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ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells down field against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
John Harbaugh has blown 17 double-digit, second-half leads as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, which is the most by any coach since at least 1991.
And after one of those blown leads was viewed by a large a national audience on “Sunday Night Football” Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, some Ravens fans are growing frustrated with the lack of an ability to close big games.
Since winning the Super Bowl in 2013 with Joe Flacco at quarterback, the new Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson, have fallen short in the playoffs every year they’ve gone to the postseason.
Entering this season, the Ravens are again considered a Super Bowl contender, but falling in the first game to another prominent contender in the AFC has Harbaugh catching some flack.
Yet, one Ravens legend is coming to his defense.
Ravens Legend Terrell Suggs Defends ‘Harbs’ Coaching
Terrell Suggs
GettyBALTIMORE, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 22: Former Baltimore Ravens player Terrell Suggs stands on the field before the game against the Detroit Lions at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Terrell Suggs, the former defensive player of the year and two-time Super Bowl champion, appeared on the “The Vault” podcast with host Bobby Trosset on Thursday.
Trosset asked Suggs how much blame Harbaugh should receive.
“I think very little,” Suggs responded. “I think we had a firm understanding as players that when you cross them white lines, nobody can save you, only you can save you. We got the plan. It’s our job to go an execute the plan.
Terrell Suggs on how much blame should be placed on John Harbaugh for some of the Ravens' recent underperformance:
"I think very little. I think we had a firm understanding as players that when you cross them white lines, nobody can save you. … It's hard to replace a winning… pic.twitter.com/1rCTFdykK8
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) September 11, 2025
“John Harbaugh’s not out there running and throwing any balls. He’s not tackling anybody. He’s not covering anybody. This is our plan, you gotta go out there and execute it.
“And we clearly see, the plan was working. We had the lead, it was working. One misfortune after another has nothing to do with the coaching.
“At some point, the players gotta be accountable. We all itching to win. We’ve been right there for years. You just can’t get over the hump and I don’t think that’s the coach.
“It’s hard to replace a winning coach. Harbs is a winner.”
Harbaugh has regular season record of 172-105 since taking the Baltimore job in 2008. He has a postseason record of 13-11 and has led the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game three times. He was named NFL coach of the year in 2019.
Another Familiar Face Will Be in Baltimore Sunday
The Ravens are celebrating their 30th season in Baltimore when they (0-1) host the Cleveland Browns (0-1) in the home opener on Sunday.
Flacco will be returning to Baltimore as Browns starting quarterback.
Flacco said this week he holds “nothing but love” for Baltimore and the Ravens. In 2018, a rookie Jackson began as Flacco’s backup before taking over midseason and steering the team to the playoffs.
“(I) just (remember Flacco) being in the meeting room and how cool he was with things he would say,” Jackson said. “How funny he was. I don’t know if people know, but ‘Flacc’ is funny. He used to have me rolling as a rookie. He is a great person to be around.”
The Ravens bounced back to capture the AFC North last season, but five of their first six opponents this year were playoff teams in 2024. With such a demanding schedule ahead, Baltimore will want to avoid slipping to 0-2. The Browns, meanwhile, are coming off a 3-14 season and need to show they can escape the division cellar. After a one-point loss to the Bengals in Week 1, another setback Sunday would drop them to 0-2 with both defeats coming against AFC North rivals.