Ravens flock braves bitterly cold elements to support Lamar Jackson, team

BALTIMORE -- Excitement erupted across Baltimore as the Ravens took another step toward playing in the Super Bowl on Saturday.

The atmosphere was nothing short of a party as fans trickled out of M&T Bank Stadium. 

The Ravens widened the score gap in the second half of Saturday's game for a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans. Baltimore will advance to the AFC championship game.

Dedicated fans used some survival skills to tailgate ahead of the game.

"I've got two layers of pants, three layers…gator…everything," Ravens fan Steve Philips said.

Butch and Dianne Little of Port Deposit brought an MTA bus that they purchased and redesigned with Ravens flare. 

"We bring propane heaters and it's just all snug and cozy on the other side and we're not exposed to the elements," Dianne Little said. "It's really nice because this is a really windy blustery day, and we want a Ravens win, and we want to support them, so we would come down regardless." 

Ravens fans were energized by another electrifying performance from the team's star quarterback, Lamar Jackson.

 "Just Lamar Jackson doing what he does, passing the ball and all that," Ravens fan Jake Kilburg said about Saturday's success. 

The Ravens prepared for the big game by practicing outdoors on Wednesday when temperatures in the low 20s. The Ravens had played against the Pittsburgh Steelers in freezing temperatures on Jan. 6.

Gov. Wes Moore had predicted ahead of the game that the Ravens would show the Texans something new when they squared off on the field of M&T Bank Stadium. 

"They have not seen what they're about to see today," he said.

And he was right.

Moore was among thousands of people who braved those bitterly cold temperatures to watch Baltimore's football team beat the Texans on Saturday.

Running off of excitement and adrenaline, some of them forgot about the frigid cold.

Kilburg said he jumped around and cheered on the Ravens, and that's what kept him warm.

Now that Baltimore is one step closer to the Super Bowl, the Arctic temperatures that have been hitting Maryland can't stop the Ravens flock.

"I'm a die-hard Ravens fan," one fan told WJZ. "I don't care how cold it is, I'm going to be here."

The Ravens will be back at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 28 to play the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills game, which airs on CBS at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

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