ExtremeRavens Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago As the Ravens and Steelers square off Sunday for yet another bruising December chapter in their storied rivalry, a discomforting question floats above both sidelines: Are John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin coaching for their jobs over the final five games? Harbaugh and Tomlin will meet for the 39th time Sunday, marking the second-most meetings between a pair of coaches in NFL history. Harbaugh is 17-21 against Tomlin. Could this be one of their final showdowns? With both teams suffering from disappointing campaigns, riddled by injuries and underwhelming performances, this particular meeting arrives carrying an unfamiliar weight. Tomlin took over in Pittsburgh in 2007. Harbaugh arrived in Baltimore a year later in 2008. Since then, they’ve met twice every regular season and an additional four times in the postseason. Only George Halas and Curly Lambeau, a pair of coaching legends who competed against each other 49 times between 1921 and 1953, have met more than Harbaugh and Tomlin. Their resumes are nearly parallel. Harbaugh’s career record sits at 178-110, while Tomlin is 189-113-2. Both coaches have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy once each as head coaches; Tomlin in Super Bowl XLIII in February 2009, and Harbaugh in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013. Yet here they are, entering Week 14 as equals in a much more surprising way. Baltimore and Pittsburgh sit with identical 6-6 records, both in a wide-open AFC North, and both facing a deeply uncertain future. Remarkably, the AFC North is the only division in the league without a winning team. “We’re all focused now on the Steelers coming up,” Harbaugh said this week. “I think when you step back and look at it, after the first third of the season, our goal was to fight our way, play our way back into contention and position to compete for the AFC North [title], and we’ve done that. “So, here we are in the last third of the season with that objective and that challenge in front of us — to go win the AFC North, which starts on Sunday. That’s where we’re at, and that’s what our focus will be.” Of the 38 games between Harbaugh and Tomlin, 28 have been decided by one score, including 19 by three or fewer points. The Ravens are 5 1/2-point favorites at home Sunday, but the betting spread feels almost irrelevant ahead of this particular matchup. Baltimore began the season 1-5, stumbling through a tough early schedule with blown leads and red zone futility. The Ravens have since recovered, winning five of six games since their Week 7 bye, although they’re coming off a lousy Thanksgiving night loss to Cincinnati, in which they committed a season-high five turnovers. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is reeling, having lost five of its past seven. Both coaches and franchises have built their identities around punishing trademark defenses. But those foundations have been shaken this season. Baltimore ranks 26th in the NFL in total defense (350.4 yards allowed per game), while Pittsburgh ranks 28th (365.1). Things aren’t much better offensively, either. Pittsburgh ranks 27th in total offense, including 28th in run offense and 24th in pass offense. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2021, the Steelers have struggled to find consistent success at quarterback, rolling out starters Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and now Aaron Rodgers. Speaking of Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl champion recently offered his own criticism of his former coach on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast: “Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time. I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best.” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson escapes Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt during Baltimore's wild-card round victory last season at M&Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Entering the season, the Ravens were widely considered Super Bowl favorites, armed with one of the league’s best rosters. Oh, what a time. Over the first three months of the season, Baltimore ranks 30th in red-zone scoring, 20th in third-down efficiency, 20th in total offense and an abysmal 28th in pass offense. Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson hasn’t looked like himself in recent weeks, dealing with several lower-body injuries. The Ravens have fallen short of their Super Bowl goal in three consecutive seasons with forgettable postseason exits, while the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since January 2017. How much longer can yesterday’s glory keep tomorrow’s decisions at bay? The pressure is on. With exactly one month remaining in the regular season, here are the remaining schedules for both teams: • Steelers: at Baltimore, vs. Miami (5-7), at Detroit (7-5), at Cleveland (3-9), vs. Baltimore. • Ravens: vs. Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati (4-8), vs. New England (11-2), vs. Green Bay (8-3-1), at Pittsburgh. By January, we’ll know which direction each franchise is truly headed. Ten wins is widely viewed as the amount needed for an automatic playoff berth, but maybe nine gets it done in this version of the AFC North? The analytical gurus and playoff predictors favor Harbaugh and the Ravens to come out on top. Sunday’s expected slugfest at M&T Bank Stadium is bound to play a critical role in the final result for both parties. Harbaugh and Tomlin represent the NFL’s two longest-tenured coaches. Tomlin is in his 19th season, while Harbaugh is in his 18th. Tomlin has never posted a losing season, while Harbaugh’s last losing campaign occurred in 2021, when Baltimore finished fourth in the AFC North with an 8-9 record. That type of rare coaching stability is earned, cultivated and respected over nearly two decades of consistent regular-season success. But inevitably, even the longest, most successful eras face moments of reckoning. Perhaps this is an overreaction. Some might consider it premature. But with five games remaining and both teams sitting in unfamiliar territory amid a disappointing division, the coach who fails to cling to first place over the ever-important final stretch will inevitably be placed on the hot seat. Will it be Harbaugh or Tomlin? Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports. View the full article Quote
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