The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens Week 18 clash had everything you could possibly imagine, and the shockwaves from Pittsburgh's 26-24 victory will be felt for years to come. A game like that — for both the winner and the loser — almost always leads to big changes.
The first of many domino's to fall as a result just fell, and it's a big one to say the least.
Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh was fired Tuesday, ending an 18-year run in Baltimore that included a Super Bowl title in 2012 and countless iconic matchups with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I think it's fair to assume that Week 18's loss was the final straw for ownership, as they had a prime opportunity to save what looked like a lost season early in the year. That begs the question: where does Baltimore go from here?
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended John Harbaugh's Ravens tenure, but they may get the last laugh
The Ravens and Steelers had strikingly similar problems with their head coaches going into their Sunday night duel for the AFC North. Both had been there for nearly two decades, won Super Bowls over a decade ago, and had little playoff success since then. Rumors were running rampant that the loser of this game could see serious changes come from ownership, and it seems like the rumors were true.
Harbaugh, like many great coaches, ended up being a victim of his own success. Starting your career as an HC as strongly as he did means the expectations are always high, and any perceived "down" season can put you in the crosshairs of the media and fanbase.
With his repeated failures to get back to the big game, despite having a two-time MVP at quarterback in Lamar Jackson, his leash was getting shorter and shorter with each passing season.
His inability to beat a Steelers team missing its only viable wide receiver and that needed to get heroics from 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers, was the death blow to his Ravens career, as it should have been. Now that the decision has been made, however, a solid argument could be made that Ravens' fans have more optimism about their team than Pittsburgh's does.
As incredible as it was for the Steelers to pull out a win to secure the AFC North crown, we all know that a first-round playoff exit is most likely what their prize for doing so will be. Beating a Texans team on a nine-game winning streak and featuring the NFL's most dominant defense will be a tough task, even with the game being in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin may have won the battle this season, but the Ravens could win the war by making the right hire to get them back on track. I, for one, can't wait to see how it all plays out.