John Harbaugh made a big brother kind of call against Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers on "Monday Night Football," and it's one the brothers may talk about for a long, long time.
Following the two-minute warning in the second quarter, John Harbaugh made the call to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Ravens' own 16-yard line.
Tight end Mark Andrews took the direct snap, and with "tush push" help from Derrick Henry and Patrick Ricard, moved the chains for a 2-yard gain. Five plays later, Jackson launched a 40-yard touchdown to Rashod Bateman to give the Ravens a 14-10 lead they never relinquished.
"I just felt like we could make it. No guts, no glory, right?" John Harbaugh told ESPN reporter Lisa Salters at halftime.
It was a historically bold decision. According to ESPN Stats & Info, no team had converted on a fourth down from that deep in their own territory in the first half of a game (before late-game desperation) since the 2012 Los Angeles Rams, and they did it on a fake punt.
"The overriding thing was who we were playing," Harbaugh said. "You just have to hang onto possessions as long as you can because [the Chargers are] so good. … We just felt we were going to need them."
Lamar Jackson said he thought the Ravens were going to punt in that situation but his head coach asked if he wanted to go for it.
"Let's do it," Jackson said. "I've got all the faith in my team."
The coaching brothers were both aggressive in the first half. Jim and the Chargers went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Ravens' 30-yard line in the second quarter and also converted.
The Ravens went for it twice more on fourth down on the same drive in the third/fourth quarter. Derrick Henry galloped for 27 yards on fourth-and-1 from Baltimore's 39-yard line, then Henry converted on fourth-and-1 from the Chargers 25-yard line. That drive ended with a touchdown to Andrews.
