Could John Harbaugh be on hot seat if Ravens miss playoffs?

The Baltimore Ravens are currently in first place in the AFC North, but that hardly makes them a lock for the postseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the same record at 6-5, with Baltimore currently owning the head-to-head advantage. So what happens if John Harbaugh’s team misses the playoffs for a second straight season and the third time in four years?

Greg Bedard of The MMQB speculates that Harbaugh could be in danger of losing his job should the Ravens sputter down the stretch. Coming off a disappointing — albeit injury-riddled — 5-11 season last year, the Ravens have been able to grind out some wins but certainly don’t look like the strongest team in the AFC. Harbaugh has had great success over the years and won a Super Bowl in 2012, but Bedard makes a fair point in comparing him to his predecessor, Brian Billick.

Billick coached the Ravens for nine seasons. Harbaugh is in his ninth. Billick went 80-64 in the regular season and 5-3 in the playoffs during those nine years. Harbaugh is 83-56 in the regular season and 10-5 in the postseason. Like Harbaugh, Billick won a championship in Baltimore. Both coaches can be considered successful, but Billick’s dismissal proves how high the standard is for the franchise.

Bedard provides more food for thought:

To succeed down the stretch, the Ravens are going to need their offense to come through. But like with Billick, that side of the ball has been vexing to Harbaugh. Billick went through four offensive coordinators in his final four seasons. After losing to Washington earlier this season, Harbaugh made Marty Mornhinweg his fifth coordinator in five years when Marc Trestman was fired.

Baltimore was 3–2 and averaged 18.6 points per game when Trestman was dismissed. Since the change was made, the Ravens are 3–3 and have averaged 20.7 points per game (a season-high 28 points were scored against the winless Browns). But according to FootballOutsider.com’s efficiency rating, the offense is still mired at 30th—Baltimore has been buoyed by their league-leading defense while winning three of their past four games.

If the offense, with Harbaugh’s close friend in command, doesn’t play well down the stretch and the Ravens fail to grab a postseason berth for the third time in the past four seasons, Harbaugh’s future with the team would likely be a hot topic.

It’s worth noting that people close to the organization told Bedard that Harbaugh is not going to be fired no matter what happens the rest of the way, but the point is the Ravens have been here before. If Harbaugh can’t find enough ways to manipulate the rule book over the final five weeks of the season, he may have to answer some uncomfortable questions during the offseason.