Ravens defeat Chargers 30-23 as John Harbaugh leads 3-0 over brother Jim

On By Littum

John Harbaugh remained undefeated against his brother Jim as his Baltimore Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 on Monday.

The Ravens dominated on the ground, running for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Lamar Jackson added 177 yards passing and two scores through the air.

Chargers signal caller Justin Herbert completed 21 of 36 passes for 218 yards, but he didn’t throw for any scores and was sacked four times.

The Harbaugh brothers coached against each other for the third time and the first since Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. John, the older brother, is 3-0 in those contests.

Los Angeles raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first half on Monday.

The Chargers opened the game with a nine-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a five-yard touchdown run by Herbert. Baltimore gained just five yards on its first two drives, and Los Angeles added a field goal after an 11-play drive that bled into the second quarter.

The Ravens finally answered with a 10-yard touchdown run by Lamar Jackson on their third possession. They followed up their first scoring drive with an eight-play, 93-yard touchdown drive late in the second — which included a 4th-and-1 conversion from their own 16-yard line.

Baltimore was aggressive on fourth down all game, converting all three of their attempts.

After the teams traded field goals on three straight possessions — including the first two of the second half — the Ravens began to put the game away. They went 70 yards for a touchdown on their second drive of the third quarter, which featured another fourth-down conversion.

After a Los Angeles three-and-out, Justice Hill scored on a 51-yard run to make it 30-16. The Chargers added a touchdown in the final minute, but by then it was too late.

Despite a slow start, Baltimore outgained Los Angeles 389 yards to 285. The Chargers couldn’t slow the Ravens’ three-headed rushing attack of Hill, Jackson and Derrick Henry. Baltimore averaged a robust 5.7 yards per carry. carry. Henry led the team with 140 yards on 24 carries.

The Ravens improved to 8-4 with the win and bounced back from a two-point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11. Baltimore will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.

Los Angeles is now 7-4 after the loss. The Chargers’ next game is against the Atlanta Falcons.