Inside John Harbaugh’s daring 4th down decision that turned the Harbowl in the Ravens’ favor over the Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The puzzled look on Jim Harbaugh’s face told the story of Monday night’s Harbowl.

Not even he seemed to have anticipated the bold fourth-down decision that turned the latest Harbaugh sibling showdown in favor of his older brother.

Boldly, John Harbaugh left the Baltimore offense on the field with two minutes left in the first half and the Ravens faced 4th and 1 from their own 16-yard line. No NFL team had gone after it on fourth down from their own 20 in the first half in four-plus years.

It was even riskier that John chose not to give the ball to any of his feared short-yardage playmakers, quick-footed quarterback Lamar Jackson or bulldozing running back Derrick Henry. John instead called for a tush-push style play with tight end Mark Andrews taking a direct snap while Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard pushed him from behind.

The high risk fourth-and-1 conversion by Andrews sparked an 8-play, 93-yard drive that culminated in Baltimore scoring the go-ahead run on a 40-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman. The Ravens never relinquished the lead in the second half, opened a two-touchdown cushion midway through the fourth quarter and held on for an impressive 30-23 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

When asked why he risked going for it on fourth down from his own 20-yard line, John said he had a gut feeling “that I really thought we could get it.” The older Harbaugh brother knew the downside was giving the Chargers a gift-wrapped chance to take a two-score lead before halftime, but he felt his team needed to maintain possession in that down-three position against a playoff opponent caliber on the road.

“I’m not saying we’re going to go for it all the time in those situations,” John elaborated, “but the overriding thing was who we were playing. The idea was to try and hang on to possessions as long as you can because they are so good.”

John’s aggressiveness was the story of the first meeting between the Harbaugh brothers since the Ravens defeated Jim’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens also went for it on 4th-and-1 twice during their first touchdown drive of the second half, with Henry converting both of those to set up a 6-yard reception from Andrews in the back of the end zone.

Analytics models say John increased Baltimore’s winning percentage by more than 2% when he went for 4th and 1 from his own 16-yard line. Still, he certainly left himself open to criticism by being so aggressive early in the game and by trusting his tight end to get the necessary yardage on a quarterback sneak.

“It means everything to us that coach Harbaugh has that kind of confidence in us,” Ravens running back Justice Hill said. “We know as an offense that we can get a farm at any time. When we are put in those situations, we want him to still call them, so we have to execute them. Tonight I think we went 3-for-3. I think that should give him the confidence to call more of them in the future.”

Andrews’ tush push was a play Hill said the Ravens have “practiced for a while.” They stuck with it until exactly the right moment, down three, on the road, in a surprisingly hostile SoFi Stadium environment.

“Everybody has their different versions of it,” Andrews said. “We practiced it and it came through big in a big moment.

Added Hill with a laugh, “I’m glad it worked out as well as we practiced it.”

The Chargers were still within one score early in the fourth quarter when sophomore receiver Quentin Johnston broke free on a crossing route but dropped a perfect third-down pass from quarterback Justin Herbert. Instead of the Chargers securing another set of downs near midfield, they had to punt and give the Ravens a chance to open up a two-score lead.

It came back to bite the Chargers three minutes later when Hill delivered a knockout blow in the form of a 51-yard touchdown run. Safety Alohi Gilman rushed around the edge too hard, leaving no defender in position to so much as lay a hand on Hill as he broke his run outside left tackle.

For the Chargers, the loss was a disappointment, but not a disaster. They’ve beaten just one team with a winning record so far this season, but Jim Harbaugh’s rebuild remains ahead of schedule with his 7-4 team in good position to clinch an AFC wild-card playoff spot.

For the Ravens (8-4), the win was an ideal bounce-back after last week’s costly loss to rival Pittsburgh. Now they are just half a game out of first place in the AFC North and still firmly among the top contenders for Kansas City’s AFC throne.

The third meeting between the Harbaughs as NFL head coaches was once again sentimental for two men who are more like twins than brothers. They both mirror each other in every way, from their khaki pants, to their coaching staffs, to their football philosophies.

When ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge asked Jim Harbaugh before Monday’s game what it meant to coach against his brother again, he said: “I love my brother. I would give my life for my brother. But I wouldn’t let him win a football game .And he didn’t want it that way.”

After John improved to 3-0 against his little brother, the two Harbaughs briefly shook hands and exchanged friendly words. John later called Jim “the best coach in the National Football League” and admitted the day had been tough for their parents, who watched the game from Florida as they celebrated their wedding anniversary.

Summing up the night for his parents, John said: “I know they’re 100% happy and they’re 100% disappointed at the same time.”