The Caw: We'll Never Forget AFC Title Loss

I remember everything from the Ravens' AFC championship loss in New England.

I remember the pass to Lee Evans, can replay it from every angle in my mind. Joe Flacco's pass narrowly spiraled over cornerback Sterling Moore's shoulder. It was perfect.

I remember my co-worker standing up in celebration so fast that his chair went crashing behind him. I remember expressions of joy in one moment turn to looks of confusion the next when refs were waving their arms.

I remember tight end Dennis Pitta getting mugged on the next play. I remember on fourth down, a couple of reporters complaining that the game was going to go into overtime and extend their work hours late into the night.

I don't remember Billy Cundiff's miss because I didn't see it. Thinking it was all but guaranteed, I was typing when he booted it. I remember looking up and seeing the Patriots storming the field and literally questioning: Wait, did he just miss that?

I remember the elevator ride to the locker room as Patriots reporters were gleeful about their upcoming Super Bowl trip. 

I remember the bus ride when Flacco, who was so caught up in the game and the next play, asked me what happened on the Evans play. He couldn't see it.

I remember veteran safety Ed Reed taking as long as possible to walk out of the airplane hangar when we arrived back in Baltimore, letting everyone cut in front of him. It was his last attempt to put off the inevitable end.

So what's the point of this?

The Ravens will be asked all week whether they have "moved on."

Being able to still perform at a high level, which the Ravens have shown already this season, proves they have.

But to think that players, coaches, or any other Ravens enthusiast, could forget that night is impossible. That night will be etched into my memory for as long as I have my memory.

People aren't robots. They can't have their "hard drives" erased.

So when you're forced to watch replays all week of the Evans drop and Cundiff miss, don't turn away. Accept it. It's part of Ravens history.

You can either be defeated by it or use it as fuel. But trying to ignore it won't make it go away.

So if it helps, share your memories of the AFC title loss below. Let's make this a cathartic start to the week.