PITTSBURGH - When it was over, when the Steelers turned off the scoreboard lights inside Heinz Field and chased an army of delirious fans clad in black and gold into the cold Pennsylvania night, a potentially harsh reality began to come into focus for Ray Lewis and the Ravens.
What if this was Lewis' last game in purple and black?
What if, after 13 years, this was goodbye?
Lewis, 33, can become a free agent this offseason, and it's quite likely that the next contract he signs will be his last. If last night was Lewis' curtain call in a Ravens uniform, perhaps we should let his performance serve as a reminder of what made him so much fun to watch for so many years.
Lewis had nine tackles, but none was bigger than the hit he had in the first quarter when he crashed into Steelers running back Willie Parker, clubbing the football from his right arm. The Ravens didn't turn the fumble recovery into points, but it gave them a much-needed shift in momentum.
Last night, Lewis pinballed his way around the field for 60 minutes, shoving aside blockers, dragging ball carriers to the ground, dropping into coverage and blitzing Ben Roethlisberger, helping the Ravens hold Pittsburgh to 52 rushing yards.
But Lewis and the Ravens couldn't quite find enough ways to slow the Steelers' passing game, and Roethlisberger tormented them with his ability to scramble and throw on the run.
He finished 16-for-33 for 255 yards and one touchdown, and though he was sacked four times, he was able to buy himself enough time to make plays. Twice Lewis had Roethlisberger in his sights just as the quarterback released the ball for a completion.
"It's hard for a guy to cover for a long time," Roethlisberger said. "We played backyard football at times."
The Steelers held the ball for 33:09 compared with Baltimore's 26:51, and in the swirling snow, the Ravens' season slipped away.
Maybe it's foolish to assign meaning to events that might seem important only in retrospect, through the sharp lens of history. Months from now, Lewis, his agent, and the Ravens' front office will sit down and haggle over how many millions of dollars his future performance and leadership might be worth.
It's possible - perhaps even likely - that the sides will come to an amicable agreement, meaning that last night's 23-14 loss to the Steelers in the AFC championship game will be just another memory in the long and mostly harmonious marriage between Lewis and the Ravens. No. 52 has been the face of Baltimore's franchise almost since its inception, and to see perhaps the greatest linebacker in NFL history wearing any other uniform next season would feel surreal, if not downright cruel.
