FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — A gripping duel of legends: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick on one side, Ray Lewis on the other side.
Brady and Belichick burning for a fourth ring together, and Lewis driven to stop them.
Lewis, manaical in his pursuit of a second ring, surrounded by teammates determined to send him out a champion at the end of his 17th season, and Brady and Belichick, driven to stop them.
Lewis and a cast of imposing, fearless men — who weren’t around when the Ravens last made a Super Bowl visit in 2000 — believing they are destined to avenge their devastating AFC Championship loss to the Patriots a year ago, when Lee Evans dropped a touchdown pass and Billy Cundiff choked on a 32-yard field goal.
Ravens-Steelers has been the most venomous, violent rivalry in recent years. Patriots-Jets has been an unrelenting Border War. Patriots-Colts was the compelling theater of Beady and Belichick versus Peyton Manning.
Tonight it is Ravens-Patriots.
“You have two of the top teams for a long time now,” Lewis said. “We know each other very well. So, when we play each other, once again, it’s that chess match. They are going to make plays and we’re going to make plays. Just like our game here [in Week 3] and then the [AFC] Championship last year, it’s always going to be one play here and one play there, and whoever makes that last play is going to win the game. So anytime we play each other, it’s going to be a 60-minute ballgame simply because we know each other very well.
“Both teams have great athletes on both sides of the ball who understand the game of football. And when you understand it like that, that’s what I’ve always appreciated watching even in my years watching the old 49ers and old Cowboys. You just watch those great, great rivalries, and we have one of those rivalries going on with New England right now. It’s special football when you see it from both sides from both teams.”
For Brady and Belichick, it has been eight years since they stood atop the football mountain, a Lombardi Trophy hoisted to the heavens.
For Lewis, it has been 12 years since he chased the Giants out of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
If there is a fiercer competitor than Belichick and Brady, it is Lewis.
If there are fiercer competitors than Lewis, it is Belichick and Brady.
Lewis’ task is to prevent Brady’s fastbreak, no-huddle from confounding and confusing his defense, to understand Brady has a better running game than he has had in quite some time.
Brady and Belichick’s task is to make sure the howling gale of emotion and inspiration accompanying Lewis does not threaten to blow the Patriots’ latest dream out of Gillette Stadium.
Brady’s mandate: inimitable decision-making and accuracy, exploiting matchups with Brandon Lloyd and Shane Vereen out of the backfield when Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez get the roughhouse treatment from the Ravens defense; resilience and unflappability when he is made uncomfortable in the pocket by the brutality of Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata and when his rhythm is disrupted.
Belichick’s mandate: keep Ray Rice under 125 total yards; prevent Joe Flacco bombs to Torrey Smith; pressure Flacco; contain Jacoby Jones on kickoff returns; be a better game coach than John Harbaugh; field the more prepared team.
Lewis’ mandate: be a tackling machine; be the heart and soul; infect your fellow gladiators with your swagger and indomitable will.
“We all felt the same way leaving there last year, that we had an opportunity to win that game,” Lewis said. “I think they know what we are bringing, and we know what they bring.”
The Ravens wanted the Patriots, they got them. The Patriots wanted another AFC Championship game at home, they got it.
Ravenge is a dish served cold. Or not at all.
steve.serby@nypost.com