INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Older brothers tend to have the upper hand. Such is the case when head coaches John and Jim Harbaugh go head-to-head.
John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens (8-4) overwhelmed the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) 30-23 on Monday night in front of an electric crowd at SoFi Stadium who witnessed the third edition of the “Harbaugh Bowl.”
John improved his record against his brother to 3-0 in head-to-head meetings, which includes a win in Super Bowl 47.
“I thought across the board, they made the plays. Give them a lot of credit,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Really efficient game from their standpoint and on both sides of the ball.”
The Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 advantage, but the Ravens scored 14 unanswered points in the second quarter, highlighted by a surprising, successful fourth-down conversion on Baltimore’s own 16-yard line that ended with a 40-yard touchdown bomb by two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson to wide receiver Rashod Bateman.
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Jackson’s touchdown pass ignited the Ravens’ offense and they went on to score on their first three possessions of the second half — scoring on five straight possessions overall. The Chargers’ offense struggled to sustain drives and get into the end zone.
“It’s obviously a tough game and we’d love to score more points. We just got to keep executing and do everything we can,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said. “We can’t rely on (kicker) Cameron Dicker to bail us out like that.”
Jackson and the Ravens offense converted all three of their fourth-down attempts and ran over the Chargers to the tune of 212 rushing yards, a season-worst for the Los Angeles defense.
“What we put on film (Monday) wasn’t good enough,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “You got to be pissed off. There’s no other way to think about it.”
Ironically, the two franchises playing against each other Monday night symbolized John’s and Jim’s relationship.
The Ravens are the big brother compared to the little brother Chargers.
John’s coached the Ravens for 17 seasons, won a Super Bowl and has the franchise perennially in the playoff picture. Jim’s attempting to establish a winning culture with the Chargers in his first year in Los Angeles.
The Chargers, who have six former Ravens on their roster, are still multiple pieces away from truly becoming a contender in the AFC.
They lack playmakers on offense. Starting wide receiver Quentin Johnston dropped three passes and didn’t record a catch against Baltimore. And the interior offensive line is vulnerable; the Ravens sacked Herbert four times.
On defense, they remain thin in the trenches. Ravens running back Derrick Henry tallied 140 of Baltimore’s 212 yards on the ground.
Jim’s Chargers are still firmly in the playoff picture. They currently sit as the sixth seed in the AFC. However, Monday showed there’s still a gap between the AFC-contending Ravens and the Chargers.
“We’re building something really good” Jim Harbaugh said. “The effort, the way they prepare, the way they train. … We’re in onward mode.”