John Harbaugh might have coached his way onto the hot seat Sunday night. Forget the 24-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 14, the real test for the Baltimore Ravens came against the New England Patriots, and they failed. The loss has put HC John Harbaugh’s future in Baltimore on notice.
Is It Time for the Ravens to Move On from John Harbaugh?
The Patriots exposed deep flaws in the Ravens’ game plan, rattling off 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to erase a 24-13 Baltimore lead. Among many issues, the most glaring mistake was Harbaugh’s decision to keep star running back Derrick Henry on the sideline when the game was on the line.
The head coach admitted his error in not utilizing Henry’s talent on that decisive final drive. But before diving into Harbaugh’s explanation for the dubious usage of his star running back, it is worth noting what the critics are saying.
When asked if it was time for Harbaugh to be fired on the SpeakEasy Podcast, the former NFL LB’s answer was, “Some got to give. My thought process is this: ‘Harbaugh, if you aren’t coaching offense and you aren’t coaching defense and you aren’t coaching special teams, your job is to have such an incredible pulse on the game that Derrick Henry, who’s gone for over 110 or 117 yards, is in on the last drive.’”
The 35-year-old also added, “‘You can’t go to the podium and say, ‘Yeah, I mean, we wish we had had Derrick Henry in there sooner in the last drive.’ It’s too late now, bro. Your playoff hopes are all but gone. Now you need the Steelers to lose out. You need to win out. You need some breaks here and there. You aren’t doing anything else. Harbaugh, you have to manage the game. You’re not calling plays. So, to me, I think something has to give. I love Harbaugh. I think he’s a great human being. I think he’s a great coach.”
The criticism stems from Harbaugh keeping Henry seated during crunch time, watching as Drake Maye threw dimes and the New England defense created trouble for the Ravens.
That was the moment everyone felt the urgency of playing Henry, everyone, it seems, except Harbaugh. The 63-year-old head coach later explained that Henry wasn’t on the field due to a pre-planned rotation among the running backs.
Why Was Derrick Henry on the Bench in the Fourth Quarter?
Harbaugh detailed the Ravens’ running back rotation, noting that Henry and Keaton Mitchell were slotted as the primary first and second-down options. Henry was expected to open about two-thirds of the team’s offensive drives, while Rasheen Ali handled third-down responsibilities.
Despite that plan, Henry did not return to the field after scoring a 2-yard rushing touchdown that gave Baltimore an 11-point cushion with just under 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
After that score, the Ravens ran only eight offensive plays the rest of the game. One possession came with a three-point lead, and the final drive began with Baltimore trailing by four points with a little more than two minutes left.
“Looking back on it right now, to your point, I would have grabbed it and said, ‘No, put Derrick in the game,'” Harbaugh said. “But that’s not really the way it works in real time. It’s the guys doing the rotation, the coach doing the rotation, and it’s also the plays that are called.”
Essentially, the longtime Ravens coach pointed to the game’s flow rather than taking immediate accountability for the personnel decision. Later, however, he conceded the point.
“If I look back on it now, I’d rather have [Henry] out there, absolutely,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not arguing with that at all – on a fundamental level,” Harbaugh told per BaltimoreRavens.com.
What Does This Loss Mean for Harbaugh’s Future?
The story does not end here, as Harbaugh’s job isn’t safe for the 2026 season. NFL Hall of Fame inductees like Shannon Sharpe have already indirectly urged the front office to “get a new voice” if they want to utilize Lamar Jackson’s prime to win the Super Bowl.
Despite the noise, the coach is trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Coaching at any level is a day-to-day job,” Harbaugh said. “Your job is to do the best job you can today. It’s never been about keeping a job. I try to do the job, not try to keep the job. Anything after today, I’m not thinking about. The future is today. The future is the Green Bay Packers (the Ravens’ next opponent). That’s what we’re looking at.”
Harbaugh has been coaching the Baltimore team since 2008 and led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2013. But in the past 12 years, they have not made it to the Super Bowl even once.
Now, in the 2025 NFL season, they are almost repeating their history. The Ravens are left with two games in the regular season, and their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread entering the Week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers.
