Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry made sure Ravens coach John Harbaugh could keep bragging rights over his younger brother.
Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for one, while Henry rushed for 140 yards as Baltimore defeated Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 on Monday night.
John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 in the Harbaugh Bowl.
“It means a lot. With me being a big brother, I can’t lose to my little brother. That’s what I believe going into the game he was thinking about that a lot. We came out victorious today,” Jackson said.
This was the first meeting between the Harbaugh brothers since Super Bowl 47 in February 2013, when John’s Ravens defeated Jim’s San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL this year after nine seasons at Michigan, where he won a national title.
After the game, the brothers shared a quick hug and handshake at midfield.
“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.
Justice Hill ran for a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win for the Ravens (8-4), who have won three of their last four games.
Justin Herbert completed 21 of 36 passes for 218 yards and ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the Chargers’ opening drive. The Chargers went 54 minutes without scoring a touchdown. Gus Edwards ran for a 1-yard touchdown late in the game to bring the Chargers within 30-23 with 45 seconds remaining. Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals as the Chargers (7-4) had their four-game winning streak broken.
“I thought we did a good job of limiting turnovers and keeping the ball. We’ve just got to score more points,” Herbert said.
After running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a knee injury in the second quarter, the Chargers had to rely more on Herbert and the passing game. Meanwhile, the Ravens finished with 212 rushing yards, outgaining the Chargers 389 yards to 285. Henry did not score a touchdown for the first time this season, but still had a productive night with 24 carries.
“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.
The Ravens were down 10-0 but scored on five straight drives to take control. They also converted three fourth downs, including a 2-yard gain by Mark Andrews on a direct snap late in the second quarter on fourth-and-1 at their own 16, which set up the go-ahead drive.
“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.”
Jackson, who leads the league in total yards, completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards. He also had 17 rushing yards, including a 10-yard keeper early in the second quarter that brought the Ravens within 10-7.
Henry was held to 13 yards on three carries on the Ravens’ first two drives but regained his rhythm on the third possession with three carries for 44 yards.
“It definitely added a spark, you know, got us some momentum on our side and be able to get in there and get in the end zone,” Henry said. “It just happened that we were able to get a drive together and finish a drive with points and get us going.”
Five plays after Andrews’ fourth-down conversion, Jackson threw a deep pass to Rashod Bateman, who made a contested catch in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown, giving the Ravens a 14-10 lead.
“Just giving him an opportunity. I believe my receivers have great hands and he made a terrific catch,” Jackson said.
Baltimore extended its lead to 23-16 when Andrews caught a 6-yard pass in the back of the end zone. The Ravens’ 2-point conversion attempt was no good.
Hill put the Ravens up by two scores midway through the fourth quarter with his 51-yard run off the right side. It was the third touchdown run of at least 51 yards at SoFi Stadium in a 24-hour period, after Saquon Barkley of Philadelphia had runs of 72 and 70 yards against the Rams on Sunday night.
“I feel like some of my passes early were off and I was ticked off. But we have a great running back, offensive line, and they helped me get in the groove, and we kept our foot on the gas,” Jackson said.
