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The Baltimore Ravens won the so-called Harbowl in Week 12, as John Harbaugh went 3-0 over his brother Jim, new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, thanks to a gutsy play in the second quarter that turned the game around for Baltimore. With two minutes left in the first half, the Ravens went for it on fourth down from their own 16-yard line. This call from John Harbaugh resulted in an eight-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead 40-yard touchdown pass from two-time MVP Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman, giving the Ravens the lead over the Chargers.
“I really thought we could get it,” Harbaugh said about his call, per this clip from the Ravens’ official account on X, formerly Twitter.
Coach Harbaugh talks about the decision to go for it on fourth down at the 16-yard line in the second quarter. pic.twitter.com/O8GGzrrAiv
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 26, 2024
Additionally, the Ravens never let go of this lead over the Chargers, going all the way to an impressive 30-23 victory in Week 12.
Asked about his controversial call that could have backfired spectacularly, John Harbaugh was circumspect.
“I’m not saying we’ll go for it all the time in those situations, but the overriding thing was who we were playing,” the coach said, via Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports. “The idea was that you’ve got to try to hang onto possessions as long as you can because they’re so good.”
This aggressiveness helped the Ravens overcome the Chargers in the first meeting between the Harbaugh brothers since John’s Ravens defeated Jim’s 49ers in Super Bowl 47.
Moreover, in sports, sometimes you take a gamble if you want to win, and John’s gamble ultimately paid off.
With the win, the Ravens have improved to 8-4, with enough momentum heading to their Week 13 matchup against the surging (9-2) Philadelphia Eagles, thanks mostly due to the MVP-caliber play of Saquon Barkley.
Meanwhile, Jim’s return to the NFL after leading Michigan to a national title has resulted in a 7-4 record with the Chargers.
After firing Brandon Staley in 2023, the Chargers trusted Jim to lead Justin Herbert to greatness, and possibly the Super Bowl.
However, he might want to figure his brother out and take his turn to get one over him.
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