Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida was billed as a showdown between two of the best defenses in the National Football League (NFL). The contest featured the New York Giants in their third trip to the Super Bowl, against the Baltimore Ravens, the old Cleveland Browns of Art Modell, in their first one. Baltimore quarterback Trent Dilfer was returning home to a city he was practically thrown out of last season, and Giants' quarterback Kerry Collins was returning to resurrect a career that almost died due to off-field problems. The biggest spotlight of the day was on Baltimore's Ray Lewis. The 25 year old linebacker, who has not been able to divert attention away from his off-season problems, responded to that spotlight by putting in an MVP performance. They have the self proclaimed best defense in NFL history, and whether that is true or not, it certainly was inspired enough for the Baltimore Ravens to capture Super Bowl 35 in a most powerful fashion. The Baltimore Ravens had the stingiest defense by far in the NFL in 2000, and they proved it against the New York Giants.

The Baltimore Ravens' defense completed a dominating season by permitting just 152 yards, forcing 5 turnovers, recording 4 sacks, and not allowing an offensive touchdown en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl victory. Jermaine Lewis's punt return into New York Giants' territory midway through the first quarter was followed two plays later by Trent Dilfer's 38 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley, which gave the Ravens a 7-0 lead. Early in the second quarter, Jessie Armstead intercepted a short pass by Dilfer and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown, but the play was nullified by a penalty. Dilfer's 36 yard pass to Qadry Ismail in the second quarter set up Matt Stover's 47 yard field goal with less then two minutes left in the half. Tiki Barber's 27 yard run gave the New York Giants their deepest penetration of the game, to the Ravens' 29, but Chris McAlister intercepted Kerry Collins's pass on the next play to preserve a 10-0 lead. In the third quarter, Duane Starks stepped in front of Amani Toomer and intercepted Collins's pass. Starks returned it 49 yards untouched for a 17-0 lead. The Giants immediately cut the lead to 10 points when Ron Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. However, Jermaine Lewis then matched Dixon's kickoff return as he cut across the field and raced 84 yards for a 24-7 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter.

The 3 touchdowns in 36 seconds were a Super Bowl record. The Giants gained just 1 first down on their final four possessions. Jamal Lewis's 3 yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter game Baltimore a 31-7 lead, and Robert Bailey recovered Dixon's fumble on the ensuing kickoff return to set up Stover's 34 yard field goal with five and a half minutes remaining to finish the scoring. Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and 1 touchdown. Jamal Lewis had 27 carries for 102 yards. Collins was 15 of 39 for 112 yards, with 4 interceptions. Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP). The game was witnessed by 131.2 million viewers, the fifth most watched program in U.S. television history, January 28. The game broadcast in the USA on CBS, featured a historic first: Play by play announcer Greg Gumbel, the brother of Bryant Gumbel, became the first African American announcer to call a major sports championship. His partner was Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms. The Baltimore Ravens joined the 1972 Miami Dolphins (Super Bowl VII) as the only teams in Super Bowl history to shut out the opposing offense. Both teams gave up their only touchdowns on special teams plays.