INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh continued his dominance in the NFL's unique sibling rivalry, guiding his team to a 30-23 victory over his brother Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. With bold decisions and another stellar performance from quarterback Lamar Jackson, John improved his head-to-head record against Jim to 3-0.
Baltimore's perfect 3-for-3 success rate on fourth down played a crucial role, with each conversion extending drives that culminated in touchdowns. This marked the first meeting between the brothers as opposing head coaches since their clash in Super Bowl XLVII 11 years ago.
Lamar Jackson shined, contributing three touchdowns—one rushing and two passing, including strikes of 40 and 6 yards. In his nine "Monday Night Football" appearances, Jackson has thrown 22 touchdown passes without a single interception, setting a new record for the most consecutive touchdown passes without a pick in the history of the primetime series.
The win moved the Ravens (8-4) within half a game of the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) for the top spot in the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
Promising trend: Running back Derrick Henry continues to be the key to Baltimore's success when heavily utilized. The Ravens are now 9-1 when Henry gets 15 or more carries. Against the Chargers, Henry racked up 140 yards on 24 carries, becoming only the second player this season to surpass 100 rushing yards against them. However, this game ended Henry's streak of 11 straight games with a touchdown, leaving him just one shy of tying Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson, Jerry Rice, and John Riggins for the third-longest single-season scoring streak in NFL history.
Eye-popping stat: A gutsy call late in the first half paid off big for Baltimore. With 2:00 remaining and facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 16-yard line, tight end Mark Andrews took a direct snap and converted. According to ESPN Research, no team had successfully executed a fourth-down conversion that deep in their own territory in the first half since the 2012 Rams, who used a fake punt to do so against Jim Harbaugh's 49ers. Four plays after Andrews' conversion, Lamar Jackson hit Rashod Bateman with a 40-yard touchdown pass, giving the Ravens their first lead at 14-10.
Describe the game in two words: Never panic. Down 10-0 early in the second quarter, Jackson rallied the Ravens with scores on five consecutive drives, including four touchdowns. This performance came against a Chargers defense that ranked first in points allowed (14.5 per game) and had yet to give up 30 points in a game this season. Baltimore's four wins after trailing by 10 or more points this season ties the most by any team in a single season since 2000.
Next game: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS, Sunday)
Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
What changed: The Chargers' previously steady receiving corps faltered when it mattered most. Maligned rookie Quentin Johnston, who had led the team with six touchdowns, struggled in a key moment. Fellow rookie Ladd McConkey had established himself as Justin Herbert's top target, and Joshua Palmer provided consistent reliability. But on Monday night, with the Chargers down by seven late in the game, Johnston dropped a wide-open pass across the field.
The mistake proved costly. On the Ravens' ensuing drive, running back Justice Hill broke free for a 51-yard touchdown, effectively sealing Baltimore's victory. It was a painful reminder of last season's late-game collapses, a pattern the Chargers had largely avoided through the first 10 games this year.
Troubling trend: The Chargers continue to underperform in the second half. Coming into Monday, they averaged just 8.2 points per second half—third-worst in the NFL—and those woes persisted. Baltimore outscored the Chargers 16-3 in the second half, capped by Gus Edwards' late touchdown with 46 seconds left. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman admitted, “It’s just something we’re chasing,” regarding the team’s inability to maintain offensive momentum.
Hole in the game plan: Run defense remains a glaring weakness. The Chargers surrendered 212 rushing yards to Baltimore, the most they've allowed all season. This marked the first time in Jim Harbaugh's head coaching career that one of his teams allowed 200 rushing yards in a game—a clear sign of the Chargers’ defensive struggles up front.
Prediction for next week: Gus Edwards will shine. While J.K. Dobbins has been the star of the Chargers' backfield, he exited Monday’s game with a knee injury. If Dobbins is sidelined, Edwards is poised to take over the workload and could have his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season against the Atlanta Falcons.
-- Kris Rhim
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