Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh have practically been joined at the hip over their tenures in the AFC North. That won’t be the case anymore beginning next season.
Multiple reporters posted on social media Tuesday evening the Ravens fired Harbaugh. He departs from Baltimore after 18 seasons in the organization.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the news. Roughly 40 minutes after Pelissero’s report, the Ravens and Harbaugh released separate statements.
Perhaps fittingly, Harbaugh’s final game with Baltimore was an instant classic Steelers-Ravens showdown for the AFC North title. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 26-24 to clinch the division and eliminate the Ravens from the postseason.
Over the past 18 seasons, Tomlin and Harbaugh have combined to win 13 division crowns.
Tomlin and Harbaugh have met 40 times, which set a new NFL modern-day record for most matchups between two head coaches. The only two coaches who have faced each other more often in league history are Curly Lambeau and George Halas.
Lambeau and Halas squared off 49 times while coaching the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, respectively.
Tomlin improved to 23-17 versus Harbaugh with Sunday’s victory.
Mike Tomlin Defeats John Harbaugh in Their Final Rivalry Showdown
It’s quite possible Tomlin and Harbaugh meet again in the NFL. After announcing his departure Tuesday, social media went into a frenzy about which teams could be interested in hiring Harbaugh.
The quick answer to that question? — Any NFL team with an opening.
But Sunday likely marked the end of their AFC North rivalry (the Cleveland Browns have a head coach opening, but they seem like a long shot to hire Harbaugh).
While the Steelers and Ravens were rivals before Tomlin and Harbaugh arrived, the two head coaches raised the hatred between the franchises to record heights.
Simply put, under their leadership, the Steelers-Ravens rivalry became the best in the league and one of the top must-see matchups every season.
In Harbaugh’s first season, Tomlin beat Harbaugh three times on his way to his Super Bowl title. The third victory was a 23-14 win in the AFC Championship Game.
Including the playoffs, the Steelers won six of their first eight matchups versus Harbaugh. They also defeated the Ravens in the playoffs on their way to a Super Bowl appearance in January 2011.
The tide in the rivalry, though, shifted in Baltimore’s favor from 2011-15. Baltimore won eight of the 11 matchups during that stretch. The Ravens also won a Super Bowl in those years.
Christmas Day in 2016 moved the pendulum back in Pittsburgh’s favor. Antonio Brown’s stretch over the goal line in the final minute gave the Steelers a victory and the AFC North title over the Ravens.
Since that game, Tomlin is 14-6 versus Baltimore.
Ravens Part Ways With Harbaugh Over OC Todd Monken: Report
Pelissero reported Monday the Ravens were very unlikely to fire Harbaugh. While that didn’t prove to be the reality, Pelissero did suggest in his report there would be tough conversations between the head coach and organization.
According to NFL insider Dianna Russini, a tough conversation on Ravens coordinator Todd Monken was a major factor in Harbaugh’s departure.
“A key pressure point in the John Harbaugh dismal, according to those familiar with today’s discussions, was his refusal to entertain any conversations about potentially moving on from offensive coordinator Todd Monken,” wrote Russini.
That report surprised a lot of people on social media. There were rumblings around the league during the regular season that Monken is a future NFL head coach.
With that in mind, there’s likely plenty more to come about why the Ravens elected for a clean slate over bringing back Harbaugh another season.
It remains to be seen if Harbaugh leaving the AFC North will benefit the Steelers. But it means it will be a lot more difficult for Tomlin and Harbaugh to make NFL history with 10 more matchups in their careers.
Ravens Fire John Harbaugh With Steelers’ Mike Tomlin History on Horizon