A detailed Week 1 loss to the Chiefs did not do a lot to erase the optimism surrounding the Ravens, however a Week 2 collapse towards the Raiders at residence sounded alarm bells.
Baltimore has a historical past of struggling to carry sizable leads in latest years, and a lifeless end towards Las Vegas introduced all of these considerations proper again for a workforce that has championship expectations.
Ravens followers noticed each side of the coin in Week 3. Baltimore received off to a dominant start towards the Cowboys however practically noticed all of it slip away in the second half. The Ravens had been in a position to maintain on, however stress is constructing on coach John Harbaugh to form his workforce into one that may compete for an AFC title.
Is Harbaugh on the hot seat? Here's a have a look at why it is exhausting to consider the Ravens would make a teaching change in 2024.
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Why the Ravens will not hearth John Harbaugh
Track report of success
Harbaugh has endured simply two shedding seasons in 16 years as the Ravens' head coach, making the playoffs 11 instances and profitable a Super Bowl. That type of sustained success is not straightforward to attain, and betting on one other coach sustaining it is not a secure wager in an ultra-competitive division.
Harbaugh has already confirmed he can reinvent the wheel a bit, overcoming hot seat questions in 2018 by surging to the playoffs with a rookie Lamar Jackson and staving off any extra hot seat hypothesis with 4 playoff appearances in the following 5 years.
A championship is the final purpose for the Ravens, and it is doable a dialog about Harbaugh's future could possibly be had if Baltimore misses the playoffs completely. After profitable 13 video games and coming inside a win of the Super Bowl final season, although, there simply hasn't been sufficient shedding in the Ravens' latest historical past to justify a teaching change.
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New defensive workers nonetheless settling in
If there's one cause not to panic over a sluggish start this season, it is the actuality that almost all of the Ravens' defensive teaching workers turned over after final season.
Not solely did the Ravens lose defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, however defensive position coach Anthony Weaver and DBs coach Dennard Wilson each left for coordinator roles. That's a important quantity of expertise to exchange on the sideline, and it is naturally going to take a while to get the protection again to the place it was in 2023.
Baltimore's new DC is 32-year-old Zach Orr, who spent 2023 as an inside linebackers coach, and the replacements for each Weaver and Wilson got here from the faculty ranks.
On the different facet of the ball, the Ravens misplaced their offensive line coach when Joe D'Alessandris handed away in August. With a a lot youthful offensive line than the Ravens are accustomed to, it is no shock that the venture is taking a bit longer than anticipated.
MORE: Is Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott underneath extra stress to win Super Bowl?
Ownership loyalty
Ravens proprietor Steve Bisciotti has confirmed to be fairly loyal, for higher or worse. He caught by Harbaugh when followers had been calling for his job in 2017 and 2018, and Baltimore has a robust observe report of extending their standout younger gamers.
The Ravens even infamously saved RB Ray Rice on the workforce after a home violence arrest, till they had been left with nearly no selection when video of the incident surfaced.
Bisciotti is not too fast to maneuver on from what he is snug with, and it actually appears he is modified his mindset a bit since firing coach Brian Billick one yr faraway from a 13-3 season in 2007 — in any other case Harbaugh seemingly would've been ousted in 2017 after three consecutive seasons with out a playoff look.
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John Harbaugh teaching report
| Season | Record | Finish |
| 2008 | 11-5 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2009 | 9-7 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2010 | 12-4 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2011 | 12-4 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2012 | 10-6 | Won Super Bowl 47 |
| 2013 | 8-8 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2014 | 10-6 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2015 | 5-11 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2016 | 8-8 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2017 | 9-7 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2018 | 10-6 | Lost in Wild Card Game |
| 2019 | 14-2 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2020 | 11-5 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2021 | 8-9 | Missed Playoffs |
| 2022 | 10-7 | Lost in Wild Card Game |
| 2023 | 13-4 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2024 | 1-2 | — |
| Career | 161-101 |
