With the Pittsburgh Steelers failing to beat the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 17, their playoff and AFC North division title hopes now rest on defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. It was an outcome that seemed highly unlikely just a week ago, but things are rarely so simple when it comes to these two franchises.
Both head coaches in this game, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, are under immense pressure to get the job done. With 37 years of combined experience as the head men for their respective franchises, nobody understands how big this week's clash is than these two.
The loser will undoubtedly be blasted by fans for losing a division that was ripe for the taking, and according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, it may even make them question whether they are better off moving on after so many seasons patrolling the sidelines.
Adam Schefter believes loser of Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens clash could also lose their long-time HC
Appearing on the Pat McAfee show on Monday, Schefter was asked about potential surprise head coach openings around the NFL, and he immediately honed in on the Steelers and Ravens game as something to monitor.
Specifically, he seemed to indicate that the loser of this game could begin to have serious internal discussions about the direction of the franchise.
"Somebody, one of those two teams is gonna come up short, one of those fanbases is gonna be unhappy, one of those owners is gonna want to have some conversations about what went wrong."
Schefter went on to say that it's not so much about what the owners may decide to do, but what Tomlin and Harbaugh themselves could decide is best for themselves.
"Well, I also think that both these coaches, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, for all they've done and all they've meant for their respective organizations, for all they've meant to the NFL, they will have a big say."
"I think these guys will go in there and say, okay, you know what? It's been a great run. (It) might be time to try something else, whether that's TV or another job somewhere else. Like, those things are possible."
Schefter clearly isn't saying he knows anything concrete about what either coach may decide to do if they come up short in Week 18, but it's noteworthy that he would even suggest this about two of the most secure coaching jobs of the 21st century.
It seems unimaginable for either of them to coach anywhere but where they currently reside, but that is the problem in a nutshell. Fans of both teams have been given no reason to think anything will change, even if neither team has been to the Super Bowl in over a decade.
The fact that a mostly speculative comment from Schefter is even noteworthy is all the proof you need to see how entrenched Tomlin and Harbaugh are. If one of them does indeed decide it's time to move on, I think it could be the right move for both sides, regardless of which of them it is.