When is the last time the Baltimore faithful truly asked themselves, “Who’s got it better than us?”

There might be an eye roll at the mere suggestion. Hearing the same rhetorical question for 17 years makes it feel a little stale.

But really think about it. When it comes to head coaches, there’s almost no one better than John Harbaugh.

Within the next few months, Harbaugh will need a contract extension to avoid going into 2025 as a lame duck. Baltimore should give it to him. They should keep Harbaugh through at least 2027, in line with Lamar Jackson’s latest contract — maybe even beyond.

It might feel like an odd juncture to entertain thoughts of the 62-year-old coach’s job security, given the Ravens are going into Buffalo on Sunday with so much to prove. Last time Baltimore went up there for the playoffs, they lost. Lamar Jackson has a ton of credibility on the line this Sunday, and for veterans like Derrick Henry, Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey, the pressure to win must feel enormous.

Harbaugh feels that pressure, too. He hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since winning it all in 2012, and the shine of that Lombardi Trophy has dimmed a bit with time. He’s just 4-6 in playoff games since then, and hasn’t won back-to-back playoff games in that span.

But outside of Kansas City’s Andy Reid — who at this point is going to be among the all-time greats — no coach is consistently better. No team has churned out a more remarkable gut-check stretch this year than the Ravens, reeling off five straight victories since the pivotal bye week last month.

Strictly given on-field results, Baltimore probably can’t do better than Harbaugh — and frankly, must feel pretty lucky to have him.

The coaching carousel’s chaotic spin cycle always makes me reflect on Baltimore’s coaching situation this time of year, when you can see how dire it is in other corners of the NFL. The Raiders, for example, are looking for their ninth coach since Harbaugh got hired in Baltimore in 2008. The Cowboys just split with Mike McCarthy after a weirder-than-it-had-to-be spell of allowing the veteran coach to enter into a lame duck season, then implying that he could come back before both sides appeared to call the whole thing off.

There are good young coaches in this league, including L.A.’s Sean McVay and Detroit’s Dan Campbell. The temptation for every fan base is to find the next hot candidate. But every head coaching search is its own kind of lottery. For every hotshot coordinator who has succeeded as a head coach, there are a dozen who get fired in three or four seasons. Many times, those outside teams are looking to chip off a piece of Harbaugh’s coaching success.

Todd Monken might soon be the 11th assistant under Harbaugh to be a head coach, already getting interview requests from Jacksonville, Chicago and Las Vegas. But last week, Monken deferred any shine he’s gotten from leading a record-breaking offense this past season, crediting the Ravens' organization for broadening his appeal as a candidate.

“[The interview requests are] a compliment to the other coaches that are a big part of how we game-plan as a collaboration, to the organization — that’s why I wanted to be a Baltimore Raven,” he said. “From top to bottom, first-class. [And] the best head coach in the NFL.”

Saying Harbaugh is the “best” is not accurate, given Reid’s success. But after Reid, Harbaugh is definitely one of the next names mentioned. How many coaches in the playoffs would you swap with Harbaugh?

Only Reid has more playoff wins (16) than Harbaugh (13). Only Reid, McVay and Washington’s Dan Quinn have a better winning percentage (.565). Some hotshots that feel quite promising — Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell — are already knocked out.

Not winning more Super Bowls might grate at this fan base, but many good teams don’t win any Super Bowls (ask a Bills fan this weekend). Harbaugh has gotten Baltimore in position to contend more times than most. Lamar Jackson’s 70-24 regular season record as a starter is a reflection not only of his individual talents, but how Harbaugh has molded teams to use his strengths.

Jackson’s 2019 MVP case versus his 2024 MVP case feel very different, with his passing threat growing steadily each of the last few seasons. Harbaugh’s coaching — and his willingness to change up schemes — has been one of the key threads in Jackson’s evolution.

The Ravens went 7-3 against teams that earned a playoff berth this season (and the loss to the Steelers was later avenged twice over). The Bills, Texans and Broncos all suffered their largest margins of defeat to Baltimore this season. The Chiefs hump, while frustrating, is a hump that every other team in the NFL struggles to get over. Should Harbaugh be on the hot seat simply because of the one dynastic franchise the Ravens haven’t beaten in the playoffs? It doesn’t make sense.

You give any coach a long enough tenure, inevitably more people will be calling for change. But the last two seasons are evidence enough that he’s the right guy for the Ravens' foreseeable future. Harbaugh’s AFC North peer Mike Tomlin now hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 — imagine that stretch of futility.

Thankfully, Ravens fans don’t have to live in that world. They simply must deal with the frustration of being in the Super Bowl conversation every year and not quite getting to the top. That particular stalemate could end as soon as this season, with a challenging but not impossible road to get back on top of the NFL.

If Jackson can string good performances together, if Henry continues to anchor the run game, if the retooled secondary can keep opponents contained, another Lombardi Trophy seems more than feasible. Even the best coaches in the NFL simply give you a chance, and Harbaugh — as long as the Ravens stay healthy — gives Baltimore a chance more often than not.

So while the results of the next few weeks matter, Harbaugh has already done enough to earn a longer runway. There’s no need for the Ravens to gamble on the next great coach when one already is leading things in the Castle.

Who has it better than the Ravens? Not many teams. And by February? It may be nobody.