The Harbaugh brothers share a hug at midfield before facing each other for the 3rd time

On By Littum

John and Jim Harbaugh hugged at midfield during warmups for Monday night’s game as the Baltimore Ravens took on the Los Angeles Chargers.

This is the third time the Harbaugh brothers have faced NFL coaches, but the first since Super Bowl 47 in 2013, when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in New Orleans.

The other regular season game was on Thanksgiving night in 2011. The Ravens beat the Niners 16-6 in Baltimore.

Jim Harbaugh left San Francisco after the 2014 season to take over at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Harbaugh coached at Michigan for nine seasons and won the national title last season before being hired by the Chargers.

He said last week that he was grateful for the chance to get another matchup with his brother.

“Walking off the field at that Super Bowl was like, there’s another day coming. And then there wasn’t for many years, and it looked like I wasn’t going to get a chance for another day,” he said. “But by the grace of God I’m back in it and back on a team that has a chance.”

The brothers spoke for a few minutes and posed for pictures before returning to their teams.

“I love my brother. And I would give my life for my brother. But I wouldn’t let him win a football game,” Jim Harbaugh told ESPN during a pregame interview. “That’s not how he wanted it. It feels cool and we’re ready to take it.”

John Harbaugh said before the game that coaching against his brother is complicated because sometimes their teams are mirror images of each other.

“It’s all the things we love about each other, and then it’s all the things we know about each other that we have to overcome in a game like this,” he told ESPN. “He’s a great coach. He’s a great man. He’s a great manager and he’s got a great football team, so that makes it complicated.

Their parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on Monday. They attended the first two games between the brothers, but are spending Thanksgiving week in Bradenton, Fla., at the home of their daughter Joanie.