By Jeff Zrebiec, Daniel Popper and Chris Licata
The Baltimore Ravens (8-4) racked up 212 rushing yards on their way to a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) at SoFi Stadium on Monday night. Derrick Henry did most of the damage in Baltimore’s bounce-back effort, posting his sixth 100-yard outing of the season after being held to under 70 rushing yards in each of the last two games.
The Chargers entered Monday surrendering the fewest points per game (14.5) in the NFL but saw their four-game winning streak snapped while allowing 30 points for the first time this season. A lack of running game didn’t help the Chargers, as leading rusher J.K. Dobbins exited with a left knee injury and didn’t play in the second half.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is now 3-0 all-time versus his younger brother, with Monday’s victory over Jim’s Chargers added to wins over his San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and in the 2013 Super Bowl.
Brotherly hug. #BALvsLAC pic.twitter.com/y8IA5ltxFJ
— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2024
The Ravens stuck to what they do best
Lamar Jackson, who improved to 18-4 after a loss, is having a great season throwing the football. He’s improved significantly in that area this year. However, the Ravens are still at their best when they are getting downhill with their running game.
After getting off to a sluggish start offensively, the Ravens established their run game on their first drive of the second quarter and it was the difference in the game. They scored touchdowns on four of their next four drives and kicked a field goal on the other one.
The Chargers play light boxes the second-most in the NFL and it was a question coming into the game about how they’d hold up to Baltimore’s physicality. The Ravens seemed to wear them down as the game went on. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
Chargers’ defense exposed again
The Chargers defense had no answer for Henry, and that was ultimately the difference. They missed linebacker Denzel Perryman in the middle of the defense, and they just did not have the physicality to match up with Henry’s size and power. They lost the line-of-scrimmage battle. They did not tackle well at the second level or on the edges. Henry finished with 140 yards on 24 carries. The Ravens finished with those 212 yards on 37 carries, and only 15 of those yards came from Jackson.
The Chargers actually had a good plan and executed well against Jackson as a runner, both on designed rushes and scrambles. But the Ravens did not even need those components of their multi-pronged offensive attack.
The Chargers defense never felt as good as the statistics showed. And after not giving up more than 20 points to any offense in their first nine games, the Chargers have given up 27 points to the Bengals and now 30 to the Ravens in the last two weeks. The final blow Monday night was a 51-yard rushing touchdown from Justice Hill with under eight minutes to play. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer
JUSTICE HILL. 51 YARDS. GONE.
📺: #BALvsLAC on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/DfWCTj2kNO— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2024
John Harbaugh’s aggressiveness was a major difference
The key play in the game may have been a 2-yard run by a tight end. With the Ravens facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 16 after the two-minute warning in the second quarter, Harbaugh sent his offense back on the field after the stoppage. Tight end Mark Andrews took the direct snap and picked up the first down. Three plays and one defensive pass interference penalty later, the Ravens reached the end zone when Jackson hit Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard score.
The Ravens went for a fourth down on two other occasions on a drive that started in the third quarter and they got a touchdown on that drive, too. Harbaugh is well aware of his defense’s struggles to get stops. He knows his offense has to put up points. His aggressive decision making was a catalyst in them doing so Monday. — Zrebiec
Quentin Johnston’s late drop crushed Chargers
The Chargers were in this game in the fourth quarter, trailing by seven points. A Quentin Johnston drop was the inflection point. Facing a third-and-6, Johnston was wide open on a crosser. Quarterback Justin Herbert put the ball on him and Johnston could not come down with a catch. This resulted in a three-and-out, and the Chargers punted. Johnston has been an improved player this season, but his hands remain a problem.
Hill’s touchdown came on the next drive. The offense needed to possess the ball and give the defense a rest, but that did not happen, and the Ravens dominated the time of possession in the second half. The Chargers only had two drives before Baltimore extended its lead to two possessions. The third drive was derailed when the Chargers offensive line was beat on a stunt for a sack.
Second-half performance is a very concerning trend for Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s unit. L.A. is averaging 8.3 points in second halves this season, 28th in the NFL, according to TruMedia. The Chargers only had three second-half points Monday night until a garbage-time TD. — Popper
Required reading
- Inside Poona Ford’s resurgent season for Chargers’ D: ‘He’s really hungry’
- For Ravens, game vs. Chargers carries far more significance than sibling rivalry
- Ravens say their aren’t pondering kicking change, but Justin Tucker is cause for concern
(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
