Ravens' Harbaugh not worried about job status

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh addressed questions about his job security on Monday by saying he’s thinking about Saturday’s game at the Green Bay Packers and not his future.

“I try to do the job, not try to keep the job,” Harbaugh said. “My focus has been for the last 18 years here and the last 41 years in coaching is to try to do the best job I can today and fight as hard as I can so the guys have the best chance to be successful today. And anything after today, I’m not thinking about because it’s not given for us to think about.”

Harbaugh added, “We don’t have control over that, except for the job we do today. And if we do a good enough job today, then the opportunity to do that job or a different job will be there tomorrow. And that’s what you hope for.”

Harbaugh, 63, is enduring one of the most challenging seasons in his 18 years as the Ravens’ head coach. After entering the season as the betting Super Bowl favorite, Baltimore (7-8) can be eliminated from playoff contention this weekend if the Ravens lose at the Packers on Saturday or the Steelers win at the Browns on Sunday.

After Sunday’s 28-24 loss to the New England Patriots, the Ravens are playing in December with a losing record for the first time since 2015. Baltimore also recorded its sixth loss at home, which is the most in a single season in franchise history.

Harbaugh has come under scrutiny for the lack of carries given to running back Derrick Henry in Sunday’s fourth quarter and another blown fourth-quarter lead. Sunday’s loss marked Baltimore’s sixth since 2019 after leading by double digits in the fourth quarter, which is tied with the Chicago Bears for the most in the NFL during that span.

“One thing I always have believed is that, first of all, coaching at any level is a day-to-day job,” Harbaugh said. “And your job is to do the best job you can today, and to do everything you can to help your players and your coaches — if you’re a head coach — be the best they can be every single day.”

After rebounding from a 1-5 start this season, Baltimore won five straight and increased its playoff chances to 71.9%, according to ESPN Analytics. The Ravens then lost three of their next four games — with all the losses coming at home — and watched their postseason chances plummet to 7.5%.

Asked if he has received any assurances from Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti about coaching next season, Harbaugh replied, “The future is today. The future is the Green Bay Packers and that’s what we’re looking at.”

Harbaugh signed a three-year extension with Baltimore in late March, which puts him under contract through the 2028 season. He’s the team’s all-time winningest head coach with a 192-123 record (.605).

As the second-longest-tenured NFL coach behind the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, who is in his 19th season in Pittsburgh, Harbaugh has guided the Ravens to a Super Bowl title in 2012, two No. 1 seeds in the AFC and six AFC North titles. His 12 playoff berths are the second most in the league behind Andy Reid (14) since he arrived in Baltimore in 2008.

Harbaugh said Bisciotti has been a supportive owner and a great leader.

“He’s also challenging. Steve wants to win. He wants to be successful,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve been around a lot of competitors in this job or even my family and there’s no bigger competitor than Steve Bisciotti. And that’s one of the many things I admire about him and appreciate of him.”

The Ravens’ season has also been derailed by a handful of injuries to quarterback Lamar Jackson. The latest is a back contusion, which forced him to leave Sunday’s game late in the first half.

Jackson’s status is considered day-to-day after undergoing an MRI on Monday.

“It doesn’t look like it’s more than that, but obviously those are painful and tough,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no kind of issues beyond a good significant contusion, which is obviously a serious deal.”