Eighteen seasons, 40 meetings, two Super Bowl wins and the greatest NFL rivalry this century.
That's what Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh shared together for the better part of two decades as head coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
But in the space of just over a week, that iconic rivalry was slammed shut in the latest proof of how cut-throat being a professional sports coach can be.
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And just as their careers were intertwined under the bright lights all those years, their respective exits will be forever linked together as well.
In the week 18 match on December 5 (AEDT), which acted as the regular season finale, Baltimore and Pittsburgh were playing each other for the last spot in the NFL playoffs.
A win for either side would send them into the post-season, while a loss would send them on an end-of-year holiday and months of question marks for the future.
As has been the case on so many occasions, the latest battle between the Steelers and Ravens went down to the wire and literally the last play of the season.
Ravens kicker Tyler Loop had a shot to ice a regulation field-goal to make it 27-26, but the rookie sprayed it wide and the Steelers held on for the 26-24 victory.
It was, without question, one of the wildest ends to an NFL season in recent memory.
Just one day later, Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens after finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs for just the sixth time in his 18 seasons in charge.
The jubilation from the Steelers' side of things was evident and there was belief building that Aaron Rodgers was about to lead them towards a Super Bowl run.
That was until they met a rampaging Houston Texans outfit on Tuesday, whose defence mauled the Steelers on their home turf in a demoralising 30-6 loss.
It marked a seventh-straight loss for Tomlin in the playoffs – equal with the unwanted NFL record – with pressure mounting on him to remain as coach.
Less than 24 hours after the loss, Tomlin stepped down from his position, truly signalling the end of an era for the Steelers, Ravens and AFC North division.
His departure will see Pittsburgh go into the 2026 campaign with just their fourth coach in 55 years after Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll all enjoyed extended stays.
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For two coaches to hold head coaching jobs in the modern era for 18 and 19 seasons respectively is no mean feat – but to do it against each other, playing twice a year in one of the league's fiercest divisions, is perhaps even more impressive.
Despite the intense rivalry between the two teams and fanbases, which has been built on physicality, ruthlessness and at times genuine hatred, Tomlin and Harbaugh built up a genuine level of respect for each other – the type only forged through battle.
A wholesome moment between the pair late in their careers with the Steelers and Ravens truly summed up how long they had been going head-to-head.
"We've been in a bunch of these you and I, haven't we? I remember one time sitting and talking about what our kids were for Halloween and them damn kids grown (now)," Tomlin said.
The two men are worlds apart when it comes to their personalities.
Harbaugh is a rather mildly-spoken, devout Christian who often used his faith to inspire players, as well as being a great strategical football mind with deep roots and family connection to the sport, with his brother Jim also a tremendous coach.
Tomlin on the other hand is a wildly charismatic and extremely blunt man-manager who is never afraid to mince his words – whether it be to his players or the media.
His iconic one-liners or Tomlinisms have gone viral on a regular basis over the years, from the hilarious "don't blink or I'll cut your eyelids off" and "there's a fine line between drinking wine and stomping grapes" to his ultra-emphatic "the standard is the standard" quote that became synonymous with his latter years at the helm in Pittsburgh.
Even after the dramatic week 18 win regarding Baltimore's missed field goal that saved the Steelers' season, Tomlin managed to deliver one final classic.
"You know how it is – if my aunt had male parts, she'd be my uncle," he said.
But for all their evident differences, what both Tomlin and Harbaugh did share on the NFL stage was unbridled passion for the game that few could dream of matching.
The pair bow out with tremendous individual records that stack up against the greats.
Tomlin completed his 19 seasons with Pittsburgh having never finished with a losing record – an absolutely ridiculous statistic that will be hard to ever replicate – while also tasting Super Bowl glory in 2009 and winning eight AFC North titles.
Harbaugh won a Super Bowl in 2013 and won six AFC North titles in a fantastic period for the franchise.
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In the head-to-head rivalry, Tomlin finished with the edge over Harbaugh, having won 23 matches with the Steelers compared to the Ravens with 17 in that period.
In the playoffs, Tomlin and Harbaugh split the chocolates with two wins apiece.
Of the 40 games between the two teams during that time frame, 30 were decided by one score (eight points) and 20 were decided by a field goal (three points) or less.
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While there are plenty of coaches who have built incredible resumes and have been at their current teams for a while – Andy Reid (12 seasons with the Chiefs), Sean McVay (eight seasons with the Rams) and Kyle Shanahan (eight seasons with the 49ers) among them – the Tomlin and Harbaugh tenures and rivalry is unlikely to ever be replicated.
The fact there have been seven head coaches either fired or quit since the regular season finished less than a fortnight ago – plus another seven teams who welcomed rookie head coaches in 2025 – proves the anomalies that were Tomlin and Harbaugh.
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There are Steelers and Ravens fans across the world who have grown up not knowing a world without Tomlin and Harbaugh coaching their teams.
It brought a sense of comfort, that no matter what else was happening in the NFL or in the world at any given time, those two beloved coaches would be face-to-face.
While many watching on will be happy to see a new era ushered in for their teams, the likelihood is the NFL will never witness something like it again.
Tomlin and Harbaugh. Pittsburgh and Baltimore. A rivalry for the ages.
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