WATCH: John Harbaugh's postgame dance goes viral after Ravens clinch spot for AFC Championship game
John Harbaugh is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NFL and a rare example of a special teams coordinator rising to that position. He has been to multiple AFC Championship Games, including winning Super Bowl XLVII at the end of the 2012-13 season.
However, this season's return to title contention, which was cemented by a 34-10 rout of the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, has a different vibe to it. It marks his first AFC Championship Game with dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson, who had long been hounded by the notion that he was a playoff choker.
Shortly after the game, team cameras caught Harbaugh, among others, dancing in the locker room in celebration of this feat. Here's the video:
What did John Harbaugh say in his post-game press conference after returning to AFC Championship Game?
Unless the Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers, John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens may be the happiest team in football right now.
Since their last Super Bowl run, they had failed to go last the Divisional Round despite strong regular seasons. The nadir (apart from playoff absences) came in 2019, when they were the top seed, at 14-2, but lost in the Divisional Round to the Tennessee Titans.
However, all those banes finally vanished on Saturday, thanks to a monstrous performance by Lamar Jackson (152 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and two passing and rushing touchdowns each).
A very relieved John Harbaugh made a reference to the recent controversy surrounding NBC's removal of Texans quarterback CJ Stroud's religious praises in his post-game interview after beating the Cleveland Browns in last week's Wild Card game.
He could not help but recite a Biblical verse (specifically 1 Chronicles) to open his press conference:
"Greatness, power, glory, victory and honor belong to you, because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. The kingdom belongs to you, Lord."
Moving on to the game itself, he discussed the historic significance of the Ravens' victory:
"First AFC Championship game in Baltimore since 1970 (before the Colts controversially moved to Indianapolis). We're excited about that, and our fans will get a chance to cheer just as loud, louder than they did this game."
John Harbaugh went on to thank everyone who played a part:
"Credit to the fans, first of all. The coaches and players - I thought they did a great job. The second-half adjustments were really strong and Lamar just played out of his mind."
The AFC Championship Game will air on Jan. 28 on CBS. Kick-off is at 3 p.m. ET.