The Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh have had a ton of success. The longtime Ravens head coach beat his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers to win a Super Bowl and he’s accomplished several feats along the way.
But while the 2023 Ravens have had doubters that Lamar Jackson didn’t have what it takes to lead this team to a Super Bowl, the dual-threat signal caller took a major step on Saturday by reaching the AFC Championship game with a victory over the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round.
This offseason — after a lengthy standoff — the Ravens inked Jackson to a record-breaking 5-year deal worth $260 million, making him the NFL’s highest paid player at the time.
Jackson has proved his worth with the Baltimore Ravens this yet again on Saturday, scoring two running touchdowns and throwing for two more.
Yet still, first half wasn’t pretty and the Ravens and Texans were tied at 10 at halftime.
But John Harbaugh and his well-respected staff made key adjustments and they proved to be the difference.
Baltimore absolutely dominated the second half, cruising to a 31-10 victory. Jackson finished the game with two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns, a feat that hasn’t been done since Cam Newton led the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl more than a decade ago.
Most importantly, the Ravens hushed any critics that believed Jackson couldn’t lead this team to a AFC Championship. He accomplished the feat and is the clear frontrunner for NFL Offensive MVP. Baltimore has a dynamic offense complimented by a stifling defense led by 36-year-old rising defensive coordinator Mike McDonald, who is one of the hottest head coaching candidates in this year’s cycle.
On Saturday, the Ravens didn’t allow the Texans offense into the red zone one time. It was a brilliant showing on both sides of the ball — and whether it’s the Bills or the Chiefs coming into town to face the 2023 Baltimore Ravens on their home field — they will have their hands full.
Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh Celebrates Advancing To AFC Championship With Epic Locker Room Dance
Harbaugh is one of the most accomplished coaches in the NFL, but it’s obvious he’s been building a Super Bowl contender for several years and finally believes he has the team to win his second Lombardi Trophy.
When the victory was sealed, the ESPN cameras captured an incredible moment of the usual even-keeled, calm John Harbaugh breaking it down in the locker room with his team after beating the Texans.
LMAOOOOO JOHN HARBAUGH
pic.twitter.com/Wke90nRaow— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 21, 2024
Harbaugh has led the Baltimore Ravens to 171 wins (including playoffs) since his tenure began in 2008, the third-most wins in the NFL over that span, and has surpassed Brian Billick for the most wins by a head coach in Baltimore Ravens franchise history.
In his fifteen-year tenure as Ravens head coach, Harbaugh has led the Ravens to eleven winning seasons and only two losing seasons. His 20 playoff game appearances are the second-most by any head coach in the NFL since 2008. He is also the only head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in six of the first seven seasons of a coaching career and has the most road playoff wins by a head coach (8).
Outside of winning Super Bowl XLVII, Harbaugh has guided the Baltimore Ravens to five AFC North division championships, three AFC Championship appearances and a franchise-best 14–2 record in 2019.
But now, for the first time with his young dynamic QB Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh and this team with one of the best rosters in the NFL will host his fourth AFC Championship next weekend and face the winner of the Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs game tomorrow.