As the Baltimore Ravens secured a clutch win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, they couldn’t help but take a look back at the close calls during their time under John Harbaugh. Throughout the 2025 season, the Ravens experienced narrow defeats. But in 2026, they have begun to turn the same kinds of games into wins.
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Before securing the 30-23 overtime win against the Falcons, the Ravens secured a 34-31 win against the Dallas Cowboys. And the win extracted an indirect dig at Harbaugh from Kyle Hamilton.
“Saying like, over the past few years, I feel like I get up here and say this so much, but like, that’s a game that we’ve lost like many times,” Hamilton said in the postgame press conference and took a shot at Harbaugh without even naming the former Ravens’ coach.
“And whether it’s some fluky stuff happening or whatever. But the way the offense drove down there in OT, first off, that drive to get us in the OT, two-point conversion, all that stuff, and then follow it up with whatever eight-minute drive or whatever they had, finish it off with a touchdown. And then we get a stop on defense. It’s like us getting over some sort of hump or dark cloud.”
For context, as pointed out by ESPN’s Jamison Henley, the Ravens have lost an NFL-worst 15 games when leading through three quarters over the past six seasons. John Harbaugh was very much the head coach of the Ravens at the time. Jason La Canfora, writing for Sports Illustrated, found out that since 2020, the Ravens defense has given up 742 points in the fourth quarter alone, ranking 28th in the league.
There was a time when the Miami Dolphins defeated the Baltimore Ravens 42-38, that too with Tua Tagovailoa leading the show. The QB was able to throw four (!) TD passes in the fourth quarter. In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars were also able to edge past the Ravens with a 28-27 win, with the latter blowing a 19-10 fourth-quarter lead. There are too many such examples to count.
No wonder the Ravens are speaking up now, after three straight wins. Baltimore was trailing Atlanta 20-15 in the fourth quarter. But they added a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the score at 23, eventually also scoring in overtime.
“I’m like, we don’t finished many games in the 4th quarter, you know, it’s just sometimes it didn’t go our way, you know, it might be the type of game we’re in,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said after the Dallas game. “But what a way to finish the 4th quarter, you know, bounce back from last week.”
The Dallas Cowboys fortunately made an ill-thought-out play in the fourth quarter, having to settle for a field goal in their final drive. The score was tied at 31, once again looking like familiar territory for the Ravens. However, Jackson was able to throw a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers in the ensuing drive, and Tyler Loop sent the ball through the uprights for Baltimore to win the game.
However, this isn’t the first time Ravens players have indirectly fired shots at John Harbaugh, who was with them for 18 seasons.
“I think Jesse [Minter] just values details and the finer details a little bit more,” 2019 First-team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler Ronnie Stanley said in August. “I think that is something that is very much harped on, and he is also a very positive overall guy.”
For what it’s worth, the locker room was shocked when they learnt of Harbaugh’s firing. Per the Baltimore Banner, they learnt through the media, and no official announcements were made to the team. They had expected something to give but “just not that,” a player told the publication. But now, playing in a new system under Jesse Minter, they are clearly seeing a big difference.
Whether or not the Ravens are able to stay off the hump of losing close games remains to be seen.