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Baltimore Ravens fire head coach John Harbaugh
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- Baltimore Ravens fire head coach John Harbaugh
Change is inevitable, and the Ravens will have a new head coach after firing John Harbaugh. For clarity, my nephew, who is set to graduate high school in June, was just born when Baltimore hired the Eagles ' special teams coordinator and secondary coach, John Harbaugh, to replace the legendary Brian Billick.
The Ravens finished the 2025 season 8-9 after starting the season 1-5, and out of the playoffs after Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired to suffer a 26-24 loss to the hated Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday. That loss has led to some speculation about the job security for Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and defensive coordinator Zach Orr.
Baltimore was 0-4 this season in games decided by 5 points or fewer, and overall, under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 45-61 in such games since 2008.
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With widespread criticism of the head coach and both coordinators, we're examining what went wrong.
HC John Harbaugh
Harbaugh (18th season) is the NFL's second-longest-tenured head coach (Mike Tomlin - 19), with his 193 total wins tying Chuck Knox for the 12th most by a HC in NFL history. Harbaugh has led Baltimore to 12 playoff berths in the past 18 seasons and to six postseason appearances in the last eight years. Still, relationships sometimes get stale, and while he's a quality head coach who'll have suitors on the open market, Harbaugh's act and message have fallen on deaf ears in the Ravens locker room. The Giants or another team can now hire Harbaugh outright.
OC Todd Monken
The idea was that as long as No. 8 is under center, Baltimore can win any game. The future was supposed to begin and end with the two-time MVP quarterback. Last season, the 28-year-old Jackson set career highs in touchdown passes (41), passing yards (4,172), and quarterback rating (119.6) while throwing just four interceptions. Entering his third season as offensive coordinator, Jackson's growth as a quarterback was expected to continue and reach another level as he enters the prime of his career. Monken and the Ravens offense cratered and regressed. Baltimore had the NFL's second-best rushing attack and finished 16th in total offense at 332.2 yards per game. Still, the most disheartening discussions center on Monken's comfort with leaving Derrikck Henry on the bench in critical moments, and the lack of production at the wide receiver spot beyond Pro Bowl pass-catcher Zay Flowers .
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DC Zach Orr
The second-year coordinator can depend on his unit improving in the second half of the season, but the damage is usually already done. This season, Baltimore finished 24th in total defense, 30th in passing defense, 18th in scoring defense, 30th in total sacks, 18th in total turnovers, and 22nd in turnover differential. The 30 sacks were only three more than the franchise record for fewest in a single season (27 in 16 games in 2010). Down the stretch, the Ravens defense allowed 300+ yard performances to New England 's Drake Maye , Green Bay's Malik Willis , and the Steelers ' Aaron Rodgers — twice. In the season finale with DK Metcalf serving a suspension, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers still lit Baltimore up, going 31-for-47 for 294 yards and a touchdown in a must-win scenario. Still, Orr played linebacker for the Ravens; he was Harbaugh's hand-picked choice to replace Mike McDonald, and would leave Baltimore with two coordinator positions to replace, along with tight ends coach George Godsey departing for Georgia Tech.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: John Harbaugh is out in Baltimore after 18 seasons
