OWINGS MILLS — Ravens coach John Harbaugh is having a Hall-of-Fame-caliber career.
Harbaugh is tied for 20th all-time in the NFL with 160 coaching victories. He is poised to move up this season because he needs two wins to surpass Mike Holmgren and seven to pass Paul Brown — two esteemed coaches just ahead of him on the list.
Harbaugh can also cement his legacy among the all-time greats if he can lead the Ravens to another Super Bowl victory after winning the title in 2012-2013.
“In the National Football League, unless you don’t make the playoffs, your last game is not a success unless you win the Super Bowl,” Harbaugh said after this past season. “You have to understand that.”
In 2019, Harbaugh became the first Ravens coach to win the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award.
Harbaugh also has the most road playoff wins (eight) by a head coach in NFL history. Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys) and Tom Coughlin (Jacksonville Jaguars./New York Giants) are second with seven each.
Under Harbaugh, Baltimore is one of four teams with the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Kansas City Chiefs to earn a playoff berth in at least 11 of the past 16 seasons. Baltimore is also one of four teams with Kansas City, Buffalo, and Philadelphia to make the playoffs in at least five of the past six seasons.
The Ravens have a talented roster again this year and are expected to make another deep playoff run.
Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson is looking to take the next step in his career and win a Super Bowl. The Ravens gave Jackson a huge asset with the addition of four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry.
The Ravens’ defense has three players who were named All-Pro last season — inside linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and safety Kyle Hamilton. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald left to take the head coaching job in Seattle, but the team is optimistic Zachary Orr can attain similar success.
Harbaugh is eager to meet the challenges of the 2024 season.
“We all should be excited about where we’re going and what’s in front of us and what we’re building here,” Harbaugh said. “And then we’re challenged by the things that we have to overcome. There are always things that you lose, and you have to make up for it and improve on. We did a great job of that last year. I hope we can do even better this year.”