John Harbaugh may just have Jim Harbaugh’s number.
Monday night’s showdown made for the third head-coaching matchup between the brothers and the first since John’s Ravens beat Jim’s 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The older John moved to 3-0 all-time against his younger brother with the Raven’s primetime victory.
LA’s defense, who had allowed just a single 100-plus rusher all season, was unable to contain Ravens running back Derrick Henry. Henry, who came off an uninspiring performance against the Browns where he lost his first fumble in his last 538 touches, carried the ball 24 times for 140 yards.
Henry’s early dominance forced LA to stack the box to account for the threat of the powerful runner. With fewer Chargers bodies in the secondary, Baltimore was able to attack downfield. Quarterback Lamar Jackson took advantage, finding receiver Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown strike to take a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.
Bateman made perhaps the most impressive catch of his young career, contorting his frame with great body control and tracking the football while being illegally interfered with.
LAMAR GOES 40 YARDS DEEP TO BATEMAN.
— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2024
Ravens take the lead before half!
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Baltimore’s 14 first half points marked a season-high for LA’s defense, who had previously held all opponents to seven or fewer points through two quarters. The Ravens’ 30 total points also marked a season-high in the wrong direction for LA’s defense, as they had previously held every opponent below this mark.
Jackson and company continued to find success offensively, sustaining long scoring drives of 10 and 14 plays in the second half. The MVP candidate put together a solid performance, completing 16 of his 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
Zay Flowers led the team with five catches for 62 yards, while Mark Andrews, who has found his footing as of late after a slow start to the season, hauled in five balls for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Baltimore finished a stellar 8-15 on third down and 3-3 on fourth down.
The nail in the coffin came from the Ravens’ No. 2 running back, Justice Hill, who went nearly untouched for a 51-yard touchdown, sealing a 212-yard team rushing effort and helping his team go up by two possessions in the fourth quarter.
Not only did the Chargers defense drop the ball in this one, the offense did too.
Quarterback Justin Herbert saw his receivers drop multiple passes, some tougher than others, but all catchable balls nonetheless.
Receiver Quentin Johnston’s struggles looked reminiscent of his uninspiring rookie season, dropping three of the five passes thrown his way, including one on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter. This momentum killer forced LA to punt, and Hill would gash them on the ensuing drive.
Unlike Baltimore, Los Angeles was unable to establish a ground attack, totaling just 83 rushing yards as a unit. J.K. Dobbins led the team with just 40 rushing yards, all of which came in the first half as he exited the game in the closing minutes of the second quarter with a knee injury.
Even though the offense scored on its opening drives and led 10-0 early in the second quarter, it was simply unable to sustain consistent success. Herbert was unable to fully take advantage of an underperforming Ravens secondary, throwing for 218 yards and rushing for one touchdown. Receiver Ladd McConkey led the team with six catches for 83 yards.
While the score may suggest a close bout, Los Angeles was outclassed on Monday night,
particularly in the second half. The Chargers defense struggled to get off the field and failed to contain Henry or Jackson. Offensively, plays were there to be made, LA just didn’t capitalize and a lack of a truly potent receiving threat was evident.
The 7-4 Chargers will head to Atlanta on a short week to face the 6-5 Falcons. Atlanta, who sits atop a close race in the NFC South, is coming off of two straight losses.
LA’s star tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater should have no issues keeping Herbert safe, as Atlanta is dead last in the league with just 10 sacks on the year. All eyes defensively will be on running back Bijan Robinson, as Atlanta will surely look to attack LA on the ground after the Ravens’ performance on Monday night.