The Ravens and Giants have only played once since Super Bowl XXXV {Thanks, The Baltimore Sun}

In 2000, the Ravens were still relatively new to Baltimore. They had a growing fan base, a nondescript quarterback and a defense that would eventually be recognized as one of the most dominant in National Football League history.

Expectations weren’t very high that fall, especially after Baltimore dropped three straight games — scoring six points or less in each — to fall to 5-4. The Ravens? Super Bowl contenders? Keep dreaming. At least the city had an NFL team again.

But then the wins started to come.

Mike Dieter, a fan since the team’s 1996 inaugural season, knew the Ravens were on the rise and decided to purchase season tickets late in the season (you could do that back then). “I knew they were going to be a hot commodity with the team starting to do well,” said Dieter, 36, of Rodgers Forge.

The Ravens then won seven straight games, rolled through the playoffs and dismantled the New York Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl XXXV. Ravens fever overtook the city.

“I remember thinking, ‘Man, we’ve really got some sort of mojo or fate on our side,’” he said. “As the season built, there was a sense that it was our year. … When they won, it was bedlam.”

Now, eight years later, with the 6-3 Ravens set to face the 8-1 Giants again at Giants Stadium on Sunday, some fans can’t help but reminisce about the Ravens’ magical Super Bowl season and the impact it had on Baltimore.

“The coolest thing about the Super Bowl run was that whenever you walked downtown, people were excited about the team and the city was alive,” said Mark Maloney, 35, of Homeland. “The games were one thing, but seeing how the city was alive and positive, that was my most vivid memory.”

Baltimore became more and more united with each win, and when the Ravens took home the Lombardi Trophy, it erupted into peaceful reverie. People rushed out to the streets and celebrated with total strangers. “It brought the entire city together,” said Erik Miller, 37, of Canton. “We need more of that.”

This year’s Ravens squad is playing well after being picked by many to finish last in the AFC North. The defense has been stout, allowing a league-leading 65.4 rushing yards per game. The offense has relied heavily on the running game to generate points. The team, for the most part, has been flying under the radar for much of the season. Doesn’t that sound a lot like 2000?

Maybe, but cautiously optimistic fans are hesitant to compare the teams at this point. So is Lewis, Super Bowl XXXV’s most valuable player (Chris McAlister and Matt Stover are the only other two current players also on the Super Bowl team).

“We’re no way close to that [2000 defense],” Lewis said to The Baltimore Sun this week. “Are we talented and good? Heck yeah. But to be that, you have to cap it off with that bowl. That solidifies true, true greatness.”

Sunday’s matchup with the defending Super Bowl champions will serve as a good barometer of where the Ravens stand. And Baltimore is buzzing once again over its football team, its young quarterback, Joe Flacco and its Super Bowl possibilities — whether it’s now or in the not-so-distant future.

“You see all the ‘Wacko 4 Flacco signs’ everywhere,” said Susan Scher, 25, of Towson. “As a whole, people are excited about having a good, young quarterback and a good team.”

Matt Vensel is a content creator at b. E-mail him at matt@bthesite.com.

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