This Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens travel back home after a long three-game road trip to take on the Detroit Lions. The atmosphere at M&T Bank Stadium should be electric not only because the Ravens are returning home 4-2 and in first place in the AFC North after going 2-1 in those three games but they will be honoring one of the best players to put on the uniform. The Ravens will induct pass rusher Terrell Suggs into their Ring of Honor at halftime. He will be the latest in a long line of defensive greats to join the Ring of Honor—players such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Peter Boulware, Michael McCrary, and Haloti Ngata. The man known as T-Sizzle made his mark, and here we will look back on the five best moments in his career as a Raven.
Terrell Suggs’s 5 Best Ravens Moments
2003 Defensive Rookie Of The Year
We’ll start things off from the beginning. Terrell Suggs was drafted in the first round by the Ravens out of Arizona State in 2003. In his words, Suggs knew he was entering “a defensive kingdom.” He was right. He was going to a team that recently won a Super Bowl off the backs of the dominant 2000 defense led by Lewis. Guys from that 2000 team, such as Boulware and cornerback Chris McAlister, were still there. Reed had just got there the year before. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan coached up the unit, and in 2003, they had the 6th best defense in the league. A huge reason was their talented rookie.
Suggs would begin his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career as the 2003 Defensive Rookie of The Year that season. Lewis would take home his second Defensive Player of the Year award that same year. Suggs notched 12 sacks with 29 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception. His efforts helped the Ravens to a 10-6 record and win the AFC North division title. Suggs became the second Ravens player to win the award. The first was Boulware in 1997.
Terrorizing Roethlisberger In The 2011 Opener
The Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers have an illustrious rivalry, and Terrell Suggs was a big part of that. From 2000-2016, it was arguably the best in the NFL. The peak of the rivalry came from 2008-2016. When it comes to this rivalry, there may not be a player who enjoyed it more than Suggs. From his comments about the Steelers over the years to his playful bantering with Steelers fans on the road, he epitomized the rivalry. One of his favorite quarterbacks to sack (aside from Tom Brady) was the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger.
Leading up to the opener in Baltimore between these two teams, the Steelers had just defeated the Ravens in the playoffs for the second time in three years—the third time overall in the playoffs, with the first being in 2001. Baltimore blew out the Steelers 35-7. Suggs was absolutely dominant with a three-sack performance on Roethlisberger, forcing two fumbles and five quarterback hits. Not only was it the start of a 12-win season for Baltimore, which saw them sweep and overcome the Steelers for the division crown, but it was also the start of a special season for Suggs.
Suggs’ Incredible Playoff Interception
We jump forward to 2014. It’s the Ravens and the Steelers in January for the fourth time in their history. The games have all been in Pittsburgh and the previous three matchups have ended the same way, with the Steelers sending the Ravens home. In 2014, the Ravens and Steelers split the season series as Pittsburgh won the division and Baltimore clinched a wild card. They met in the Wild-Card round, and the Ravens made sure the outcome would be much different. It was Suggs who would essentially ice the game with one of the most memorable plays in the rivalry’s history.
Baltimore was up 23-15 with 8:03 left in the 4th quarter, and Pittsburgh had 3rd-and-4 at their 24-yard line. Roethlisberger avoided a sack and tried to toss it to running back Ben Tate. The ball went in and out of Tate’s hands, and Suggs dove for the interception. As he dove and fell to the ground, Suggs held onto the ball between his legs for the pick. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass to tight end Crockett Gillmore a few plays later to seal the win. It was one of the most unreal interceptions you’ll see in the NFL and another moment for Suggs in the storied rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
2011 Defensive Player of the Year
Lewis and Reed are the two greatest defensive players in the history of the franchise Ravens, as well as the best the NFL has seen at their positions. Both of them have proved that with Super Bowl titles to their names (Lewis 2, Reed 1) and a Hall of Fame nod. Another accomplishment they had was winning the Defensive Player of the Year. Lewis in 2000 and 2003, and Reed in 2004. Throughout his time being teammates with them from 2003-2012, Suggs was always linked to those two on that defense. The number three to the one (Lewis) and two (Reed). 2011, however, would see Suggs take charge.
As Reed had a down year, and Lewis missed time due to injury, Suggs would lead the way on a defense that was ranked 3rd overall in 2011. Suggs made his statement in Week 1 against the Steelers, and his dominance would continue the whole season. He won Defensive Player of the Year with a career-high 14 sacks, 70 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and a league-leading 7 forced fumbles. His impact was felt in games like the first Harbowl on Thanksgiving between the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. Suggs again had a three-sack performance on the prime-time stage, this time on quarterback Alex Smith. The Ravens won the game 16-6. Then, in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Suggs did his part to secure the Ravens a division title. In the 4th quarter, with the Ravens up 17-13, Suggs forced a fumble on Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham. Safety Bernard Pollard recovered the ball and running back Ray Rice dashed 51 yards for a touchdown soon after. Baltimore won 24-16.
Terrell Suggs won the defensive player of the year in 2011, and was an outstanding pass rusher throughout his Ravens career.
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) January 22, 2022
My only hope is, our pass rush is allowed the freedom to create havoc under the new DC.
Let it sizzle. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/YYOOGPmOG1
Return For A Super Bowl Run
Terrell Suggs was riding high off the heels of winning the Defensive Player of the Year for the Ravens. In nine years, he had done everything a defensive player can do in the league except for one: win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, in 2012, Suggs would have a gut-wrenching injury as he tore his Achilles during the offseason. It was believed that Suggs would miss the whole season, but Suggs said he would return by November. It didn’t seem possible then, but Suggs would return on October 21st against the Houston Texans, marking an astonishing return from that type of injury.
Suggs became the first player in NFL history to return to game action so soon after a torn Achilles. While Suggs only notched two sacks that season, he sacked Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning twice during the AFC Divisional playoff game and had 10 tackles. His determination to get back that quickly was remarkable, and his presence alone helped the Ravens win their second Super Bowl trophy that season. It was the kind of heart Suggs had that made him a champion in Baltimore and now a member of their Ring of Honor.
Main Photo: Patrick Breen – USA Today Sports
