Four things to watch for in Ravens-Chargers Monday night on ESPN, NFL+

• WHERE: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
• WHEN: 8:15 PM ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

Conditions for Harbowl could not be better.

John Harbaugh’s Ravens and Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers enter Monday night as certified contenders, having made equal contributions in the win column for their combined 14-7 record.

Baltimore has played an extra game, a loss that has put it just behind Los Angeles at No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff picture coming into Sunday. For now, there is some breathing room between the two teams and the teams placed on the bubble – the Ravens and Chargers are both sitting pretty with their chances of making the postseason currently at 95% and 92% respectively. However, a loss for either club will still serve as a stark reminder that objects in the rear view are closer than they seem.

Should the Ravens bounce back from last week’s divisional loss to the Steelers and win, their playoff odds jump to 99%. The Chargers would jump to 98% with their fifth straight win.

That’s the stakes for the Week 12 finale, which, fittingly, looks to be the best of the slate: One team will take another step toward a playoff spot, and one brother will also get bragging rights until they meet again.

Here are four things to watch for when the Ravens visit the Chargers Monday night on ESPN and NFL+:

1) Jim vs. John. Jim Harbaugh might have downplayed the game against his older brother this week, but that won’t stop everyone else from hyping it up. The two have played each other twice before when Jim was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Those matchups, another Week 12 game in 2011 and Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013, both went to John and the Ravens. It’s been nearly a dozen years since that 34-31 Super Bowl classic, and yet the Harbaughs are the only pair of brothers in NFL history to ever face off as head coaches. It also happens that the game falls on the 63rd wedding anniversary of Jim and John’s parents, Jack and Jackie, who will not be in attendance but will watch as Harbowl III takes place.

2) Lamar Jackson is looking to return to MVP form. Coming off his worst performance of the year against the league’s second-best scoring defense, Jackson now faces the unenviable task of trying to bounce back against the league’s top-scoring D. He posted season lows with a 48.5 completion percentage and a 66.1 passer rating rating against Pittsburgh as Baltimore failed to score 20 points for the first time this season. The good news, at least looking straight ahead, is that such an underperformance is par for the course for Jackson versus the rival Steelers. It is not necessarily a sign of a downward trend. More good news? Jackson has typically hit no. 1 defense during his career. He has gone 3-0 against those units while averaging 29.3 points per game. game with a 111.0 passer rating, 4-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio and four rushing scores. It won’t be easy, but Jackson has proven in the past to be able to humble powerful opponents.

3) Will the Chargers keep airing it out? There was never any doubt coming into the season as to Jim Harbaugh’s vision for the Chargers. They had to run the rock, and they did — especially out of the gate. In LA’s first two games, the team had 176 and then 219 rushing yards. Justin Herbert’s pass attempt high through his first four weeks was 27, and he eclipsed 150 yards just once. But then Harbaugh, who has also left no doubt about how smitten he is with his quarterback, has apparently given Herbert the go-ahead. Over the Chargers’ last six contests, Herbert has fallen short of 27 pass attempts just once. He has yet to go under 150 yards again, and four times he has eclipsed 250, the highest of this outing coming just one yard shy of 350. Against the Ravens, who not only light up the scoreboard with regularity, but also have the NFL’s worst pass defense. , the scene again asks Herbert to fling it. He will do it with the help of budding receivers Quentin Johnston and Load McConkey and the resurgent tight end Will Disleywho has a career year.

4) “Ravens West” host Baltimore. The familiar feeling between these two clubs does not end at the sibling rivalry. There are countless Chargers players, coaches and staff who once called Baltimore home. General manager Joe Hortiz worked in the Ravens organization from 1998-2023, becoming director of player personnel before taking the GM job with Los Angeles in January. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman served as Baltimore’s OC from 2019-2022, leading a top-three rushing attack each season. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter? He assisted Baltimore’s D from 2017-2020. Even Jim Harbaugh played QB for the team in 1998. Between the lines, current players who have gone from purple to powder blue include running backs JK Dobbins and Gus Edwardstight end Hayden Hurst and offensive linemen Bradley Bozeman and Sam Mustipher. TEA Eric Tomlinson and security Tony Jeffersonboth LA rehearsal team members, also belong to that group. There is a ton of crossover and plenty of shared football philosophies. Soon we will find out who is best at it.