John Harbaugh Forced to Confront Tough Reality After Lamar Jackson Loses Ground in MVP Race, Per NFL Legend

The Ravens were on the verge of a big win, holding a slim lead (40-38) with just over a minute left. But John Harbaugh’s decision to punt on fourth-and-3 gave the Bills one last chance, and Josh Allen made it count, leading a game-winning drive capped by a field goal. The collapse raised fresh doubts about Baltimore’s late-game strategy and hurt Lamar Jackson’s MVP momentum. To make matters worse, one NFL legend had a harsh take on Harbaugh’s leadership.

During his appearance on the Up & Adams Show, NFL legend Cris Carter didn’t mince words, “Harbaugh has been absent on the sideline in the last four or five years because you can’t have that number of leads and be that good of a coach and punt and be like, hey, I’m happy with punting to our defense. Man, this is not Ed Reed. This is not my boy Ray Ray. They are just a shadow of themselves.” 

Carter slammed Harbaugh for relying on a fading defense in clutch moments, echoing fans’ frustration after yet another late-game collapse. During the game, with no timeouts, Allen led a 66-yard, nine-play drive capped by Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal, sealing a stunning 41–40 win. The Bills erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit with 16 unanswered points. Of course, Harbaugh wasn’t shy about his own disappointment.

Hall of Fame WR Cris Carter with a SCATHING statement on John Harbaugh and the Ravens

“Harbaugh has been absent on the sideline the last 4-5 years…They are just a shadow of themselves…I’m concerned about their whole defensive system” pic.twitter.com/V3vjm3H1BF

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) September 8, 2025

After the game, the head coach admitted to a tough night, acknowledging how the team had let yet another fourth-quarter lead slip through their fingers. “I do believe that we need to be really thoughtful of how we decide that we’re going to approach those situations going forward,” Harbaugh said, underlining the growing trend of late-game collapses haunting the Ravens in recent seasons.

John Harbaugh stood by his decision to punt on fourth-and-3 from the Ravens’ 38-yard line, saying it was too risky to go for it, especially since Lamar Jackson was cramping and couldn’t push for the conversion.

Adding to the drama, Lamar Jackson’s late-game absence due to cramping raised concerns, not just about his durability in clutch moments, but also about his standing in the MVP race. He finished with 209 passing yards (14/19, 73.7%), 2 passing touchdowns, and 70 rushing yards with 1 rushing TD. Meanwhile, Josh Allen strengthened his MVP case with a heroic performance, 394 passing yards (33/46, 71.7%), 2 passing touchdowns, and 2 rushing touchdowns, including leading a 66-yard, nine-play game-winning drive with no timeouts.

Stay tuned for more updates…

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