Back to the Top News Newsfeed

John Harbaugh's Clock Management in Ravens Playoff Loss Draws Scrutiny

The MVP of Sunday's NFL playoff tripleheader may have been the concept of time.

Mere hours after the laws of physics flummoxed Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, Ravens coach John Harbaugh fell under a similar spell. Twice with under a minute remaining and the clock running in a game it trailed 24–17, Baltimore huddled. Even more egregiously, the Ravens left two timeouts on the board until there were eight seconds left, when they used one with the clock already stopped before Tyler Huntley’s desperation heave fell to the Cincinnati turf as time expired.

The result: an AFC wild-card loss to the Bengals and a bad beginning to a critical offseason for Baltimore as it seeks to lock up quarterback Lamar Jackson's services long-term.