Inside John Harbaugh's audacious fourth-down call that helped the Ravens defeat the Chargers in the Harbowl

INGLEWOOD, CA — The tale of Monday night's Harbowl was conveyed by Jim Harbaugh's puzzled look.

Not even he seems to have predicted the bold fourth-down decision that tilted the latest Harbaugh family clash in favor of his older brother.

John Harbaugh's decision to leave the Baltimore offense on the field with two minutes remaining in the first half, when the Ravens were facing a fourth-and-one situation from their own 16-yard line, was bold enough. In more than four years, no NFL team had attempted a fourth-down play from within their own 20-man in the first half.

John's decision to not pass the ball to his two most feared short-yardage playmakers—bulldozing running back Derrick Henry and nimble-footed quarterback Lamar Jackson—was even riskier. Instead, John called for a tush-push play, in which Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard slammed tight end Mark Andrews from behind as he took a direct snap.

Andrews' risky fourth-and-one conversion set off an eight-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a 40-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman for the game-winning touchdown for Baltimore. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens opened a two-touchdown lead and held on for an astounding 30-23 away victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, never giving up the advantage in the second half.

John responded that he had a gut instinct "that I really thought we could get it" when asked why he took the chance of going for it on fourth down from inside his own 20-yard line. The eldest Harbaugh brother felt his team needed to keep possession in that situation down three against a playoff-caliber opponent on the road, even though he was aware of the drawbacks of giving the Chargers a gift-wrapped opportunity to grab a two-score lead before halftime.

"I'm not saying we'll go for it all the time in certain instances," John explained, "but the most important factor was who we were playing. The concept was that you should endeavor to keep belongings for as long as possible since they are so good.

John's aggression dominated the first meeting between the Harbaugh brothers since the Ravens defeated Jim's San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens also went for it on fourth-and-1 twice during their first touchdown drive of the second half, with Henry overcoming both to set up Andrews' 6-yard reception in the back of the end zone.

According to analytics models, John raised Baltimore's win percentage by more over 2% when he went for fourth-and-1 from his own 16-yard line. Nonetheless, he undoubtedly opened himself up to criticism by being so aggressive early in the game and relying on his tight end to achieve the requisite yardage on a quarterback sneak.

"It means everything to us that Coach Harbaugh has such faith in us," Ravens running back Justice Hill said. "We understand as an offensive that we may gain a yard at any time. When we're put in certain situations, we want him to call them, so we have to carry them out. Tonight, I believe we went 3-for-3. I believe that will give him the courage to call more of them in the future.

Hill stated that the Ravens had been practicing the Andrews tush-push for quite some time. They held on to it till the perfect moment, down three, on the road, in a shockingly hostile SoFi Stadium environment.

"Everyone has their own version of it," Andrews remarked. "We practiced it, and it showed through at a crucial time.

Hill said with a giggle, "I'm glad it turned out as well as we practiced."

The Chargers were still within one touchdown early in the fourth quarter when second-year receiver Quentin Johnston got free on a crossing pattern but failed to catch quarterback Justin Herbert's beautiful third-down pass. Instead of securing a new set of downs around midfield, the Chargers were forced to punt, giving the Ravens the opportunity to take a two-score lead.

That came back to hurt the Chargers three minutes later, when Hill delivered a knockout punch with a 51-yard touchdown run. Safety Alohi Gilman crashed too hard around the edge, leaving no defender in position to even touch Hill when he broke his run outside the left tackle.

For the Chargers, the loss was disappointing but not disastrous. They've only beaten one winning club this season, but Jim Harbaugh's rebuild is still on track, with his 7-4 team in strong contention for an AFC wild-card playoff spot.

For the Ravens (8-4), the victory was an excellent rebound from last week's expensive defeat to rival Pittsburgh. They are now only a half game behind first place in the AFC North and remain one of the top challengers for Kansas City's AFC crown.

The Harbaughs' third encounter as NFL head coaches was emotional for two guys who are more akin to twins than siblings. They each mirror one other in every aspect, from their khaki clothes to their coaching staffs and football ideas.

When ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge asked Jim Harbaugh before Monday's game what it meant to coach against his brother again, he replied, "I love my brother. I would sacrifice my life for my brother. But I would not allow him to win a football game. And he would not want it that way.

After John moved to 3-0 over his younger brother, the two Harbaughs briefly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. John later described Jim as the "best coach in the National Football League" and stated that the day had been difficult for their parents, who watched the game from Florida while celebrating their wedding anniversary.

John summed up the night for his parents, saying, "I know they're 100% happy and 100% disappointed at the same time."