John Harbaugh’s Second-Half Struggles: Fair Criticism Or Overblown?

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 02: Head coach John Harbaugh (L) and kicker Justin Tucker #9 (R) of the Baltimore Ravens look on from the sideline before a fourth down conversion attempt against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on October 02, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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The Baltimore Ravens were a tale of two halves to conclude Week Three of the NFL season.

In a back-and-forth contest between the Detroit Lions, the ground game was dominant for both sides.

For the game, the Ravens recorded 318 total yards in a 30-point effort. The only issue is that from the 9-minute mark of the third quarter to under two minutes remaining in the game, the Ravens would only produce 50 total yards and three points.

In that same span, the Lions totaled 220 yards and 24 points.

Full-blown panic should be avoided, as this is just the second loss by Baltimore this year.

However, it is also the second loss in which they held a lead in the second half, which gives us another chance to reminisce on the instant classic we saw in Week One.

In another shootout against the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens were in control for three quarters.

But the explosive start to the Ravens’ season ended in heartbreak, getting outscored 22-6 in the fourth quarter and losing a game they once led by 15 points.

Between the two losses, the team statistics for Baltimore do not have many similarities.

In Week One, the Ravens rushed for 238 yards and three touchdowns, while giving up 394 in the air.

Last week, the Ravens threw for 288 yards while giving up 224 rushing yards.

While the Bills’ loss can be deemed as more of a “collapse” than their most recent outing, it does point to a troubling trend of the Ravens during the Lamar Jackson era.

But this trend may even predate Jackson’s arrival in the DMV, and instead point towards the Ravens’ playcaller.

For Head Coach John Harbaugh, this is the 17th time he has lost a game in which he led in the second half by double-digits.

This, combined with the lack of recent playoff success, has caused questions to be asked about the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL right now.

But, how much pressure does an 18-year coach of one team with a Super Bowl, a .621 winning percentage, and 13 playoff wins deserve after a Week One loss?

To analyze this, let’s look into some of these losses.

Specifically, let’s look into the other games that fall under the umbrella of the Week One loss to the Bills, where they have been outscored by 10 or more points in the second half.

Four of these ten games had Jackson under center. For a team holding such a lead in the second half, Jackson may be the best option in NFL history to finish these games.

With his passing statistics improving every year, Lamar has not lost the ability to use his legs, averaging 59.3 yards per game over his career.

The dual-threat option Jackson provides takes away the main advantage a defense gets in obvious running situations, the ability to stack the box.

In these four losses, however, the Ravens have not prioritized the run in the second half of games like a team with this advantage.

Game | Rushing Plays | Total Plays | % of Plays

11/1/2020 – PIT | 20 | 34 | 58.82%
9/18/2022 – MIA | 7 | 25 | 28.00%
10/2/2022 – BUF | 17 | 33 | 51.52%
9/7/2025 – BUF | 11 | 22 | 50.00%

The column “Rushing Plays” does incorporate plays deemed a scramble as opposed to a traditional rushing attempt for Jackson, which brings up a fair counterpoint to the reasoning for so few rushing attempts.

A “scramble” for Jackson is unlike any other quarterback in the NFL, as his combination of accuracy and ability to either run or throw on a bootleg allows for the short-field passing game to be an extension of the running game.

However, when the Ravens brought in Derrick Henry ahead of the 2024 season, the anticipation was for Baltimore to move away from this strategy and instead emphasize the traditional rushing attack.

Henry only factors into one of these four games, and since the Ravens only led in the second half for one drive, the game script does not justify taking the air out of the ball.

Game | Rushing Plays | Total Plays | % of Plays

9/15/2024 – LV | 15 | 34 | 44.12%

11/17/2024 – PIT | 8 | 27 | 29.63%

*Note: Against PIT, 9 of these total plays came when BAL lost the lead.

While it was not with as much of a lead, holding a second-half advantage against a team that did not make the playoffs last season and a divisional opponent, where both teams’ scores under 20 points should be expected from a Super Bowl-caliber team.

There are several factors that go into the playcalling decisions within every game. To look at the selection of run versus pass through a microscope may not be an accurate barometer of right versus wrong decisions.

Plus, there is plenty to be said about the defense’s inability to hold onto the lead created by Baltimore’s offense. In the four games from the original table, the Ravens’ defense gave up an average of 24 points per game in the second half.

Similarly, the errors on an individual level should not be held against Harbaugh.

For example, in both of the Ravens’ losses this season, Henry has fumbled the ball in the second half. In the 139-game career of Henry, he has just 23 total fumbles to his name.

However, for a team desperate to get over the hump of the AFC Playoffs and reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2013, their ability to dominate possession in the second half of games and run the clock out when ahead could be the final piece to history.

It is easier said than done.

But with their current roster, the Ravens should have no excuses for accomplishing this adjustment.