It’s Harbaugh Bowl III. John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens (7-4) take on Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) on Monday Night Football. Let’s get into the numbers and some notes on this important battle in the AFC playoff picture.
Ravens vs. Chargers series history
Monday marks the 16th all-time meeting between the Ravens and Chargers, a series that dates back to 1997. Baltimore is 9-6 against the Bolts, having won two straight and four of the last five meetings. This is the second year in a row the teams are meeting in Los Angeles. The Chargers’ last win in this series was in 2021 in Baltimore. Interestingly enough, the Ravens are 2-0 against the Chargers in L.A. since the Chargers moved from San Diego. The Chargers’ last home win against the Ravens came back in 2012.
This is also the third meeting between the Harbaugh brothers as head coaches, the most famous meeting being Super Bowl XLVII. John is 2-0 against Jim.
Key players for Ravens
If you have a 25-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, that is simply incredible. That’s what Lamar Jackson is looking at through 11 games. He did throw an interception last week against the Steelers and was sacked twice. He was also stopped short on the two-point conversion that would have tied the game. Still, this offense runs through Lamar and he is still among the favorites in the MVP race, even if his odds took a bit of a hit with the loss last week.
Derrick Henry rushed for 65 yards on 13 carries, a very respectable 5.0 yards per carry. But given some of his numbers this season, 65 feels low. He did extend his touchdown streak to four games and surpassed his rushing total from last season. He’s at 1,185 yards this season after rushing for 1,167 in his final season with the Titans.
So much for Diontae Johnson making a huge impact so far for the Ravens. Fortunately, they still have Zay Flowers, who is now up to 727 yards and four touchdowns on 52 catches. Only tight end Mark Andrews (5) has more.
Key players for Chargers
Quarterback Justin Herbert looks like he is back to being one of the top QBs in the league and near an elite level. He is certainly taking very good care of the football. He has just one interception all season and that was way back in Week 2 against the Panthers.
One of the more underrated comeback stories of this season has been Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins. After missing almost all of last season with an Achilles injury, has rushed for 726 yards on 152 carries (4.8 yards per carry) and is third on the team with 25 catches.
Many wondered if the Chargers should have went wide receiver in the first round of the draft, rather than taking offensive tackle Joe Alt. Ladd McConkey is helping the Chargers laugh in the face of their doubters. The Georgia product has been a stud this season and currently leads the team in receiving yards by a wide margin. He has 615 yards, the next closest is Josh Palmer at 365.
Keys to victory for Ravens
1. Break through the Chargers’ rush defense. The Chargers rank 11th in the league with just 110.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Even better for the Chargers is they have allowed just three rushing touchdowns this season, the fewest in the league. Derrick Henry enters play with 13 rushing touchdowns. If he can up that total Monday night, the Ravens will have a shot to get the road victory.
2. Lock up Ladd. The Chargers have gotten a few folks involved on offense, but the main point of attack has been Ladd McConkey. As mentioned earlier, the rookie leads the Chargers with 615 yards and also leads team in target share (23.8%) and air yard share (29.2%), per NFL Next Gen Stats. Try to make others, like tight end Will Dissly and receiver Quentin Johnston beat you.
3. Continue their own rush defense success. The Ravens are the No. 1 teams in rushing defense against a light box and against shotgun, per Next Gen Stats. They are No. 2 in overall rushing efficiency on defense, while the Chargers rank just 19th. J.K. Dobbins will have a bit of revenge on his mind, facing his former team. The Ravens would love to shut down that Chargers rushing attack.
