Raven Country

John Harbaugh Details Ravens Thrilling Watch Party

The Baltimore Ravens' head coach painted a wild-sounding scene in watching his team win one more chance at stealing a playoff berth.
Henry Brown|
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks off the field after a win over the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks off the field after a win over the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

In this story:

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens spent the second half of their weekend having to settle for watching others determine how their season would play out, and they treated the opportunity the same way most fans would.

With the result of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 17 matchup standing as the only factor between a winner-take-all season finale against that same team, everyone in purple and gold started vocally rooting for the lowly Cleveland Browns for the first time ever. Despite their rivalry, players both current and former lamented the painfully close game that the Browns put everyone through, publicly spiraling on X right alongside the rest of the couch viewers.

The Browns eventually held on to prevail, 13-6, adding a seventh loss to the Steelers' record. And the way Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh tells it, dipping into "fan mode" made for a weirdly-relatable scene.

"The coaches came over, and some players came over to the house," he said the following day. "It was probably like a lot of fans, we had to watch it...somebody told me at one point, 'Don't move,' a couple good plays happened and I wasn't allowed to move. We had fun, but it was a nail-biter. Great job by the Browns."

"A lot of hugging" reportedly ensued, the sort of reaction that would never normally stem from a victory to another AFC North team. But with this one result standing between one more whack at stealing a playoff berth and the season ending short of Week 18, all eyes were on a Cleveland win.

What Lies Ahead

This is new ground for a Ravens team that's grown used to controlling the regular season. Despite the occasional slow start and near-annual playoff collapse, they've proven tough to keep out of the dance, having won the last two AFC North titles with postseason appearances to cap six of their last seven campaigns.

Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Mike Green
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Mike Green (45) celebrates a fumble recovery against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Ravens defeated the Packers 41-24. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | William Glasheen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It may look like these guys were complete slaves to the outcomes of their peers in this one scenario, but this is a culmination of all of the would-be wins that they spent the fall blowing. Whenever Lamar Jackson finally gained hold of his health, or the defense seemed to be coming along, there was a fumbled-away loss or another untimely injury.

Now, they'll have to shift right back from viewers into active participants in readying for the trip to Pittsburgh, requiring just one more Steelers collapse to place the finishing touch on the miracle run to the playoffs.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

Share on XFollow henryjbr_sports
Home/News