John and Jim Harbaugh faced off for the 3rd time in their careers, the first time they met since Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.
John was able to move to 3-0 against his younger brother as the Baltimore Ravens earned a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night at SoFi stadium in the “Harbaugh Bowl”.
“I just told him, ‘You’re a great coach and you have a great team. And I love you.’ And he said, ‘I love you and congratulations.’ It was good,” John Harbaugh said.
Baltimore improved to 8-4 (fifth) with the win, sitting atop the AFC wild-card standings while Los Angeles fell to 7-4 (sixth) with the loss, snapping their four-game winning streak.
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Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and added a rushing score while tallying 192 total yards. Jackson also knew the importance of the matchup, stating he wanted to win this one for his head coach.
“I feel like for me being a big brother, it’s like I can’t lose to my little brother,” Jackson said postgame. “That’s what I believe going into that game he was thinking a lot. And then Jim on the other side, I believe he was like, ‘I got to beat my big brother,’ but we came out victorious, so I feel like that’s a good thing.”
Derrick Henry rushed for 140 yards on 24 carries for the Ravens, who finished with 389 yards compared to 285 for the Chargers.
“They ran the ball real well. We need better block destruction just across the board, but you’ve got to give them credit. They did a heck of a job,” Jim Harbaugh said.
Justin Herbert threw for 218 yards and rushed for 29 yards, including a five-yard rushing score that gave Los Angeles a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Cameron Dicker converted three field goals for the Chargers, including two in the second quarter (42 yards and 52 yards).
Former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins rushed for 40 yards on six carries, but left to the locker room after just 19 offensive snaps due to a knee injury and would not return.
After trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Jackson found the end zone on a 10-yard rushing scamper and on the next drive, the former MVP connected with Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown to give the Ravens a 14-13 lead at halftime.
“Just giving him an opportunity. I believe my receivers have great hands and he made a terrific catch,” Jackson said.
Justin Tucker made a 45-yard field goal for Baltimore and Dicker converted a 52 yarder as the Ravens led 17-16 heading into fourth, where the Ravens were ultimately able to put the game away.
“I thought we did a good job of limiting turnovers and keeping the ball. We’ve just got to score more points,” Herbert said.
Jackson extended Baltimore’s lead to 23-16 after finding Mark Andrews for a six-yard score in the back of the end zone. The Ravens did try to make it a two-possession game by going for a 2-point conversion but it was no good.
Justice Hill rushed for a 51-yard touchdown with 7:24 left in the fourth quarter to give the Ravens a 30-16 lead.
Former Baltimore running back Gus Edwards kept the Chargers alive after scoring a one-yard touchdown with 46 seconds left to cut the Ravens’ lead to 30-23 but Dicker’s onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, resulting in a loss for Los Angeles.
“This is a big win for our guys. I’m proud of the way they came out and responded. We were down 10-0 and our guys stepped up,” John Harbaugh said. “They really didn’t flinch and kept fighting. They locked in on the details and played good, winning football.”
