Lamar Jackson steers John's Ravens past Jim's Chargers in 'Harbaugh Bowl'
by AFP · The42LAMAR JACKSON THREW for two touchdowns and ran for another to spark the Baltimore Ravens over the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 on Monday in the NFL’s ‘Harbaugh Bowl’ game.
Older brother John Harbaugh, the Ravens’ coach, improved to 3-0 in NFL matchups against younger brother Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers’ coach.
“This is a big win. Proud for our guys,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “I just told him, ‘You’re a great coach and you have a great team and I love you.’”
In addition to sibling bragging rights in the only brotherly rivalry among NFL coaches, John’s Ravens improved to 8-4 while Jim’s Chargers fell to 7-4.
“I congratulated him on the victory, then ‘love you,’” Jim Harbaugh said he told his brother after the game. “They did a great job. They were the better team across the board.”
The contest was played on the 63rd wedding anniversary of Jim and John’s parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh.
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“For us to have our coach’s back and get this win is really cool,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said.
In the two prior Harbaugh matchups as rival NFL coaches when Jim guided San Francisco, John went 2-0 — taking a 2011 regular-season game and coaching the Ravens to a 34-31 victory over the 49ers in the February 2013 Super Bowl.
“It’s pretty cool I’m part of history,” Jackson said of winning for his coach.
“We finished off the game the correct way. We started off slow. We’ve got to fix that and I believe we’ll be where we want to be.”
Derrick Henry ran for 140 yards to power Baltimore’s attack and Ravens quarterback Jackson, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, threw for 177 yards and joined him in dominating the LA defensive unit that has allowed the fewest points so far this NFL season.
“We just got in sync, hit the ground running, made the plays, went with what we know,” Jackson said. “Henry gets one carry and went for what he knows. That man, he can’t be stopped.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert could not answer against the NFL’s worst passing defense for a team that features six assistant coaches and six players who were with the Ravens previously.
Herbert made a five-yard touchdown run just 5:15 into the game and Cameron Dicker added a 42-yard field goal for a 10-0 Chargers lead.
Jackson scored his third rushing touchdown of the season on a 10-yard run and, after a risky fourth-down conversion run by the Ravens deep in their own territory, threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman with 24 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Los Angeles answered with a 52-yard Dicker field goal to pull within 14-13 at half-time.
After an exchange of third-quarter field goals, Jackson flipped a 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrews to give Baltimore a 23-16 edge but Jackson’s 2-point conversion pass attempt failed.
Justice Hill added a 51-yard touchdown run for the Ravens with 7:24 to play and a 1-yard touchdown run by the Chargers’ Gus Edwards with 46 seconds remaining was too little and too late.