11 years ago, the Harbaugh Brothers became the first siblings to coach against each other in the Super Bowl. Now, they’re poised to dominate the sports world again. It could be a January to remember for America’s first family of football coaches.
John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens (11-3) are Super Bowl contenders. If they win their remaining three regular-season games, they will lock up the AFC’s top seed.
Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines (13-0) are in the College Football Playoff semifinals and will face Alabama (12-1) at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The CFP National Championship is on Jan. 8 in Houston.
If the Harbaughs succeed, they will join their father as champions. Jack Harbaugh won the 2002 Division I-AA (now the FCS) title with Western Kentucky University. John Harbaugh won Super Bowl XLVII over Jim, who was then the coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is the betting favorite to win it at all for Michigan.
This is as good as it gets for a family defined by hyper-competitiveness. The Harbaughs also know that a difficult road lies ahead. Their legacies will be on the line next month.
"I view it as a really tough game against a really tough team… I'm looking to see how we respond to that challenge. We're going to go in there big underdogs."
Coach Harbaugh previews the MNF against the 49ers: pic.twitter.com/yaFcREyPr9
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 18, 2023
John Harbaugh is one of the NFL’s most successful and respected coaches. It’s also important to note that since that Super Bowl appearance, he has won only two playoff games. The biggest reason for his lack of recent success has been the health of Lamar Jackson. This season, Jackson hasn’t missed any starts and could play every regular-season game for the first time in his career.
With Jackson playing at an MVP level and a defense allowing the fewest points in the league (16.1 per game), Baltimore will be difficult to beat if it gets home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The remaining schedule is challenging, with a Christmas Day trip to San Francisco (11-3), a New Year’s Eve home game against the Miami Dolphins (10-4), and the regular season-finale at home versus the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7).
Another Vince Lombardi Trophy will separate Harbaugh from most of his peers. Among active coaches, only Bill Belichick (6) and Andy Reid (2) have won multiple Super Bowls. Having relied on Joe Flacco for his first, Harbaugh is also trying to win it all with two different starting quarterbacks. Belichick and Reid can’t claim that.
The only negative about that first Super Bowl for John Harbaugh was that his greatest achievement came at the expense of his brother. Now, the siblings can celebrate each other’s success.
As most people know, it has been an eventful year for Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s best season has been marred by him being suspended twice. The most recent was due to a cheating scandal involving a former staffer. Embarrassing, yes. Unethical, yes. Do most Michigan fans care? Probably not. Harbaugh has a shot at delivering the program’s first national championship since 1997.
The Wolverines have the nation’s best defense in terms of the fewest points allowed (9.46 per game) and have given up the second-fewest total yards (239.2). If Harbaugh wins the title, there will be nothing left to prove for the Michigan Man. He would have brought his alma mater back to glory.
There’s a lot of speculation that Harbaugh will return to the NFL. The Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers have head coaching vacancies and young quarterbacks. Both opportunities would be attractive.
Imagine him back in the pros— back where Jim Harbaugh could potentially compete against John Harbaugh again.
Oh, brother.
