BOLD PREDICTIONS: Harbaugh Bowl III

The Baltimore Ravens (7-4) venture west to battle the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Both teams sit second in their respective divisions, with Baltimore winning seven of its past nine games, while Los Angeles has won four straight.

This contest marks the third matchup between brothers Jim and John Harbaugh. In the NFL’s first-ever game featuring brothers as opposing head coaches, John’s Ravens bested Jim’s 49ers, 16-6, in a 2011 Thanksgiving Night special. Then during the 2012 season, the Ravens topped SF, 34-31, to win Super Bowl XLVII.

Baltimore is 9-6 (including playoffs) in the all-time series vs. the Chargers, including a 6-3 mark under John Harbaugh. The Ravens have won the past two meetings, including a 20-10 decision in Week 12 at LAC last season, and have posted a 4-1 record when facing the Chargers in California. Can the Ravens make it 5-1 in California?

• Betting Line: Ravens -3, over/under at 50.
• Forecast at Kickoff: Indoor at SoFi Stadium
• Officiating Crew: Carl Cheffers
• On The Call: Joe Buck (PBP) Troy Aikman (analyst) Lisa Salters (sideline)

[Ravens Injury Report]

Tony Lombardi

The momentum, the home crowd, 16 inspired members of the Chargers’ operation who were once part of the Ravens organization, 3,000 miles away from home and an officiating crew that so far this season has called 59% of penalties against the visitors, are all obstacles the Ravens must overcome if they plan to advance to (8-4) on the season.

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“It’s a tough matchup. It’s a very good football team we’re playing this week. [The Chargers are] highly ranked in pretty much every area. [They’re] a winning football team, very physical, very tough [and an] extremely well-coached football team – no question about it. [Jim Harbaugh] is one of the best coaches of this generation, no question – I believe that. Even if he weren’t my brother, I would say the same thing. We have our work cut out for us; we have to travel across the country and play on Monday Night Football.” ~ John Harbaugh on the Ravens at Chargers

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Does it sound like John is already rationalizing an expected loss? If so, perhaps I can ease his pain. It won’t be easy but here’s how I see it going down…

• Lamar Jackson as he does so often, will put on a show on the national stage. He will throw for 250 yards, run for 55 and connect on three TD passes, one each to Zay Flowers, Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman.

• Derrick Henry will crack the century mark by the 3rd quarter and finish with 147 yards and 2 TD’s.

• Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell will combine for another 100 yards of offense as the Ravens flirt with 500 yards of total net offense.

• Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike will combine for 5 sacks but it will only temporarily slow down the Chargers offense which will regularly matriculate the ball down the field by exploiting the deficiencies of Malik Harrison.

• Both teams will protect the football. This game will not serve up a single turnover.

• The Chargers nearly match the Ravens offensive output with 425 yards of net offense.

• Marlon Humphrey will get away with a DPI when the Chargers try to convert on 4th down just inside of Ravens territory to allow the Ravens to take a knee and end the game. In the end, a Justin Tucker FG from 52 yards out is the difference in the game.

Ravens 37, Chargers 34

Kevin McNelis

In the NFL’s third iteration of the HarBowl, the Ravens face a suddenly-hot Chargers squad on the road in LA. The Chargers enter this one on a three game winning streak and having won four of their last five, while the Ravens look to rebound after a dud of a loss to Pittsburgh. With the Steelers leaving the door open for Baltimore to claw back toward the division lead, can the Ravens take advantage this week?

— I’ll start with a weird one: the crowd. Ravens Flock tends to travel pretty well, especially to warm-weather climates during the dismally cold winter months late in the season, and I have a feeling that the MNF crowd at SoFi will be about 50/50 with purple and black jerseys. Late in the game, the visiting crowd becomes a factor, as the Chargers jump on a critical third down and cost themselves field position. It’ll ultimately turn into a three-and-out, and on the ensuing possession, Derrick Henry rips a 40+ yard touchdown run that lifts the roof off of that place.

— On the defensive side of the ball, the early going will be similar to what we saw in the Denver game. Herbert is more experienced than Bo Nix at the NFL level, but the two former Oregon Ducks profile with similar skill sets. You’ll see Herbert dice up the Ravens secondary between the 20s, but the Chargers offense loses its spark in the red zone and has to settle for multiple field goals. JK Dobbins will have his moments, but he’ll be mostly contained. The star of the show for the Chargers will be Ladd McConkey, who’s come on strong recently. For the third time in five weeks, McConkey goes over 100 yards.

— The Ravens will use this as a get-right game. Lamar Jackson will be able to stay upright a little bit more, and will hit a rhythm alternating targets between his receivers and tight ends. Mark Andrews stays busy with a touchdown catch, Isaiah Likely reels in a deep ball for a 25+ yard reception, and the defense gets a strip sack to set up the offense a short field and cash in on an easy TD in the second half. I’ll be bold and say Broderick Washington gets that one.

Here’s the thing: I say it’ll be a get-right game, but I think it’s fool’s gold. The Ravens will look good in this one, but there will be undertones of the issues that are still lurking. The result of this game gives a false sense of security, and in a few weeks, the divisional games make them apparent once again.

Ravens 31 Chargers 13

Rob Shields

I feel very “at peace” with this game. For some reason, this seems like a very good matchup for the Ravens. While Ladd McConkey can threaten you and Justin Herbert is a very good QB, I’m not as worried about them throwing it and beating us like other teams have.

Like Denver, they are a very good defense and have an excellent offensive line, but the Ravens had no issue with the Broncos.

There are lots of ex-Ravens on the other sideline and while that could mean they know some of their former squad’s tendencies, the reverse is true as well.

My worry about this game is Roquan Smith is unlikely to play and while he had been terrible in zone coverage, he’s still important man to man and against the run.  We also have some question marks with the status of Tyler Linderbaum and Travis Jones. We need those guys in the game.

That said, I think the Ravens win this game. I think Lamar has a big game and they get Derrick Henry much more involved than last week and I believe the pass defense continues to improve.

Ravens 27 Chargers 20

Nick Polinsky

Lamar Jackson is 6-2 on Monday Night Football in his career, and in all of his last three MNF starts the Ravens have won by at least two scores. Some of his staple performances have come on Monday Night: 2019 in LA, the crazy Colts comeback, and the 49ers Christmas beatdown. I’m not sure if it’s the extra day’s rest or the spotlight, but Lamar seems to kick it into another gear for these MNF games.

When Derrick Henry has rolled, so have the Ravens. Henry carried the football just 13 times last week, and in these close games the Ravens tend to call plays very by the book with the down and distance. Henry’s last two weeks have been pretty pedestrian, but I expect him to have better fortunes this week.

The Chargers have found their groove, having won four straight, and they now hold the top wild card spot. Justin Herbert has fueled this series of fiery offensive performances in which the Chargers have scored 26, 27, 27, and 34. Herbert is a true gunslinger and he could pose a potential threat to this uncharacteristically soft defense. Quentin Johnston has fared better in his sophomore campaign, and Ladd McConkey has been a solid weapon for Herbert.

For the first time in over 11 years, we have another edition of the Harbowl, it should be a fun one under the MNF lights.

• Derrick Henry returns to early season form, and he eclipses 100 rushing yards and scores 2 touchdowns
• Justin Herbert will throw just his second interception of the year, with Kyle Hamilton picking him off
• Odafe Oweh picks up a tough matchup this week against Rashawn Slater. Oweh will still force a strip sack this week building off his career high single game sack performance
• Gus Edwards has called this a “revenge game.” Edwards will score a touchdown from inside 3 yards.

In theory this should be a close game, but it just feels like one where the Ravens take control and have some fun.

Ravens 37 Chargers 23

Chris Schisler

This one is hard to gauge. The problem is that I don’t know which Ravens team is going to show up for the game. That Steelers game was the kind of moment that can start a skid if you’re not careful. In the end I’m going to go with trends. The Ravens tend to do well on the rebound from a big loss. The Ravens tend to play well on Monday Night Football and in prime time games in general in the Jackson era. The Ravens are the team that bounces back and when you’re most annoyed at them, they play their best football. It’s not an overly confident bet, but I’ll take the Ravens in this one.

I think the Ravens run game will get going and it will unleash a bunch of torture for the Chargers defense. I think the Chargers are very capable of keeping up in a shootout, they proved it last Sunday. Still, this hasn’t been their comfort zone this season. Once Derrick Henry takes off, the offense will be just fine. The Ravens play-action game will be productive and the Chargers won’t have an answer for Zay Flowers. Because I think the Ravens can put up some points and I think we may be playing the Chargers’ defense at the right time, I’ll go with the Ravens.

• Lamar Jackson scores three touchdowns and throws for 235 yards.
• Derrick Henry has 130 rushing yards and a touchdown.
• The Ravens defense is a mixed bag but the pass rush is the difference with four sacks on Justin Herbert.

Ravens 38 Chargers 31

John Hughey

The Harbaugh Bowl is here and taking a glimpse at the Chargers roster, you may see plenty of familiar faces. 16 former Ravens players and staff members have taken the trip out west, to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the Chargers. Former Raven Gus Edwards said there’s some “revenge” in this game, upping the storylines entering Monday.

Baltimore’s defense is coming off one of their best performances of the season last week in Pittsburgh, and looks to shut down a red hot Chargers squad. Shutting down the run game will be key, a large emphasis in OC Greg Roman’s gameplan as fans are familiar with. Lamar Jackson looks to repeat his Week 7 MNF performance, and get the offense back on track after a season low 16 points in Week 11.

— Henry keeps the streak alive and ties Lewis’ season rushing TD record (14)

— Lamar shines again on MNF tossing 3 TDs

— The Ravens defense builds off a strong Week 11 performance, keeping Herbert under 250 yards passing

— John Harbaugh improves to 3-0 against Jim

Ravens 31 Chargers 24

Chad Racine

It’s been nearly twelve years since the last Harbowl and white it’s not the same magnitude, it’s not lacking for excitement. With an overwhelming number of former Ravens, players, coaches and front office personnel, the Chargers have been frequently referred to as Ravens West. This may make this game as close to a divisional game you can get. In fact they may know the Ravens better than divisional opponents and vice versa.

— Lamar Jackson will shine once again in primetime with a bounce back game.  He’ll throw for 3 touchdowns and over 250 yards. He’ll rush for another 50 yards.

— Keaton Mitchell will finally get some offensive snaps and make the most of them. He’ll rush for 75 yards on 8 carries.

— Derrick Henry will top 100 yards and like clockwork record another touchdown.

— Flowers, Andrews and Agholor will be the touchdown recipients.

— Kyle Hamilton will have a sack and an interception.

— Tre’Davious White once again will shine earning a larger role on the defense.  He’ll give up less than 30 yards on seven targets.

— Oweh continues his hot streak with 2 sacks.

— Justin Tucker will make his lone field goal from 50-plus yards

Ravens 31 Chargers 24

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