He’s still processing the disappointment of yet another season ending with failure in the playoffs, but John Harbaugh doesn’t sound concerned about his future with the Baltimore Ravens, despite the head coach having just one year left on his contract.
Speaking at his end of season press conference on Wednesday, January 22, Harbaugh told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, “I’m happy. I trust God, I trust the people I work with every day. I’m fired up for it. I’m not worried about those kinds of things. They take care of themselves.”
Harbaugh declaring he’s still “fired up” for the job is significant. So is Zrebiec’s note the coach talks to franchise owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Eric DeCosta about his status.
Those things indicate the Ravens’ key decision-makers aren’t considering making a first change at head coach since Harbaugh was hired way back in 2008. The status quo is likely to be upheld, despite the 62-year-old’s recent less than inspiring record in playoff football.
John Harbaugh Hasn’t Won Enough When It Matters
There’s no denying Harbaugh has produced an outstanding record in the regular season. It’s part of the reason he got a three-year extension back in 2022.
Yet, the ugly truth of Harbaugh’s lengthy and generally decorated tenure is too many setbacks in the postseason. He’s 4-7 in the playoffs since the Ravens last won the Super Bowl to cap the 2012 season.
The latest defeat, a 27-25 near miss against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, wasted what looked like the best chance the Ravens had to add another Lombardi Trophy. They went into Buffalo with the league’s most-productive offense thanks to two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry.
Harbaugh’s team also boasted a defense that yielded the fewest yards and points in the game since a key position switch at safety. A change explained by former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher for CBS Sports.
Harbaugh deserves credit for adjusting to solve a problem during the season, but he’s still a coach who has little to show for overseeing one of the most talented rosters in the league.
Ravens Continue to Self Destruct in the Biggest Games
The Ravens committed three turnovers against the Bills and dropped as many passes. None more important than Mark Andrews letting what would’ve been a game-tying two-point conversion get away from him with less than two minutes remaining.
An All-Pro tight end making uncharacteristic mistakes in clutch moments sums up Harbaugh’s teams in the postseason. The Ravens play too tight when the stakes change to win or go home.
Helping his players cope with the tougher mental aspects of boom-or-bust football is the part Harbaugh can control. So is the play calling, something that’s been questionable too often when the Ravens have competed for higher stakes.
It happened in Buffalo, where the Ravens gave Henry just 16 carries, wasting an obvious matchup advantage. Harbaugh also expressed regret about a goal-to-go sequence that ended with just three points.
As Zrebiec reported, “On the goal-line sequence after the long Bateman catch, Harbaugh said Bills ran all out blitz on first down and stopped Henry for a loss. He wishes they would have thrown on first.”
A head coach needs to take charge in the clutch moments and set the direction he wants. Even if it means overriding his coordinators.
Harbaugh didn’t overrule offensive coordinator Todd Monken in last season’s AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, Harbaugh stood by while Monken called 33 dropback passes, despite owning the league’s best rushing attack in a game decided by just seven points.
That near miss when they owned homefield advantage was the second of three times when Harbaugh and the Ravens failed to extend dominant regular-season performances into games that matter more.
The Ravens “had, by DVOA, the NFL’s best regular-season team in 2019, 2023 and 2024. Just one AFC championship game appearance to show for it,” according to The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer.
That’s not the kind of record any head coach wants. Missing out this often can define his legacy for the worse, but changing the narrative won’t be easy when Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink thinks “it sounds like the plan is to run it back with a similar roster in 2025.”
The same players and the same coaching are only likely to produce the same results.
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