narrow escape in the second of two AFL 50th Anniversary - themed division rivalry Monday Night matchups against the Raiders in Oakland . The Chargers jumped out to an early lead when a blown coverage led to an easy 81 yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Darren Sproles . The Ravens answered with Willis McGahee on a 5 yard touchdown run , but the Chargers would increase their advantage on a Nate Kaeding field goal . The offensive display would continue in the second quarter , but the Ravens touchdowns were only answered by Chargers field goals . McGahee found the end zone a second time to take the lead 14 – 10 , but the Chargers pulled within one on the second Kaeding field goal . Flacco then found Kelley Washington for Flacco ' s first touchdown pass of the day and Washington ' s first touchdown reception as a Raven just inside the 2 - minute halftime warning . Rivers led the Chargers down the field in an attempt to answer , but the drive stalled and had to settle for the third of four Kaeding field goals . In the second half , both defenses stiffened . Todd Heap would get his second touchdown catch of the season from Flacco from 9 yards out , but the Chargers responded with a 35 yard touchdown catch from Vincent Jackson . Late in the fourth quarter , interceptions from Flacco and Rivers led to trading field goals . After a Ravens punt , Rivers led the Chargers all the way down to the Ravens 15 . The Chargers went for the first down on fourth down to go for the win , but Sproles was stopped by Ray Lewis five yards in the backfield , allowing the Ravens to run the clock out . With the win , not only do the Ravens improve to 2 – 0 , the Ravens take sole possession of first place in the AFC North . Week 3 : vs . Cleveland Browns . After another high scoring affair in San Diego , the Ravens returned to Baltimore with a one game lead on the Steelers and Bengals and hosted their first AFC North Division game against the Cleveland Browns . ( Coincidentally , the Bengals host the Steelers in divisional play in week three as well . ) Although this was the third consecutive high scoring game for the Ravens , this was not a close contest . The Ravens struck early on the first of two touchdown runs from Willis McGahee , and would increase their advantage on a Hauschka field goal . In the second quarter , after another Hauschka field goal , McGahee found the end zone again . His second rushing TD leads the NFL with five . Although the Browns wanted to prove they were up to the challenge of contending with a quality football team , miscues thoroughly undid the Browns as quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn combined for four interceptions . Quinn was benched at the half in favor of Anderson , but Anderson was no better than his maligned counterpart . The third quarter only saw another touchdown for the Ravens , but was a special one for Ray Rice , as it was his first career NFL touchdown . The final minutes of the third quarter also saw the Browns longest drive of the day , but as time expired in the third quarter , the Browns were stopped short of the end zone . The fourth quarter opened with the Browns only points of the game on a field goal from Billy Cundiff , a free - agent signee since kicker Phil Dawson was inactive due to a leg injury . The final points of the contest came on the third Anderson interception , which was Ed Reed ' s first of the season . Flacco ' s touchdown was not only the longest of the season for him to date , but was the only passing touchdown all day . He hit a wide open Derrick Mason after a blown coverage in the Browns secondary for a 72 yard touchdown . With the win , the Ravens improve to 3 – 0 and improve to 1 – 0 in the AFC North . Week 4 : at New England Patriots . Coming off their divisional home win over the Browns , the Ravens flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 4 battle with the New England Patriots . After Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski got a 32 - yard field goal in the first quarter , Baltimore got into the game with quarterback Joe Flacco hooking up with wide receiver Derrick Mason on a 20 - yard touchdown pass . In the second quarter , New England came back with quarterback Tom Brady ' s 1 - yard touchdown run and running back Sammy Morris ' 12 - yard touchdown run . The Ravens would reply in the third quarter with defensive end Terrell Suggs sacking Brady , causing a fumble which rolled into the Patriots ' endzone , where defensive end Dwan Edwards would land on it for a touchdown . New England would come right back with Brady ' s 14 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randy Moss . Baltimore would play some catch - up in the fourth quarter as Flacco found running back Willis McGahee on a 13 - yard touchdown pass , but the Patriots willingly replied with Gostkowski ' s 33 - yard field goal . Flacco would lead a last - minute drive , but New England ' s stiffened and came away with the win . With the tough loss , the Ravens fell to 3 – 1 . Week 5 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Hoping to rebound from their tough road loss to the Patriots , the Ravens went home for a Week 5 AFC North duel with the Cincinnati Bengals . The winner would take the lead in the division after five weeks . After a scoreless first quarter , Baltimore ' s defense went to work in the second quarter with safety Ed Reed returning an interception 52 yards for a touchdown . The Bengals would answer with a 32 - yard field goal from kicker Shayne Graham . Near the end of the third quarter , Cincinnati would take the lead on a 28 - yard touchdown run from running back Cedric Benson . The Ravens would respond in the fourth quarter as quarterback Joe Flacco hooked up with running back Ray Rice 48 - yard touchdown pass . However , late in the game , the Bengals would deliver the final strike as quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 20 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell . Baltimore tried to rally , but an interception from cornerback Leon Hall eliminated any chance of a comeback . With the loss , the Ravens fell to 3 – 2 . Also , the defense ' s 40 - game streak of keeping a single rusher under 100 yards was snapped . The last time that Baltimore allowed a 100 - yard rusher was Dec . 10 , 2006 against the Chiefs ' Larry Johnson . Week 6 : at Minnesota Vikings . Trying to snap a two - game losing streak , the Ravens flew to the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 6 interconference duel with the Minnesota Vikings . Baltimore would trail in the first quarter as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre completed a 19 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and a 4 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bernard Berrian . Afterwards , the Ravens would snag the only points of the second quarter with kicker Steven Hauschka making a 29 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Minnesota would extend its lead as kicker Ryan Longwell nailed a 40 - yard field goal . Baltimore would come right back into the game with running back Ray Rice ' s 22 - yard touchdown run , but Longwell helped out the Vikings with a 22 - yard field goal . In a nerve - racking fourth quarter , Minnesota increased its lead with Favre finding Shiancoe again on a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Ravens would respond with quarterback Joe Flacco ' s 32 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton . After Longwell gave the Vikings a 29 - yard field goal , Baltimore would take the lead as Flacco completed a 12 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason and Rice getting a 33 - yard touchdown run . Minnesota would regain the lead as Longwell booted a 31 - yard field goal . Flacco would get the Ravens into scoring range , but Hauschka ' s 44 - yard field goal attempt sailed wide left , preserving the Vikings ' so - far perfect season . With the loss , Baltimore went into its bye week at 3 – 3 . This also marked the first time that the Ravens defense allowed back - to - back 100 - yard rushers since 2005 ( Bengals ' Rudi Johnson & Texans ' Domanick Williams ) . Week 8 : vs . Denver Broncos . Coming off their bye week , the Ravens went home for a Week 8 duel with the undefeated Denver Broncos . Baltimore took flight in the first half with kicker Steven Hauschka nailing a 43 - yard field goal in the first quarter and a 35 - yard field goal in the second quarter . The Ravens would immediately make their domination felt in the third quarter as rookie cornerback Lardarius Webb returned the second half ' s opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown . The Broncos would get on the board with running back Knowshon Moreno getting a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet Baltimore answered with Hauschka booting a 31 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Ravens closed the game out in the fourth quarter as quarterback Joe Flacco found wide receiver Derrick Mason on a 20 - yard touchdown pass , while running back Ray Rice got a 7 - yard touchdown run . With the win , Baltimore improved to 4 – 3 . Week 9 : at Cincinnati Bengals . Coming off their dominating home win over the Broncos , the Ravens flew to Paul Brown Stadium for a Week 9 AFC North rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals . Baltimore would trail in the first quarter as Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 6 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell , followed by running back Cedric Benson getting a 1 - yard touchdown run . Cincinnati would increase their lead in the second quarter as kicker Shayne Graham booted a 23 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , the Ravens got on the board with a 2 - yard touchdown run from running back Ray Rice . However , the Bengals ' defense would stop any further progress from Baltimore . With the loss , the Ravens fell to 4 – 4 . Week 10 : at Cleveland Browns . Hoping to rebound from their season - sweeping losses to the Bengals , the Ravens flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 10 Monday night duel with their AFC North rival , the Cleveland Browns . After a scoreless first half , Baltimore would acquire all of their points in the third quarter . It began with running back Ray Rice getting a 13 - yard touchdown run , safety Dawan Landry returning an interception 48 yards for a touchdown , and kicker Steven Hauschka booting a 44 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the defense would consistently shutdown the Browns ' inept offense . With the win , the Ravens improved to 5 – 4 . Week 11 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . Coming off their shutout road win over the Browns , the Ravens went home for a Week 11 duel with the Indianapolis Colts . Baltimore would trail in the first quarter as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Clark . The Ravens would answer with recently - signed kicker Billy Cundiff ( after Steven Hauschka was cut ) making a 46 - yard and a 44 - yard field goal . Baltimore would take the lead in the second quarter with Cundiff ' s 38 - yard field goal , but Indianapolis would answer with a 5 - yard touchdown run from running back Joseph Addai . The Ravens would close out the half with Cundiff nailing a 36 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , Baltimore regained the lead again in the fourth quarter with a 20 - yard field goal from Cundiff , but the Colts would get the last laugh as former Ravens kicker Matt Stover booted a 25 - yard field goal . With the loss , Baltimore fell to 5 – 5 . Week 12 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Following a close loss to the Colts the prior week , the much - hated Steelers came to town for a rematch of last year ' s AFC Championship Game . Steelers starting QB Ben Roethlisberger , who suffered a concussion in the previous week ' s overtime loss to the Chiefs did not start , and was the designated 3rd ( emergency ) quarterback . Backup Charlie Batch also was hurt in that game , which left 2nd - year QB Dennis Dixon , who previously had one pass in his NFL career , to start . The Steelers received the opening kickoff , but went three - and - out . On the ensuing possession , the Ravens drove down the field with ease , capping off their drive with a touchdown run by Willis McGahee . In the second quarter , Dixon hit WR Santonio Holmes on a play - action pass for a 33 yard TD , tying the game . The Ravens answered on the following drive , with a 52 - yard strike from Joe Flacco to Mark Clayton , setting up a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason . In the third quarter , on the Ravens opening possession , Mark Clayton made a 9 yard reception but fumbled the ball . The ball was kicked 20 yards towards the Steelers endzone by a Pittsburgh player , but recovered by Tyrone Carter . The Steelers drove , but were held to a field goal by Jeff Reed . Later in the 4th quarter , Joe Flacco was sacked by Lawrence Timmons and fumbled the ball , recovered by the Steelers near midfield . The drive resulted in a 24 yard run on a QB option by Dixon , giving the Steelers their first lead of the night . On the Ravens next possession , things were looking bad when the offense was facing a 3rd and 22 with around 3 minutes left . Joe Flacco completed a pass to Derrick Mason for 17 yards , leaving John Harbaugh with a critical decision . Harbaugh opted to go for it , and Joe Flacco found Ray Rice for a 44 - yard reception , setting the Ravens up inside the Steeler 10 yard line with less than 2 minutes left . Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 24 yard field goal . On the following Steeler possession , Dennis Dixon was nearly intercepted by Lardarius Webb . The Steelers were forced to punt , giving the ball back to the Ravens with about 1 : 30 left in the game . A very good punt return into Steeler territory by Chris Carr was wiped off by a block in the back . Despite the setback , the Ravens managed to drive to the Steeler 40 yard line , where their drive stalled . On 3rd and 9 with 25 seconds left , Joe Flacco was sacked and fumbled , but the ball was recovered by Ben Grubbs . With the clock counting inside 10 seconds left and no timeouts , the field goal team managed to get into formation , and get the kick off . The 56 yard attempt by Billy Cundiff was dead center , but about 2 yards short . In overtime , the Steelers won the toss and got the ball , but were forced to punt . The Ravens , also forced to punt deep in their own territory , gave the ball to Pittsburgh around the Steeler 40 yard line . On a 3rd and 5 , Dennis Dixon thew an interception to LB Paul Kruger , who returned the ball 26 yards to the Steeler 28 yard line . Already in field goal range , the Ravens ran the ball down to the Pittsburgh 11 yard line where Billy Cundiff made a 29 yard field goal to win the game . With the win , both teams ' records is 6 – 5 . The Ravens hold the final wild card seed in the AFC due to the head - to - head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh . Week 16 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Even with the loss to the Steelers , the Ravens playoff hopes were not yet vanished . All the Ravens needed was a win the following against the Oakland Raiders to clinch a playoff berth . Week 17 : at Oakland Raiders . This victory allowed the dethroning of the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers and ending the latter team ' s run at a repeat title . In turn , the Ravens got their Wild Card spot . Postseason . Game summaries . AFC Wild Card Round : at New England Patriots . Entering the postseason as the AFC ' s sixth seed , the Ravens began their playoff run at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Wild Card round against the # 3 seeded New England Patriots . This game was a rematch of their game played during Week 4 of the 2009 season . The Ravens drew first blood . As Ray Rice took the hand off from Flacco and ran through a hole in the Defense and on his way to a 83 yard TD ! This was the on the Ravens ' first offensive play of the game . It was the longest rush of his career and the 2nd longest rush in NFL postseason history . Less than 2 minutes later , LB and DE Terrell Suggs , forces a fumble from New England quarterback Tom Brady ' s hand on a 3rd and 11 pass attempt and recovers for the Ravens on the New England 17 . Le ' Ron McClain then capped a 5 play Ravens scoring drive with a 2 yard touchdown plunge , extending the lead to 14 – 0 . The Ravens capitalized on another New England miscue when cornerback Chris Carr intercepted a Tom Brady pass . After a 6 play 26 yard drive Ray Rice hopped into the end - zone for his second touchdown of the quarter . On the Patriots very next possession another Tom Brady pass is intercepted by safety Ed Reed . Reed took the interception and returned it 25 yards before handing it off to Dawan Landry who took it another 25 yards . This led to leading to a Ravens field goal and a 24 – 0 first quarter lead . The Ravens went on to defeat the Patriots by a final score of 33 – 14 . The Ravens would advance to face the top - seeded Colts in the Divisional Round . AFC Divisional Round : at Indianapolis Colts . Coming off their impressive Wild Card road win over the Patriots , the Ravens flew to Lucas Oil Stadium for the AFC Divisional Round against the top - seeded Indianapolis Colts . Baltimore would trail to begin the first quarter as former Ravens kicker Matt Stover got a 44 - yard field goal . The Ravens would respond with kicker Billy Cundiff making a 25 - yard field goal . However , the Colts rebounded in the second quarter as quarterback Peyton Manning completed a 10 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Austin Collie and a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Wayne . Following a scoreless third quarter , Baltimore ' s deficit increased in the fourth quarter as Stover gave Indianapolis a 33 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Ravens ' season ended with an overall record of 10 – 8 .