Ravens topple Chargers in Harbaugh brothers reunion

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh remained undefeated in the NFL’s historic sibling rivalry, beating his brother Jim’s Los Angeles Chargers 30-23. He kept the upper hand over Jim with some gutsy calls and another dominant effort by quarterback Lamar Jackson on Monday night.

John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 over his younger brother in part because Baltimore was 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions — all of which extended drives that resulted in touchdowns. This marked the first time that John and Jim had faced each other as opposing head coaches since Super Bowl XLVII 11 years ago.

Jackson totaled three scores, running for one touchdown and throwing touchdown passes of 40 and 6 yards. In nine “Monday Night Football” games, Jackson has recorded 22 touchdown passes and no interceptions — the most consecutive touchdown passes without an interception in “Monday Night Football” history.

The Ravens (8-4) moved to within half a game of the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) for first place in the AFC North.

Baltimore Ravens (8-4)

Promising trend: Running back Derrick Henry continues to show Baltimore has success when it feeds him the ball. The Ravens are now 9-1 when Henry gets 15 or more carries. Henry gained 140 yards on 24 carries to become the second player to record over 100 yards rushing against the Chargers. But this marked the first time in 12 games that Henry didn’t reach the end zone. He fell one shy of tying Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson, Jerry Rice and John Riggins for the third-longest streak of scoring a touchdown within a season in NFL history.

Eye-popping stat: The Ravens came through on a big gamble with 2 minutes left in the first half, when tight end Mark Andrews took a direct snap and pushed ahead to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Baltimore 16-yard line. According to ESPN Research, no team had converted a fourth down that deep in their own territory in the first half since the 2012 Rams, who did so on a fake punt. Four plays later, Jackson went deep and connected with Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown, which gave the Ravens their first lead at 14-10. The 2012 Rams made that conversion against Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers.

Describe the game in two words: Never panic. Trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter, Jackson led Baltimore to scores on five straight drives, reaching the end zone four times. This was against a Chargers defense that ranked No. 1 in fewest points allowed (14.5) and hadn’t allowed a team to score 30 points this season. The Ravens’ four wins after trailing by 10 this season ties the most for any team in a full season since 2000. — Jamison Hensley

Next game: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS, Sunday)

---

Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)

As the Chargers jumped out to a 7-3 start this season, their inexperienced receiving corps became somewhat of an afterthought. Maligned first-round rookie receiver Quentin Johnston appeared to have found his footing, leading the team with six touchdowns. Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey emerged as Justin Herbert‘s top target and one of the league’s best rookies. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer had been a consistent safety valve for Herbert, making big catches on key downs.

But on Monday night, that changed. With the Chargers down by seven and on their 34-yard line, Herbert found a wide-open Johnston running across the field, but Johnston dropped the ball.

On the next drive, Ravens running back Justice Hill scored a 51-yard touchdown, which effectively ended the game. It was an ending that last season’s Chargers had grown accustomed to, but that had been absent through the first 10 games this season.

Troubling trend: The Chargers continue to struggle to score in the second half. They came into Monday night averaging 8.2 points in the second half, the third lowest in the NFL. Those struggles continued as the Ravens outscored them 16-3 in the second half, before a late score by running back Gus Edwards with 46 seconds left. “It’s just something we’re chasing,” offensive coordinator Greg Roman has said about second-half struggles.

Hole in game plan: Stopping the run. The Chargers gave up 212 rushing yards, the most they’ve given up in a game this season. It was the first time in Jim Harbaugh’s NFL head coaching career that his team has given up 200 rushing yards in a game.

Prediction for next week: Edwards has his first 100-plus yard rushing game. Running back J.K. Dobbins has been the star of the Chargers backfield this season but left Monday’s game because of a left knee injury. If Dobbins misses time, that clears the way for Edwards to have the bulk of the Chargers carries against the Atlanta Falcons. — Kris Rhim

Next game: at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, CBS, Sunday)