When Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed a possible game-deciding 44-yard field goal, sending it wide right on Sunday evening, chaos broke out at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
This failed field goal, which determined the AFC North championship, initiated a sequence of events with potential long-term implications for the NFL.
The division title went to the Steelers, not Baltimore. Consequently, just two days later, John Harbaugh is seeking alternative employment.
On Tuesday, the Ravens concluded Harbaugh’s 18-season tenure as their head coach in Baltimore. During his leadership, he achieved a 180-113 record, secured a Super Bowl XLVII win in the 2012 season, guided the team to 12 playoff berths, and clinched six AFC North titles.
The 63-year-old Harbaugh is already attracting significant interest in the coaching market. He is poised for a new opportunity elsewhere should he desire it, yet it’s also valuable to reflect on his almost twenty years with the Baltimore organization.
An exceptional beginning for the ex-special teams coordinator (2008-12)
Harbaugh gained his initial coaching experience by specializing in special teams. Prior to his nine years as the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams coordinator from 1998-2006, he held special teams coaching positions at Morehead State, Cincinnati, and Indiana.
While NFL head coaching roles are typically given to offensive and defensive coordinators, Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti made an unconventional choice in 2008 by appointing Harbaugh to succeed Brian Billick.
Harbaugh was enlisted to revitalize the Ravens’ team culture, a task he accomplished, promptly re-establishing Baltimore as a prominent NFL contender.
Baltimore reached the AFC championship game four times during Harbaugh’s leadership, with three of those appearances occurring within his initial five seasons as head coach.
This period almost saw a dream Super Bowl journey in his inaugural season at the helm. With first-year quarterback Joe Flacco, the burgeoning Ravens advanced to the conference championship but lost 23-14 to Mike Tomlin’s Steelers. Flacco registered three interceptions during the match, highlighted by a pick-six courtesy of safety Troy Polamalu.
Four years subsequently, Flacco achieved an impeccable 11:0 touchdown-to-interception record as he guided the Ravens through a Super Bowl campaign, concluding with a victory against the San Francisco 49ers, then coached by John Harbaugh’s sibling, Jim.
During this impressive run, Flacco equaled Joe Montana’s NFL benchmark for the highest number of touchdown throws without an interception in a single playoff stretch. Furthermore, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis concluded his illustrious Pro Football Hall of Fame career with his second championship ring, returning from a torn right triceps injury to do so.
A memorable 2012 season that ended in rings for the Ravens also marked the end of linebacker Ray Lewis’ illustrious career. (Photo by Robert Beck /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
(Robert Beck via Getty Images)
Harbaugh sidelines Flacco in favor of Lamar Jackson (2013-2018)
Subsequent to that Super Bowl season, the Ravens managed only two winning records between 2013-17, reaching the playoffs a mere single time within that five-year period.
By 2018, questions surrounding Flacco’s “elite” status had overshadowed the then-unprecedented six-year, $120.6 million contract he secured following his Super Bowl MVP performance. He had yet to achieve a Pro Bowl selection, and a mid-season injury created an opportunity for the Ravens’ incoming rookie quarterback, 2016 Heisman recipient Lamar Jackson.
Jackson, whom Baltimore moved up to acquire from Louisville late in the first round of the 2018 draft, excelled as Flacco’s replacement despite being only 21 years old.
Upon Flacco’s recovery, Harbaugh maintained Jackson as the starter, and Jackson achieved a 6-1 record in his initial seven regular-season appearances, accumulating 556 rushing yards. Even when Jackson faced difficulties in a wild-card playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers that year, Harbaugh disregarded public appeals for Flacco’s return.
This marked a pivotal turning point for the franchise. Harbaugh entrusted the starting role to Jackson, and the versatile superstar capitalized on the opportunity.
Peak regular-season performances, devastating playoff disappointments (2019-2025)
Jackson promptly validated Harbaugh’s choice by securing the first of his two NFL MVP accolades in 2019.
In that particular season, he passed for 36 touchdowns and gained 1,206 rushing yards — setting the record for the most ground yards by a quarterback in a single season — and the Ravens finished with a 14-2 record.
However, following Baltimore’s unexpected collapse against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs, concerns quickly emerged regarding Jackson’s struggles in postseason play.
He continues to confront similar inquiries even now, eight years into his professional tenure.
Jackson, who also received league MVP recognition in 2023 and was a contender in 2024, possesses a modest 3-5 record in postseason contests. Across those appearances, he has thrown only three more touchdowns (10) than interceptions (seven).
Naturally, the blame doesn’t rest entirely on his shoulders.
Baltimore reached the AFC championship game during the 2023 season following a 13-4 campaign, yet wide receiver Zay Flowers fumbled near the goal line, denying Baltimore a fourth-quarter touchdown in their 17-10 defeat to the eventual Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs. In the prior season, experienced tight end Mark Andrews committed a fumble and subsequently failed to secure a pass on a two-point conversion try, leading to a two-point loss against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round.
Across Harbaugh and Jackson’s eight seasons collaborating, the Ravens secured six playoff berths, claimed four division crowns, and achieved two No. 1 seeds in the AFC.
Considering Jackson’s energetic play at quarterback and a defense that consistently placed within the top 10 for fewest points allowed per game in nearly all of those years, it becomes challenging to overlook these squandered chances.
The 2025 season proved especially difficult for a Baltimore squad that began with Super Bowl ambitions but then plummeted to a 1-5 opening record. Throughout the year, injuries were a significant factor, including one affecting Jackson. Monken’s offensive unit demonstrated inconsistency, Zach Orr’s defensive performance declined, and Harbaugh’s strategic choices faced intense scrutiny, notably when Derrick Henry received no carries during the final 12 minutes of a Week 16 defeat against the New England Patriots.
Baltimore’s Harbaugh period was not free from controversy
Ray Rice, chosen in the second round of the 2008 draft from Rutgers, was the team’s leading rusher from 2009-13. However, the Ravens released the three-time Pro Bowl player in 2014, subsequent to video evidence surfacing that showed him assaulting his then-fiancée, Janay, in a domestic violence event that ultimately concluded his professional playing days.
The NFL initially suspended Rice for only two games, asserting they had not viewed the video when the penalty was imposed. Yet, once the video became public, the suspension was changed to indefinite. The league’s poor management of the incident drew significant criticism for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and initiated discussions concerning the league’s player discipline guidelines.
Despite Rice’s reinstatement, he never participated in another NFL contest.
The previous year, the Ravens once more faced public scrutiny. On this occasion, they released eight-time All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker, who had been accused by multiple massage therapists of sexually improper conduct during massage appointments between 2012 and 2016. The NFL issued a suspension to Tucker, without pay, for the initial 10 weeks of the 2025 season, but he remained unsigned for the current season.
In May, Harbaugh characterized the choice to dismiss Tucker after the kicker’s 13 seasons with the team as “intricate.” He further stated that the action constituted “a football-related decision.”
A significant long-standing competition
Harbaugh and Tomlin competed against one another 44 times across the last 18 years. The Steelers maintained a 23-17 lead in regular-season contests versus the Ravens during that period.
The two franchises divided their four postseason encounters.
Baltimore eliminated Pittsburgh from the wild-card round last season. In the current year, the Steelers are participating in the wild-card round due to their clean sweep of the Ravens during the regular season.
