OTL: Enjoying Stress-Free Playoffs While the Head Coach Search Goes On

The NFL postseason has been the anxiety-free kind for Baltimore. With the Ravens out of the playoffs, Baltimore can enjoy all the drama. As Ravens fans, it is your turn to sample what the rest of the National Football League has to offer. There was an incredible shootout between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams, a comeback for the ages in Chicago, and a resilient win in Philadelphia for San Francisco. While you were sampling teams to see who you can root on casually to Super Bowl glory, the Ravens were sampling philosophies on who would be their next head coach.

We’ll see about Chargers DC Jesse Minter tonight.

Otherwise, many of the candidates that the Ravens are waiting to interview for their HC vacancy were part of wins this weekend. That obviously will complicate interview scheduling this week.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 12, 2026

The playoffs obviously are a complication for the Ravens and their interviewing process. One head coach candidate just became much more available for interviews as the Chargers lost to the Patriots on Sunday evening. That coach is Chargers’ defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Minter has become one of the names that has momentum. He is only 43 years old, was with the Ravens from 2017-20, and was the defensive coordinator for the 2023 College Football Champion Michigan Wolverines. He followed Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers and their defense has been impressive. Minter has been around success and he’s a strong defensive mind. Keep an eye out for him in the Ravens coaching search.

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reported that the Ravens have requested an interview with Robert Saleh.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Ravens have requested an interview with Saleh. The Cardinals, Falcons and Titans have also put in requests for interviews with him… Saleh can have a virtual interview next week regardless of the result of the game and a second, in-person interview would be possible after the divisional round if the 49ers have been eliminated by that point.

Sticking with defensive coordinators, this is one of the most intriguing options for the Ravens. Saleh has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. His second stint as the 49ers defensive coordinator is going as smoothly as his first, which has recreated head coach buzz. It seems that the momentum Saleh is experiencing is legitimate. His failure with the New York Jets looks more and more understandable every day the Jets continue to flounder. Saleh went 20-36 with the Jets. Since his departure in 2024, the Jets are 6-23. Saleh could revitalize the toughness of the Ravens’ defense. He’s a name that makes more and more sense as the days go on.

Frank Platko of Baltimore Beatdown grades the Ravens’ rookies from this season. Two prominent Ravens earned a C+ as their grade, Tyler Loop and Mike Green.

Loop had the worst possible ending to his rookie season, missing a 44-yard field goal in the Week 18 finale that would have sent the Ravens to the playoffs had it gone in. The untimely miss clouds what was otherwise a solid overall season as the team’s new kicker. Loop finished the year making 30-of-34 attempts (88.2%) and contributed 134 overall points. Prior to the aforementioned miss in the last game, Loop was perfect on all of his kicks from less than 50 yards out. The sixth-round pick’s accuracy from distance left much to be desired, though, as he made only one kick from 50+ yards all season on four attempts. Loop was efficient as a whole but was not reliable enough from deep and ultimately was not reliable enough when it mattered most.

The Ravens have to, at a minimum, bring in competition for Loop. In the NFL today you have to be able to make a field goal from deep. Loop has not shown consistency on that front. The Ravens have even displayed some hesitation with deep field goals. It is notable considering they would ask Justin Tucker to take a shot at anything even remotely possible. The season-ender casts a shadow over Loop’s season, yet there were reasons to doubt him before the ultimate miss that ended the season.

This is what Platko wrote about Green:

Green wound up playing many more defensive snaps, 712 total (63%) than expected due to injuries ravaging the position group, along with subpar performance from returning veterans. The results were mixed. Green definitely became more impactful as the year went on and wound up finishing with 3.5 sacks, 19 pressures, and 14 quarterback hits. His consistency left much to be desired at times, however, and he likely would have better served playing less snaps with less every-down responsibility. Green showed flashes of being a potential high-level pass rusher but it’s also evident he has room to grow with technique and as a run defender.

It’s all about the potential with Green. If there is any player that could benefit most from new coaching it might be the former Thundering Herd. Think about it: Odafe Oweh got out of Baltimore for a minute and instantly became a productive pass rusher. Green has so much untapped potential. His somewhat disappointing rookie season falls in line with the pass rushers showing lackluster results as a whole. We’ve been here before. It took a while for Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon to get going. Pick your names over the years and you will find pass rushers under-delivering here and often doing better at their second stop. Platko is completely correct though that Green needs to be a better run defender. He cannot just rely on his freakish athletic ability at the NFL level.

We’re very much in a waiting pattern for the Ravens coaching search. The season is over in Baltimore and all there is to do is to hope the Texans beat the Steelers soundly. Let’s end with a little positivity on that front. Here is why the Texans can win according to Ross Kelly of CBS Sports.

Winners of nine straight, the Texans are facing a Steelers team with its own streak. However, it’s a losing one for Pittsburgh, which has lost six straight postseason games. Houston owns the No. 1 total defense and No. 2 scoring defense, while it also ranks second-best in the league in turnover differential (+17). The Texans truly have no weak links on defense, as they are the only squad that ranks among the top six in both stopping the run and defending the pass. Meanwhile, the offense is playing its best entering the 2026 NFL playoffs as C.J. Stroud and company are averaging 30.3 points over their last four, compared to 21.8 points over their first 13 games.

I think the Texans got this one. They’re the better team. The Steelers will have DK Metcalf back, but they have not been consistent offensively. Worse for the Steelers is they showed that there is not much diversity to their attack. They throw it to Metcalf and Kenneth Gainwell out of the backfield and that’s about it. This could be more frustrating than it should be because Pittsburgh’s defense should be able to get after Stroud. That said, with a dominant defense against an inconsistent offense, even on the road, the Texans will win. Defense travels.

Give me the Texans 24-10 in a hard hitting and ugly game.

The post OTL: Enjoying Stress-Free Playoffs While the Head Coach Search Goes On appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/01/12/out-to-lunch/stress-free-playoffs/