Ravens Top 20 #11: Jamal Lewis Runs To History

The 2003 season was a big one for the Ravens. They would win their first ever AFC North title in 2003 and they did so on the strength of their running game and on their defense.

The Ravens received a historically great performance from running back Jamal Lewis in a Week Two performance against the Cleveland Browns.

Jamal Lewis would run for 295 yards and score two touchdowns on 30 rushing attempts, which broke Corey Dillon's record of 278 yards. And that was good for the Ravens, as Lewis accounted for more than half of the Ravens offense in total yards and he was the only scorer the Ravens had on offense at all.

Kyle Boller would complete seven of 17 passes for 78 yards and an interception. Matt Stover and Wade Richey would kick four field goals to increase the Ravens lead, and Ed Reed would intercept a Kelly Holcomb pass and take it back 54 yards for a touchdown to end the game.

Jamal Lewis would finish the year with 2,066 yards, third best in a single season behind Eric Dickerson and Adrian Peterson, and he would also score 14 touchdowns in 2003. Jamal Lewis was the key part of the Ravens offense in 2003, as Kyle Boller was a rookie who was injury prone and turnover prone, a description that fit Boller for the next 10 years. The legs of Lewis and a powerful defense carried the 2003 Ravens to their first AFC North title. One could only imagine would they would do if a quarterback like Flacco was at the helm.