After outright missing the playoffs last season, the Baltimore Ravens decided to replace long-time head coach John Harbaugh with Jesse Minter and an entirely new coaching staff. Through five weeks, that decision is looking like it has worked out perfectly.
Sitting at 4-1 as the leader in the AFC North, the overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football with Tyler Huntley under center just gave the fanbase another reason to marvel at how Minter has gone about his business.
Fans Impressed With Ravens HC Jesse Minter After Week 5 Win
With Lamar Jackson ruled out with a sprained ankle, the Ravens turned to Huntley to keep them afloat in a tight spot against the red-hot Atlanta Falcons. In the primetime showdown, they were able to keep within touching distance before a bold decision from Minter in overtime.
Even though conventional overtime strategy favored kicking off, Minter chose to receive.
Baltimore then produced a masterclass in clock management, using 14 plays and 7:03 before Huntley scored on a 1-yard sneak. That left Atlanta just 2:57 to answer, and Tagovailoa threw a game-ending interception to Kyle Hamilton on the Falcons’ second play.
As a result, the Falcons had to hurry up their possession, directly resulting in a game-ending interception from Tua Tagovailoa.
Minter’s decision-making drew plaudits in what was a significant win for the Jackson-less Ravens.
“Jesse Minter and the Ravens took a big aura gamble by going against the data and choosing to receive the ball in OT. When you have Derrick Henry at RB and are coming off a surgical, drawn-out drive to tie the game, the decision makes perfect sense,”one fan claimed.
“Baltimore has an offense that can dominate with explosives or be methodical like we saw tonight, which is why they are the best team in the AFC. Minter and Doyle will propel the Ravens back within reach of a Lombardi, and Lamar will be the one to secure it,” the fan added.
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Another exclaimed, “High IQ now. That’s why you take the ball in OT. Long drive to kill the clock. Jesse Minter masterclass.”
The praise poured on as another fan added, “Credit to Jesse Minter for taking the ball in OT. They had the momentum. ATL D was gassed. Bled the clock. It’s unconventional to take the ball first, but I like it in a 10-minute scenario.”
His success looked even more significant given the meltdown his previous team was going through. As the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, he led them to back-to-back finishes at number six and number 8 in PFN’s Defense Impact Metric. This year, that number is firmly outside the top 10.
“Jesse Minter won again tonight. Chargers made a huge mistake not promoting him to head coach and moving on from Harbaugh,”one fan argued.
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Another fan was left impressed by the management from the Ravens, writing, “The Ravens’ end-of-game and overtime sequence was a game management masterclass from Jesse Minter, Declan Doyle, and game management coordinator Charlie Gelman.”
For one fan, it was further confirmation of Minter’s status in the league as he argued, “Jesse Minter is such a good coach. One of the smartest people in the league.”
Given that the team was going to be without Jackson, and was facing a Falcons squad that had totalled 80 points in their last two games with blowout victories in both outings, this was a tough prove-it spot for Minter. And for one fan, he passed with flying colors.
“Tonight, the banged-up Ravens were going to find out what they had in Jesse Minter,”they claimed. “On primetime against a red-hot team, they found out. Baltimore has a BALL COACH.”
It remains to be seen if their early-season success can translate to the rest of the year as well. But at 4-1, this has been a strong start to his head coaching tenure. Ultimately, though, given the expectations from the Ravens, Minter is going to be judged purely on postseason results.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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