Raiders expose Harbaugh's late game woes
Ravens fans complained vehemently at the end of the game that Harbaugh's coaching errors in the second half of games are always costly. But it was hard for me to understand how a coach with such a positive win-loss record could be suffering from such a truth until I looked at the numbers.
The Ravens have been the worst team in the league when leading by a solid margin in the fourth quarter of games.
Most losses with a 7+ point lead in 4th Quarter over last 4 seasons
β NFL on CBS π (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2024
Ravens 10
Bears 6
Colts 5
Seahawks 5
Titans 5 pic.twitter.com/6XdSeSqkgw
And it's not like the Raiders are known for coming back late in games. Typically, when they are down, they are down. But because of Harbaugh's inability to close out games with consistency, the Raiders had their first double-digit comeback in quite some time:
Entering today, the #Raiders had lost 49 straight games when trailing by 10+ points during the 4th quarter. Their last comeback win in that situation was Week 1 of 2016 at the #SaintsΒ when they trailed at one point by 11 in the 4th and won 35-34, per @ESPNStatsInfo
β Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 15, 2024
Even dating back to 1991, the numbers are not favorable for Harbaugh:
John Harbaugh now has most blown double-digit leads in 4th quarter of any coach since at least 1991 after losing to Ravens for his 9th blown lead https://t.co/6YDlhCM5KU
β Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 15, 2024
No matter how you slice it, Harbaugh needs to figure out a way to win more effectively in the fourth quarter, or he is going to lose his entire fanbase, the respect of his team, and possibly his job.
Being outcoached by a man with 10 NFL games under his belt is not promising for a coach who once led his team to a Super Bowl. But that is the state of the Ravens and Harbaugh right now.
Antonio Pierce and his staff outcoached Harbaugh on Sunday, and the Ravens paid the price for it. It's a good day to be a Raider.