Jackson accounts for 3 TDs, John Harbaugh moves to 3-0 vs. brother as Ravens beat Chargers 30-23
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry made sure Ravens coach John Harbaugh could maintain bragging rights over his younger brother.
Jackson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Henry rushed for 140 yards as Baltimore beat Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 on Monday night.
John Harbaugh improved to 3-0 in the Harbaugh Bowl.
“It means a lot. With me being a big brother, I can’t lose to my little brother. That’s what I believe going into the game he was thinking about that a lot. We came out victorious today,” Jackson said.
It was the first matchup between the Harbaughs since Super Bowl 47 in February 2013, when John’s Ravens beat Jim’s San Francisco 49ers. Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL this year after nine seasons at Michigan, where he won a national title.
The brothers shared a quick hug and handshake at midfield after the game.
“I just told him, ‘You’re a great coach and you have a great team. And I love you.’ And he said, ‘I love you and congratulations.’ It was good,” John Harbaugh said.
Justice Hill ran for a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to put it out reach for the Ravens (8-4), who have won three of four.
Justin Herbert completed 21 of 36 for 218 yards ran for a 5-yard touchdown on a scramble up the middle on the Chargers’ opening drive.
The Chargers went 54 minutes between touchdowns. Gus Edwards went 1 yard off left guard to get them within 30-23 with 45 seconds remaining. Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Cameron Dicker had three field goals as the Chargers (7-4) had their four-game winning streak snapped.
“I thought we did a good job of limiting turnovers and keeping the ball. We’ve just got to score more points,” Herbert said.
The Chargers had to rely more on Herbert and the passing game after running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a knee injury in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Ravens finished with 212 yards rushing and outgained the Chargers 389 yards to 285. Henry didn’t score a touchdown for the first time this season but had a productive night with 24 carries.
“They ran the ball real well. We need better block destruction just across the board, but you’ve got to give them credit. They did a heck of a job,” Jim Harbaugh said.
The Ravens trailed 10-0 but scored on five straight drives to take control. They also converted three fourth downs, including a 2-yard gain by Mark Andrews on a direct snap late in the second quarter on fourth-and-1 at their own 16 on what ended up being the go-ahead drive.
“This is a big win for our guys. I’m proud of the way they came out and responded. We were down 10-0 and our guys stepped up,” John Harbaugh said. “They really didn’t flinch and kept fighting. They locked in on the details and played good, winning football.”
Jackson, who leads the league in total yards, completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards. He also had 17 rushing yards, including a 10-yard keeper off right end early in the second quarter to get the Ravens within 10-7.
Henry was held to 13 yards on three carries on the Ravens’ first two drives, but got back in gear on the team’s third possession with three carries for 44 yards.
“It definitely added a spark, you know, got us some momentum on our side and be able to get in there and get in the end zone,” Henry said. “It just happened that we were able to get a drive together and finish a drive with points and get us going.”
Five plays after Andrews’ fourth-down conversion, Jackson threw a deep ball to Rashod Bateman, who made a contested catch in the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown, giving the Ravens a 14-10 advantage.
“Just giving him an opportunity. I believe my receivers have great hands and he made a terrific catch,” Jackson said.
Baltimore extended its lead to 23-16 when Andrews caught a 6-yard pass in the back of the end zone. The Ravens’ 2-point conversion attempt was no good.
Hill put Baltimore up by two scores midway through the fourth quarter with his run off right end on third-and-3. It was the third TD run of at least 51 yards at SoFi Stadium in a 24-hour period after Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley had scoring runs of 72 and 70 yards en route to a 255-yard rushing night against the Rams Sunday night.
“I feel like some of my passes early were off and I was ticked off. But we have a great running back, offensive line and helped them get in the groove and we kept our foot on the gas,” Jackson said.
Monday night Jackson
Jackson improved to 7-2 in Monday night games, including 6-1 on the road.
He has a 124.3 passer rating on Monday nights, the best in NFL history, with 22 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Injuries
Ravens: LB Roquan Smith (hamstring), who leads Baltimore with 110 tackles, was inactive.
Chargers: In addition to Dobbins, CB Eli Apple (hamstring) was injured in the first half and did not return.
Up next
Ravens: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.
Chargers: At Atlanta on Sunday.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
