Ravens eager to bask in Monday night spotlight

Michael Pierce has similar memories and said last week that the singular nature of the MNF matchup — which creates a sense that the whole world is watching — just adds another layer of motivation to play well, not that the Ravens should need any help getting psyched up for a game that could factor heavily in their playoff aspirations.

“I grew up watching Monday Night Football,” Pierce said. “You remember the legends like Brett Favre and those guys going at it. It’s the biggest stage in football for me, personally, so I definitely want to show out on ‘Monday Night Football.’ ”

Pierce, in his second season on the Ravens defensive line, was surprised to hear that this would be the first MNF game at M&T Bank Stadium since the Ravens trounced the Bengals in the first Monday night game of 2012.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” he said, “but it’s my first one [at home] and I’ve got to make it a good one.”

Rookie cornerback Marlon Humphrey acknowledged that Monday Night Football wasn’t a big deal for him and his friends, because a different level of football was a little more popular in his hometown of Hoover, Ala.

“I guess in Alabama, it was really college football for the people I knew,” he said. “I’d come home and my dad would be watching it. I’d stick my head in and watch a little, but I never really sat down or rushed home to watch Monday Night Football. I didn’t really know it was that big of a deal, but I’m excited to know that everybody’s going to be watching us because we’ll be the only teams playing. That factor of it is very exciting.”

The national broadcast creates opportunities for players to strut their stuff in front of the whole country and the same goes for the host city.

Baltimore will be on the big stage, too, which means positive images of the city will be displayed during breaks in the action.

“It will be nice to have Baltimore showcased in a positive way that people can take a look and see,’’ said MNF sideline reporter Lisa Salters, who makes her home in Baltimore. “And, of course, Monday Night Football will show some beautiful images of the city and the harbor.”

The fact that it has been five years since the Ravens made an MNF appearance is not the result of any anti-Baltimore conspiracy, but it has been an unusually long time and owner Steve Bisciotti has lobbied over the past few years to secure a Monday night game.

The Ravens have been the visiting team on Monday night five times since the 2012 home game.