Ray Lewis Adamant He'll Be Back; Billy Cundiff Laments Letting Ravens LB Down

Ray Lewis brushed aside retirement rumors immediately following the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, flatly denying this game was it for him. It's no secret Lewis may be nearing the end of his career, but he was having none of it on Sunday after an emotional loss that saw his Ravens drive into position for a chip-shot field goal with time winding down, only to see the attempt miss wide.

When asked whether this was his last game, Lewis had the following to say.

Ray Lewis on whether this was last game as a Raven. "Absolutely not"

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) January 22, 2012

Kicker Billy Cundiff took a different tone, expressing regret over his late miss while mentioning Lewis specifically.

Billy Cundiff says "to let Ray Lewis down--you don't know how many games he has left--is pretty tough."

— Cindy Boren (@CindyBoren) January 22, 2012

The Ravens came oh-so-close to a Super Bowl berth with a last-minute drive deep into New England territory, only to see the game slip away on the fourth-down field goal attempt. Lewis appears hell-bent on returning, though in the heat of the moment his answer was understandable and expected.