While the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, they did so despite a significant mistake from coach John Harbaugh. The issue? Harbaugh either forgot — or simply didn’t know — an important rule.
Los Angeles scored a go-ahead touchdown with 4:41 remaining when Matthew Stafford hit Demarcus Robinson on a five-yard touchdown pass. The touchdown put the Rams up 28-23, so they lined up for a two-point conversion, hoping to make it a seven-point game. But before the ball was snapped, a red challenge flag came flying in.
The flag, which came from the Baltimore sideline, was confusing. For starters, nothing about the catch was particularly close. Robinson did end up out of bounds, but that was well after he had completed the catch. But more importantly, scoring plays are automatically reviewed. They can’t be challenged. Attempting to challenge a scoring play costs the team attempting the challenge a time-out.
An egregious mistake from John Harbaugh, who tried to challenge the Rams go-ahead TD.
All scoring plays are automatically reviewed and can't be challenged. So, the Ravens charged a time-out.
Nothing about the play seemed particularly close, either. pic.twitter.com/iRCCDw1J0g
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 10, 2023
In the final minutes of a close game, particularly one that your team is losing, every time-out can be vital. So, people were wondering how it was that Harbaugh, one of the NFL’s most experienced and accomplished head coaches, could make such a huge mistake.
What is John Harbaugh doing?
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) December 10, 2023
Yeah I got nothing on that John Harbaugh challenge
— JaguarGator9 (@JaguarGator9NFL) December 10, 2023
John Harbaugh threw a challenge after a TD that can’t be reviewed pic.twitter.com/rVqkSB8RdR
— Osei (@n_osei07) December 10, 2023
John Harbaugh is holding this team back and I will die on the Hill that Mike Mac needs to be HC next year
— 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 (@justinbtw_) December 10, 2023
How does John Harbaugh not know the rules?
He wouldn’t use a TO in the first half and then he pisses one away in the second.
That’s an egregious mistake.
— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) December 10, 2023
A 16-year veteran head coach can't make the mistake that John Harbaugh made in crunch time. That was malpractice. #RavensFlock
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) December 10, 2023
Baltimore retook the lead on its next possession and the Rams answered with a game-tying field goal in the game’s final seconds.
The Ravens prevailed in overtime on a 76-yard punt return from Tylan Wallace.
But while Harbaugh’s mistake didn’t end up costing his team the game, it certainly could have. And it definitely could have made things significantly more difficult than they needed to be.
