Ravens Could Have NFL's Hottest Job Opening

He's stood at the helm of countless single-game Ravens collapses over his admittedly-illustrious coaching tenure in Baltimore, but this season has included too many baffling lineup and in-game decisions to excuse. If his team falls flat on their face in Week 18, his potentially-open head coaching gig is expected to persist through the offseason as one of the most desirable in the market.

Parsing Through Baltimore's Assets

Jackson assured reporters that the tug-of-war between he and Harbaugh has been largely embellished, clarifying that very little of what's been spread about their relationship is true. If there were to be a divorce, though, the generationally-athletic and decorated quarterback certainly persists as a more attractive keeper.

The fact that whoever coaches this team has someone as talented as Jackson is at the head of their offense is already enough to rank the hypothetical opening among the NFL's best, right alongside the similarly-tenuous situation over with the Cincinnati Bengals. Zac Taylor's seat is even hotter than Harbaugh's, and he, too, has a superstar on his side in Joe Burrow.

They ranked ahead of the rest of the unstable coaching spots across the league due to those standing assets, even out-muscling the Bengals as a priority destination due to their more trustworthy internal management.

"Despite their disappointing season, the Ravens do have more talent on their roster than do the Bengals, who still need to remake almost their entire defense in order to be truly competitive for a playoff spot," CBS Sports' Jared Dubin wrote. "The Ravens have the requisite talent on both sides of the ball -- they have just underperformed relative to that talent this season. Injuries (especially to Jackson) account for some of that, but they've also been a disappointment when healthy."

"The real advantage the Ravens have here is that they have one of the best and most stable ownership and management groups in the NFL. Steve Bisciotti hires well and lets his charges run their department with little interference. Eric DeCosta and the rest of the front office routinely draft well and hit on the margins with low-cost free agents and buy-low trades."

Again, this whole coaching hubbub could easily amount to nothing if the coach and his players clutch up in Pittsburgh, but this could suddenly shoot up the power ranking of the most compelling storylines surrounding the chaotic operation if things don't go their way this weekend.