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)