If Week 16 proved anything it’s that the Ravens must make a massive coaching change

To say the Baltimore Ravens' season has been disappointing would be an understatement. Heading into the year, the Ravens had Super Bowl aspirations. Now at 7-8, simply reaching the playoffs seems far-fetched.

Throughout the season, Ravens fans have been calling for John Harbaugh's job. After Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, criticism about Harbaugh has rightfully reached an all-time high. The Ravens were up 24-13 in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost 28-24. While Lamar Jackson was injured, this loss is still unacceptable, especially since Harbaugh didn't have Derrick Henry on the field for the last two drives.

Blown leads have been commonplace in the Harbaugh era. In fact, Harbaugh has now blown 18 second-half leads, which is the most since at least 1991. Likewise, the Ravens have lost nine games with a win probability of 90 percent or higher since 2022, which is the most in the league by a wide margin.

At some point, this isn't just bad luck; it's bad coaching. The Ravens have routinely underperformed in the Lamar era, largely due to poor coaching. Listen, Harbaugh has had a wonderful 18-year tenure with the Ravens. However, the time has come for the Ravens to move on, and frankly, it's overdue at this stage.

Week 16 is further evidence that it's time to part ways with Harbaugh

There have been some bad losses under Harbaugh, and Sunday's was not the worst one. Let us not forget the Ravens blew a 15-point lead in seven minutes to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. However, this loss was even more than others, and it was clearly on Harbaugh.

As mentioned earlier, the Ravens didn't have Henry on the field for their last two drives. This sounds bad, but let's add some context to it. Henry rushed for 128 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. The Pats had no answer for him.

Yet Harbaugh decided to roll with Keaton Mitchell with the game (and essentially the season) on the line. Many have advocated for Mitchell to have a bigger role and discussed how he's a nice complement to Henry. However, there's a time and place when Mitchell had 13 yards (1.4 yards per carry) all night, and the season is on the line, that's not the time, Harbaugh.

Henry's up-and-down usage has been one of the biggest problems with the Ravens' season, and abandoning the run game has cost Baltimore in the playoffs before. Frankly, Harbaugh's decision not to put Henry on the field for both of the game-deciding drives was one of the single worst coaching decisions of the season. It was nothing short of malpractice.

Harbaugh didn't make up for it in the post-game press conferences, where he admitted he wanted Henry on the field. Well, Harbaugh, you could have changed that one, pal.

This game was a microcosm of Harbaugh's shortcomings over the past few years. The Ravens blew a lead and abandoned what makes them great, what else is new? Baltimore has continued to have late-game collapses with different coordinators and rosters. This has to fall on Harbaugh, and the Ravens should make a coaching change.

Unfortunately, though, a firing is not a sure thing. Harbaugh signed an extension back in March, and the Ravens are a famously loyal organization. Changes come could come to coordinators Todd Monken or Zach Orr, perhaps Steve Biscotti moves off of general manager Eric DeCosta.

Whether it's Harbaugh or someone else, it's clear that change is on the horizon for the Ravens.