This was the first time Bisciotti had ever stated in public that he had thought of splitting ways with Harbaugh, the Baltimore head coach who had just completed his tenth season.

After taking over for Brian Billick in 2008, Harbaugh led the Ravens to five straight postseason appearances, including a Super Bowl victory in 2012. Harbaugh is 40-40 and has only made one postseason appearance in the last five years since that championship.

Before the upcoming season, Bisciotti declined to give Harbaugh an ultimatum: make the playoffs or bust.

“He’s probably under more pressure now than ever before, but I expect him to stay positive, keep his head up, and make the most of the season,” Bisciotti said. “If I were to tell him to make the playoffs or he’s gone, I might as well replace him now. That’s not how we operate here.”

Before the season, Bisciotti extended Harbaugh’s contract by one year, keeping him with the team, where he has served the longest, through the 2019 season.

“Yes, it was a consideration,” Bisciotti replied when asked if he had second-guessed his choice to keep Harbaugh after this season. “I was really pleased with John’s ability to persevere and keep the squad cohesive during our mid-year loss.

Due to his back ailment, Joe [Flacco, the quarterback], was clearly not playing at his best. However, after the first few weeks, we were tremendously encouraged by our defense and believed that they could keep us together. In the middle of the year, we weren’t doing very well. I was pleased with our collective response as a team.”

Both the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys are eager to win on Sunday. The Cowboys are eager to put the Saints’ crushing loss behind them, while the Ravens are content to win. In order to obtain intelligence from the adversary, we checked in with the SB Nation blog Baltimore Beatdown.

Blogging The Guys: What caused the Ravens’ 0-2 result? What transpired at the end of that Raiders game?

Baltimore Beatdown: The Ravens fell short of the Chiefs by a narrow margin after going down 0–1. Most people, in my opinion, considered that game to be a loss since the Chiefs are an incredibly talented football team and it would be difficult. The true suffering occurred during the Raiders game in Week 2.

The fourth quarter performance of the Ravens has been so frustratingly mediocre or worse.

Since the start of last season, here's the Ravens' quarter-by-quarter point margin, per @TruMediaSports.

1st: +62
2nd: +80
3rd: +52
4th: -4

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) September 16, 2024

They usually jump on their opponents early and put on a show in the first three quarters; however, if they let their opponents to stay in the game, they start to fade. It has been the tale of their unfairly bitter losing rivalry in recent years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It has also occurred in numerous other cases.

They were clearly superior on all sides of the ball against the Raiders, but they were unable to score touchdowns in the first half. The Raiders’ defense made smart plays, forced penalties on themselves, and blocked mistakes to prevent them from putting the game out of reach. And in the fourth quarter, they collapsed after blowing an iconic 10-point lead with half of the game left. The Raiders had plenty of opportunities to rally thanks to an interception, a three-and-out, a poor penalty, and a botched punt, and the Ravens neglected to close the gates.

BTB: How is the fan base feeling in light of the slow start? Is there fear that things won’t get better, or is there panic taking place?

BB: Fear. Give up. demands the dismissal of head coach John Harbaugh. Posts dehumanizing Harbaugh and the players have proliferated. I would point out how heartless certain members of the fandom have been, but I don’t want to draw further attention to them because they are so morally devoid.

Following the Week 1 defeat to KC, Baltimore Beatdown’s fan confidence fell from 72% to 23% following the Week 2 loss to the Raiders. It’s depressing.

BTB: Compare Lamar Jackson’s performance in the first two weeks to his typical level of play.

BB: Jackson has, in my opinion, lived up to expectations. avoiding pressure, completing downfield passes, and contributing more to the rushing offense than he has in the previous two seasons. Although he has occasionally missed open receivers or made terrible throws, you can’t hold him too much blame overall because his offensive line is giving up pressure at an alarmingly high rate.

BTB: What is Derrick Henry’s appearance like as a Raven?

BB: Henry appears to be in good shape and has made the most of his resources. 99 of his 130 rushing yards have come following a hit. Though he hasn’t been allowed much freedom to maneuver, he is starting to pick up speed. On the opening drive against the Chiefs, we witnessed it. Afterwards, after concluding the first half with just five yards, he again overwhelmed the Raiders defense in the second half, finishing with 84 yards.

He will find the plays that need to be made, but better blocking is needed to give him more opportunities.

BTB: Winning on Sunday is what both teams fervently want. Who prevails and why?

BB: I’ve stated publicly that the Cowboys are stronger than the Ravens in that regard. The Ravens have had difficulty stopping superior pass rushers, and Micah Parsons will be their opponent. They’ve had trouble with talented wide receivers, and now they have to deal with CeeDee Lamb. This seems like a cruel game on paper.

However, I predict that the Ravens will put up a strong show and win this game. Although the statistics indicate otherwise, it seems like Baltimore is playing well and putting together a solid 60-minute game of play. Although I detest performing the “vibes over data,” that’s all I’ve been thinking about all week.

Will Cowboys Stop Lamar Jackson and End Ravens’ Domination in the NFC?

There will be plenty of suspense on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens are two teams that are vying for a Super Bowl spot and are both anxious to win early in the season. Lamar Jackson, the MVP from last year, against Dak Prescott, the runner-up. And, statistically and historically, the most difficult opponent the Cowboys have faced in their 64-year history. But for oddball fashions and more worrying information for Cowboys supporters, have a look at this: In his seven-year tenure, Jackson has a startling 20-1 record against NFC teams.

Lamar’s dominance includes a 34-17 victory in 2020 to start 1-0 versus the Cowboys. He’s 1-0 versus the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers. He’s 2-0 against the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The only club to defeat him when he was with the Ravens was the New York Giants, whom he defeated 24-20 in 2022. Last season, Jackson and the Ravens were so dominating against the NFC that they easily defeated the conference’s championship game teams. Baltimore crushed the 49ers (33-19) and Lions (38-6).

The Cowboys have enough to worry about after losing their last two games in Arlington by a combined 41 points and being humbled by the Saints last week. Like it or not, though, they’re also upholding the NFC’s reputation against Lamar and the greatest bully in the AFC.