ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Posted yesterday at 11:30 AM Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh are currently the two longest-tenured coaches in the NFL, with 19 and 18 hardened and mostly successful years between them. Yet, as the two men and their respective teams, the Steelers and Ravens, head toward a collision course Sunday night in Pittsburgh, the win-or-go-home nature of the affair could extend beyond who gets into the playoffs and who doesn’t. Already, questions about the future of each have percolated amid what has been disillusioning seasons for both clubs. Last week, following a loss to the New England Patriots in which Baltimore blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead and questions were raised about running back Derrick Henry’s lack of usage down the stretch, Harbaugh was asked if he expects to be back next season. He said only that coaching is a “day-to-day job” and anything beyond that he isn’t thinking about. Fast forward another week and despite a victory over the Green Bay Packers to keep the Ravens’ postseason prayers alive, part of the discourse on television and across social media again is centered around Harbaugh’s future. It’s only exacerbated with this week’s showdown against Tomlin and the Steelers, who could have clinched their first AFC North title since 2020 and eliminated Baltimore in one fell swoop with a win over the Browns in Cleveland on Sunday but instead failed to find the end zone and fell 13-6. As far as Harbaugh is concerned, though, he’s understandably not thinking about the future, at least beyond the Steelers game. “I just don’t really have the space for that,” he said Monday when asked if the game was a referendum on either. “It’s just not something that you have the ability to think about. It’s not important. If it was important and it had an impact and a bearing I think you’d think about it.” There are indeed more pressing issues at hand. Though the Ravens rallied from two games behind the Steelers with four to play last season to win the division and then knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs with a wild-card win at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore has dropped four of its past five trips to the Steel City. Perhaps just as concerning is the status of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who suffered a back contusion against the Patriots and hasn’t practiced since. Harbaugh said that Jackson’s availability for Sunday night is still to be determined and that he would know more on Wednesday. The Ravens are also just 1-3 in Pittsburgh in games which Jackson has started with their lone win there during that span coming in 2019. Still, questions over whether a fresh voice is needed in each city are like objects in a rear view mirror — closer than they appear — and are likely to move to the fore within minutes of the final whistle on Sunday. Take the Steelers’ embarrassing 26-7 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills late last month in which the offense sputtered after Pittsburgh had staked a 7-0 halftime lead before getting bulldozed in the final 30 minutes. During the fourth quarter, fans broke into a “Fire Tomlin!” chant. Unsurprisingly, Tomlin had a similar refrain as Harbaugh. “Man, I’ve been in the hot seat for 19 years,” he told reporters during his usual weekly news conference two days later. “I always feel like I got something to prove. Not necessarily to anyone in particular, but that’s just the spirit in which I go about what I do professionally.” On paper, both Harbaugh and Tomlin have fared quite well professionally. The former has a career record of 180–112, fourth-best among active coaches, with 13 playoff wins, four AFC title game appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2013. The latter has never had a losing season and is 192-114-2 to rank second all-time among current coaches. He’s also won eight playoff games, guided Pittsburgh to three AFC title games and two Super Bowls, including winning the title in 2009. The stains on their resumes have grown in recent years, though. The Ravens have just one AFC title game appearance during Jackson’s tenure, despite two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards for the quarterback. They have also regressed each of the past two seasons, getting knocked out in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs and being on the brink of missing them entirely this year in what has been a tumultuous season filled with angst and injury. The Steelers, meanwhile, haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and are a woeful 3-10 in the postseason since getting to the Super Bowl in 2011. They blew last year’s division title and could be on the verge of doing the same again this year. But Harbaugh isn’t thinking about any of that. “It’s sports. That’s how sports are and I think that’s part of the intrigue of it all,” he said. “I feel really honored to be a part of that.” Like Tomlin, he added that there is always pressure, and reiterated tennis legend Billie Jean King’s famous line about pressure being a privilege, something he will embrace Sunday night in Pittsburgh, where his job could in some ways be on the line along with Tomlin’s. “That’s something that is earned,” Harbaugh said. “We feel like it’s something very worthwhile to be in games like this. “If those are the things that are being talked about along with that, that’s OK. That’s a privilege too. So, let’s get to work and let’s go try to play our best game, coach our best game.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Ravens coach John Harbaugh shakes hands with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin following a narrow Steelers win earlier this season. The winner of Sunday's game between the teams will make the playoffs, while the loser's season will end. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) View the full article Quote
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