John Harbaugh was in the gambling mood against his brother Jim on Monday night.
Round 3 of the Harbaugh bowl ended in familiar fashion as the John’s Ravens knocked off Jim’s Chargers, giving the older brother a 3-0 advantage in the series. It didn’t come without some risky business, however.
Facing a fpurth-and-1 coming out of the 2-minute warning in the first half, Baltimore was in an obvious punt situation on their own 16-yard line. Except the obvious part was clear to everyone, but the Ravens. Derrick Henry was just stuffed on third down. They were already down 10-7 and could’ve given L.A. a chance to built their lead. Harbaugh opted to go for it anyway.
Mark Andrews, playing the role of Jalen Hurts in an Eagles-style ‘tush push,’ picked on two yards for the first down on the sneak. It ended up being the turning point in the game, as Baltimore capped off the eight-play, 93-yard drive with a 40-yard touchdown to Rashod Bateman, taking the lead and never looking back.
‘The downside is you give them the ball at the 16-yard line – that’s the downside – but the upside, or the thought, is I really thought we could get it,’ Harbaugh explained after the game. ‘It led to a 93-yard drive and got us seven points; that was a big turning point in the game.’
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The coach added that no one was trying to talk him out of the gutsy move.
‘No, no, no,’ Harbaugh said. ‘It was the right thing to do. It’s always a team decision.’
While giving up great field position was the clear downside, the Ravens are known for their dominant rushing attack. Picking up less than a yard, even on fourth down on their own 16-yard line, was going to be less risky with Henry and Lamar Jackson in the backfield.
Baltimore has converted 70% of fourth down tries this season, the sixth-best rate in the league. However, it was the first time a team converted a fourth down that deep in their own territory in the first half since the 2012 Rams, who did it on a fake punt, according to ESPN Stats and Info via Jamison Hensley.
Harbaugh’s decision was going to draw strong reaction, regardless of the outcome. If they converted, the coach would be celebrated for having the guts to go for it. If it didn’t work, fans would be second guessing Harbaugh’s decision, questioning if he was being overaggressive with his brother on the opposite sideline.
On Monday night, the Ravens’ coach provided yet another example of, ‘no guts, no glory.’