Opinion: Ravens' John Harbaugh is right to keep making bold calls, even when they don't work out

BALTIMORE — John Harbaugh wanted no part of playing it safe. 

Not with his team having stormed back from 14 down in the fourth quarter to pull within a point of the Green Bay Packers and now holding a chance to win the game with seconds left on the clock.

Not with only a 50-50 chance of getting the ball first in overtime, and not against Aaron Rodgers, who is well adept at directing game-winning drives.

So, with his Baltimore Ravens trailing 31-30 with 42 seconds left after backup quarterback Tyler Huntley’s 8-yard touchdown run, Harbaugh went for two.

Huntley – who to that point had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns – took the snap, rolled to his right, and saw the Ravens had the look they wanted: trusty tight end Mark Andrews posted up on the smaller Green Bay cornerback Eric Stokes in the front right corner of the end zone. 

Huntley pulled the trigger, but in a split-second, safety Darnell Savage swooped in to jump the route and got a fingertip on the ball, knocking it away just before it got to Andrews.

As the ball fell to the turf, so fell the Ravens’ shot at victory. After a failed onside kick, Green Bay went to victory formation and escaped with the 31-30 victory. 

The Ravens sank to 8-6 on the season, having lost their third straight game, and second in three weeks that was decided by a failed two-point conversion. 

In Week 13, Baltimore suffered a 20-19 loss at Pittsburgh as Lamar Jackson's pass to Andrews missed its mark by mere inches. Sunday, it was Huntley (filling in for an injured Jackson) narrowly missing.

And if the Ravens find themselves in the same situation next week at AFC North rival Cincinnati, which Baltimore must beat to regain sole control of the division, chances are Harbaugh will give the order to go for two again. Because as a coach who believes in ultra-aggressive calls and wants his players to play in that same fashion, going for the win is always the play.

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It didn’t take long for the armchair quarterback/Twitter experts to rail against Harbaugh for his decision. Such foolishness to pass up a chance to at least force overtime thanks to the sure-legged Justin Tucker, many believed.

But, for Harbaugh, possession of the ball two yards from the goal line and with momentum on his side represents much stronger odds than leaving fate up to an overtime coin flip.

“We were just trying to go get the win right there,” Harbaugh said. “In overtime … I think our chances of winning right there were a little bit higher than in overtime, maybe, if you calculate it out. I felt good about it. I thought we had a good play. Again, they made a really good play. I have to give that safety a lot of credit for getting out there and tipping that ball.” 

But Harbaugh only puts so much stock in numbers. 

"It’s mostly gut,” the coach explained. “The numbers are the numbers, but the numbers aren’t perfect. I can tell you this: I’ve shot a lot of holes in the numbers with the numbers guys. The numbers are never going to be perfect. They don’t take everything into account, so you just make a decision. The numbers are part of it, but the numbers aren't the main decision.” 

Despite the upside of a two-point conversion in that situation, the Ravens had converted only 28% (2-for-7 coming into Sunday’s game) of their two-point tries this season.

But Harbaugh didn’t care about that low success rate. And he didn’t care that his opening-drive decision to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Green Bay 3-yard line backfired.

His gut told him that his team – backup quarterback and all – could pick up the two yards necessary to give them a 32-31 lead with 42 seconds left.

He was right. The Ravens should have been able to do so. The opportunity was there, because as defenders zeroed in on Andrews at the front of the end zone, wide receiver Marquise Brown was streaking across the back of the end zone wide open. 

But Huntley admitted that he never saw Brown. He had only a few seconds to make up his mind, and since the play was designed for Andrews, to the tight end he went.

Harbaugh had no issue with Huntley going for Andrews. 

“He made a good decision,” Harbaugh said. “He had a chance to get Mark, and I think that safety got out there and got a fingertip on it.” 

Harbaugh wasn’t going to question his quarterback, or himself, because to that point, everything that he had counted on happened.

Just before the Ravens took the field after Packers kicker Mason Crosby hit a 29-yard field goal to give his team a 31-17 lead with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter, Harbaugh told Huntley exactly what would play out next.

“Two drives before, coach Harbaugh was like, ‘We’re going to score two touchdowns, and we’ve got good faith that we’re going to get that two-point conversion,’” Huntley said, “and that last touchdown, we scored. So, (the two-point conversion) just didn’t go as planned.” 

Everyone from Huntley to Andrews to linebacker Patrick Queen loved Harbaugh’s decision.

Harbaugh’s decision-making in those types of situations (game-on-the-line two-point conversions and fourth-down situations) fuels respect and confidence. It also instills an aggressive mindset necessary to winning -- not just this past Sunday, but all year long.

“It was the decision. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Andrews, who had a monstrous day with 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. “I think people that would second-guess that are wrong. It was the right thing to do.

"We’re an aggressive team. We fought and clawed. That was a good Packers team, so for us to be able to be right there and almost win it, that’s the opportunity we want. I love the decision.”

And the Ravens weren’t alone. Rodgers said he would have wanted that same decision made for his team in that situation. Packers coach Matt LaFleur also agreed.

“If I were on that sideline, absolutely. I absolutely would have (gone for it),” LaFleur said when asked about Harbaugh’s call. “That’s what I anticipated. That’s what we anticipated as a coaching staff that they were going to go for two if they were to score. We talked about it prior to them scoring. And sure enough, they did it. … Thankfully, our defense found a key stop. I think Savage got a piece of that ball in that corner of the end zone and made a great play.” 

As was the case in Pittsburgh, and on Sunday’s first-quarter fourth-and-3 call, Harbaugh’s call didn’t pay off as he hoped. But because he has to make high-pressure situations in a matter of seconds as a coach and also command the respect and confidence of his players, he didn’t waver on his call then or now. 

“To me, in both of those cases, that gave us the best chance to win,” Harbaugh said. “Because we didn’t win doesn't make it not true. It’s still true now, just as true as it was then. So, it doesn’t always work out.” 

But for Harbaugh, the belief that it can work out represents good enough odds.

Follow Paste BN Sports' Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.