While the Ravens failed to improve on their 12–4 record from 2011, they still managed to clinch the AFC North division title in Week 16 and finish the regular season with a 10–6 record, sending them to their fifth straight playoffs, where they advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive season and third time in five years, and then to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2000.

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However, the Ravens were able to pull away as Joe Flacco found Anquan Boldin on a 34-yard touchdown pass to move ahead 17–3.

This game was played in the shadow of the death of wide receiver Torrey Smith's brother, who had died in a motorcycle crash the night before.

The Ravens entered the game hoping to be able to avenge the AFC Championship loss of the previous season, which came at the hands of the Patriots.

Late in the fourth quarter, with New England leading 30–28, coach John Harbaugh was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct for coming out onto the field, which by NFL rules, is prohibited.

The penalty resulted in an irate Ravens crowd chanting "Bullshit" three separate times in just over a minute during the Patriots last drive, which was picked up by NBC microphones and was clearly audible (and not censored) during the broadcast, which led to play-by-play announcer Al Michaels saying, "That's the loudest manure chant I've ever heard".

This led to the Patriots sideline going crazy over the call, with defensive lineman Vince Wilfork taking his helmet off in disgust.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, as he was leaving the field, angrily grabbed one of the officials, resulting in him being fined $50,000 by the NFL.

After the break, the Ravens went right back to work as Flacco threw several completions to Anquan Boldin before scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 16–7 lead.

But then, the Ravens pulled away as Cary Williams picked off Weeden and returned the ball 63 yards for a touchdown, making the score 23–10.

In the fourth quarter, the Browns tried to come back as Dawson nailed two field goals from 50 and 52 yards out making the score 23–13 and then 23–16, respectively.

The Ravens improved to 4–1 by winning a game that included six turnovers, four by Kansas City, and five total field goals by both teams.

Following a Dallas touchdown and a failed two-point conversion with 0:36 left in the game, the Cowboys recovered the onside kick and got into field goal after a pass interference call on Chykie Brown put the ball in Baltimore territory.

[6] The Ravens drew first blood as Justin Tucker nailed a 51-yard field goal, but Connor Barwin sacked Joe Flacco in the end zone for a safety that started a string of 29 unanswered Houston points.

Schaub's one-yard pass to Owen Daniels and a pair of Shayne Graham field goals put the hosts up 29–3 at halftime.

The Ravens got right back to work in the 3rd quarter as Flacco connected with Tandon Doss on a 15-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 29–10, but the Texans pulled away as Arian Foster ran for two short scores, which were separated by a 54-yard Tucker field goal early in the fourth quarter.

(this mark would eventually be surpassed in Week 1 of the 2019 season when the Ravens scored 59 points on the Miami Dolphins).

[8] With the surprising win, the Ravens move into 9–2, getting revenge for the previous year's loss in San Diego on Sunday Night Football.

The Ravens fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron the next day, promoting Jim Caldwell to the position.

[10] The Ravens later rematched and defeated the Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs in a game known as the Mile High Miracle.

The Ravens allowed their starters to come out for a few minutes in the first quarter, then played their second-string players for the rest of the game.

By winning the AFC North title, the Ravens hosted the Colts – a team that once played in Baltimore until moving to Indianapolis in 1984 – in the wild-card round.

The Ravens had faced the Colts in the playoffs twice before, losing both times without scoring any touchdowns in divisional rounds: in 2006 and 2009.

[citation needed] The Ravens, with Ray Lewis playing in his final home game,[13] limited the Colts to three field goals while Joe Flacco managed a pair of touchdown throws.

In the signature play of the game—a deep touchdown strike by Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones which has come to be known as the Mile High Miracle—the Ravens tied the game after facing a 3rd-and-3, and with only :41 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

After Baltimore tied the game, Manning and the Broncos took a controversial kneel down with 30-seconds left on the clock and two timeouts to take it to overtime.

With the comeback win after trailing in the first-half, the Ravens not only improved their overall record to 13–6, but also advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in twelve years.

The Ravens advanced to their second Super Bowl in franchise history, facing the San Francisco 49ers.

After leading the entire game, the Ravens held on at the end, stopping the 49ers on four plays inside their own 10-yard line, then taking an intentional safety with four seconds remaining to milk the clock.