Harbaugh is gone, but Ravens still can’t buck this alarming trend

Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

John Harbaugh is gone, but Ravens still can’t buck this alarming trend

By Paul White | Last updated Oct 25, 2026 4:19 PM ET

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh is arguably one of the best coaches in the NFL. His teams are always competitive late into the season no matter how good the roster is, and he led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory back in February 2013.

However, Harbaugh plateaued toward the end of his run in Baltimore, and he became synonymous with blown leads instead of the success he achieved. He was fired earlier this year and was replaced by former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The young, hotshot coordinator was expected to transform the Ravens defense and help them hold onto leads, but that hasn’t happened seven games into the season. The Ravens are now 4-3 on the year after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Ravens are still blowing leads despite John Harbaugh coaching the Giants

The most concerning part about the record, though — even more so than the fact that quarterback Lamar Jackson has been out the last three games — is that Baltimore had double-digit leads in all of its losses.

The Ravens blew an 11-point lead to the New Orleans Saints, a 10-point lead to the Cleveland Browns and now a 13-point lead to the Bengals. There is still no answer to what is causing all these deflating blown leads, but Harbaugh certainly wasn’t the only one to blame.

Baltimore has had Super Bowl aspirations since Jackson won his first MVP back in 2019, but it will be hard to do if the team can’t hold leads. The AFC North is tough as always, but no one is running away with the division right now, which gives the Ravens a little room to breathe.

Jackson finally got some work in practice late last week, so he could be returning in the next couple of games. Baltimore isn’t in a bad spot, but the blown leads absolutely need to be addressed, and they need to be solved by the time the playoffs roll around.

The team travels to play the Buffalo Bills next before heading home to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, so things aren’t getting any easier from here.

Paul White

Paul White is a contract writer from Philadelphia who attended Penn State University. He has contributed hundreds of stories about the NFL and NBA over the years and now brings that experience over to Yardbarker. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan looking to bring the same passion from his city to sports media.

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