| FOR USE AS DESIRED | FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
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| AFC-N-25 1/9/01 | CONTACT: DAN MASONSON (212/450-2081) |
BALTIMORE AT OAKLAND SUNDAY IN AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
SUNDAY, JANUARY 14
BALTIMORE RAVENS-AFC CENTRAL (14-4) AT OAKLAND RAIDERS-AFC WEST (13-4)
| BALTIMORE | OAKLAND | |
| LEADER | 2-0 | |
| STREAKS | 2-0 | |
| COACHES VS. OPP. | Billick: 0-0 | Gruden: 0-1 |
| VS. COMMON OPP. | Balt: 5-1 (Cle
2-0; NYJ 1-0; Pitt 1-1; SD 1-0) Oak: 4-1 (Cle 1-0; NYJ 1-0; Pitt 0-1; SD 2-0) |
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| PLAYOFF RECORD | 2-0 | 22-15 |
| LAST WEEK | W 24-10 at Titans (Divisional) | W 27-0 vs. Dolphins (Divisional) |
| LAST GAME | 11/8/98: Raiders 10 at Ravens 13. Matt Stover kicks 30-yard game-winning FG & S Rod Woodson scores Baltimore’s only TD on an 18-yard INT return. | |
| LAST GAME AT SITE | -- | |
| LAST PLAYOFF | -- | |
| BROADCAST | CBS (1:05 PM PT): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian (Field reporter). CBS Radio: Joel Meyers, Bob Trumpy, James Lofton (Field reporter). Game will be televised live in United Kingdom by Sky Sports. | |
2000 STAT LEADERS
| QBs | Dilfer: 134-226-1,502-12-11-76.6 | Gannon: 284-473-3,430-28-11-92.4 (3C) |
| RBs | Ja. Lewis (R): 309-1,364-4.4-6 | Wheatley: 232-1,046-4.5-9 |
| WRs | Sharpe (TE): 67-810-12.1-5 | Brown: 76-1,128-14.8-11 |
| OFFENSE | 313.4 | 361.0 (3C) |
| TAKE/GIVE | +23 (1L) | +17 (T3L) |
| DEFENSE | 247.9 (2L) | 328.1 |
| SACKS | Burnett: 10.5 | Jackson: 8.0 |
| INTs | Starks: 6 (T3C) | Allen, Thomas: 6 (T3C) |
| PR | Je. Lewis: 16.1 (1L) | Gordon: 8.9 |
| KOR | Harris: 23.3 | Dunn: 24.4 |
| PUNTING | Richardson: 40.2 | Lechler (R): 45.9 (2L) |
| KICKING | Stover: 135 (1L) (30/30 PAT; 35/39 FG) | Janikowski (R): 112 (46/46 PAT; 22/32 FG) |
NOTES
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST AFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Houston Oilers at Los Angeles Chargers, 1/1/61)...... First AFC Championship Game in Oakland since 1976 (Raiders 24, Steelers 7; 12/26/76)......Home & visiting Clubs have split past 8 AFC Championships......AFC West club hosts title game for second time in 3 seasons (Denver, 1998) ……AFC Central represented in game for sixth time in past 7 years.
RAVENS: Have won 9 in row (including Divisional) – top current NFL streak……Seek to become third AFC No. 4 seed in four years to earn Super Bowl berth (Denver 1997; Tennessee 1999)……Have won 7 of 9 road games in ’00 (including Divisional)......QB TRENT DILFER has won 10 of past 12 Dec./Jan. starts (including 3-1 in playoffs). He is 9-1 as Ravens starter (2-0 in postseason)……Club’s 33:19 avg. possession time was second in NFL (Titans, 33:48)……RB JAMAL LEWIS (157 yards in playoffs) has 1,084 rush yards in past 10 games. Ravens are 6-0 when Lewis rushes for 100 yards (includes 1-0 in playoffs). Lewis (2 TD runs in postseason) aims for third consecutive playoff game with TD……TE SHANNON SHARPE’s clubs have won 9 consecutive playoff games (7 with Denver in 1997-98)……Ravens set NFL 16-game season record with 165 points allowed (old record: 187 by ’86 Bears)……Defense has allowed only 12 TDs over past 15 games (including 1 in 2 playoff games). Has not allowed a second-half TD since Week 16 vs. Arizona……Club finished second in NFL in total defense (247.9) & led in rush defense (60.6). Run defense yielded 970 yards – NFL-best in 16-game season (previous record: 1,061 by ’95 49ers)......Defense topped NFL in yards-per-carry avg. (2.69) & has NFL-best 35 games in row (including Divisional) without allowing 100-yard rusher...…Ravens had NFL-high 49 takeaways & 26 FRs (and have 2 postseason takeaways)......Allowed NFL-fewest 27 red-zone trips & had AFC-best 29.6 defensive-TD rate......Defense tied for NFL high with Miami & Tampa Bay with 3 All-Star starters – DT SAM ADAMS, LB RAY LEWIS & S ROD WOODSON. Other Ravens chosen for Pro Bowl: T JONATHAN OGDEN & K MATT STOVER ……AP Defensive Player of Year Lewis has INT in each playoff game……Ravens have 2 return-TDs in 2 playoff games.
RAIDERS: Make first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1990 (L 51-3 at Buffalo)......Aim for fifth Super Bowl appearance & first since 1984……Have AFC-most 22 playoff victories……Have won past 5 playoff games in Oakland (last loss 24-13 vs. Steelers in 1974 AFC Championship Game). Club has won 11 of 13 all-time playoff games in Oakland (2-2 all-time in AFC Championships in Oakland)......Raiders have won 10 of past 11 home game (including Divisional Playoff) ……Team makes 13th AFC Championship Game appearance – tops in AFC...... Raiders ranked second in AFC with 29.9 points per game avg. (Denver, 30.3). Have outscored past two opponents 79-9 (Dolphins, Panthers)…… Offense made AFC-high 65 red-zone trips (38 TDs, 17 FGs)……QB RICH GANNON 1-0 in career playoff starts. He tied for second in AFC with 28 TD passes (ELVIS GRBAC). Gannon topped AFC QBs with 529 rushing yards......Oakland had NFL’s top ground game (154.4) & AFC-most 23 TD runs……WR TIM BROWN has 344 receiving yards (19 catches, 18.1 avg. & 2 TDs) in 6 career playoff games. Brown (1,128 yards in 2000) is tied with Minnesota’s CRIS CARTER for top active streak & second-best all-time string with 8 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (JERRY RICE, 11 from 1986-96). Brown also has five 1,000s after age 30 – tying with Rice for best such total in NFL history......Raiders victory vs. Miami in Divisional first playoff shutout since 1996 (49ers 14, Eagles 0 in NFC Wild Card)……Club had fewest giveaways (20) in AFC……S ANTHONY DORSETT plays in second consecutive AFC Championship Game (Tennessee, 1999)……Rookie SHANE LECHLER had NFL-best 38.0 net punting average……Raiders All-Stars: Gannon, G STEVE WISNIEWSKI & Woodson.