The critics came for New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh’s head after Thursday night’s 24-21 Week 10 home loss to the Washington Commanders — a game in which the Giants blew a fourth-quarter lead and couldn’t salt the game away after two fourth-quarter interceptions by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The hits on Harbaugh were led by a simple take from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who singled out the first-year Giants head coach as “not elite” compared to his contemporaries.
“When you are an elite coach, you don’t lose a game like that,” Smith said on Friday morning. “But he did, and he does.”
One overly alarming stat jumped out after the loss, and it seemed to speak to criticism of Harbaugh during his 18 seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
“John Harbaugh has blown 47 fourth-quarter leads since becoming the Ravens’ head coach in 2008,” DraftKings wrote on its official X account. “The MOST of any NFL coach in that span.”
More Critics Come After John Harbaugh
While Smith was probably the most famous talking head going at Harbaugh after the loss dropped the Giants to 5-3-1, he certainly wasn’t the only person left confused by how the Giants blew it — again — against the Commanders.
“Incredible job by John Harbaugh figuring out how to get out coached by Dan Quinn,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons wrote on his official X account.
“That’s the John Harbaugh I remember,” Ravens fan Baltimore MJD wrote on their official X account. “Ultra conservative on offense with a chance to ice the game and super soft defense to give up a lead late. Some things never change.”
“I don’t wanna hear no more John Harbaugh coach of the year talk,” Grammy-winning rapper Freddie Gibbs wrote on his official X account.
“The Giants recorded two INTs and got a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter and still found a way to lose,” Locked on Cowboys podcast host Marcus Mosher wrote on his official X account. “This felt very much like the John Harbaugh Ravens.”
John Harbaugh Refuses to Buy Into Narrative
Harbaugh, for his part, refused to go the negative route after the loss with the Giants headed toward a prove-it home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11.
“It’s disappointing, but you can’t let it bring you down,” Harbaugh said on Thursday night. “Our spirit’s going to be fine. We’re going to be good. We’re not going to curl up. We’re going to come out fighting.”
Harbaugh won a Super Bowl with the Ravens following the 2012 NFL season, and losing to the Commanders did, in some ways, go against type.
“The signs of a good coach: John Harbaugh is 12-4 on short rest for Thursday night games,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan wrote before kickoff against the Commanders. “He’s also 16-3 post-bye.”
Alarming Stat Surfaces for Giants HC John Harbaugh After Commanders Loss