John Harbaugh kept his record against his brother Jim Harbaugh squeaky clean with another win in what has come to be called the “Harbaugh Bowl.” John’s Baltimore Ravens cruised to their eighth win of the season defeating Jim’s Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Inglewood on Monday.
John and Jim Harbaugh have met thrice in NFL history. The most famous of these three meetings was the Blackout Bowl in 2013, in which the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win their second title.
Although the high anticipation of the third Harbaugh matchup was a primary talking point ahead of the game, the Ravens locker room reportedly didn’t echo the same. Safety Kyle Hamilton revealed that the older Harbaugh kept the sibling rivalry out of the team’s official preparation narrative.
The 23-year-old Ravens player, who was born in Greece, stated that John wanted to win deep inside. Furthermore, he added that he felt happy and content to be able to say that they secured the victory for his coach, via a transcript from the team.
Like I said, it wasn’t a huge talking point for us, but we know deep down Harbs wants this win. It means a little more than the other ones. It’s a blessing to be in this game and be able to say, ‘I won this game’ and win that for Harbs. But yes, he’s going to have that bragging right for the foreseeable future until we play them again.
Kyle Hamilton stated
Quarterback Lamar Jackson echoed Hamilton’s sentiments, acknowledging the subtle but undeniable stakes for the elder Harbaugh.
Being a big brother myself, I can tell he was probably saying, ‘I can’t lose to my little brother’ all week.
Lamar Jackson chimed in
Jackson and Hamilton played pivotal roles in securing the Ravens’ win at SoFi Stadium. Jackson outplayed Justin Herbert in the closely played conference game in California. Meanwhile, Hamilton and the defense were instrumental in limiting the Chargers in the last minutes from staging a late comeback. The win has taken the Ravens to 8-4 behind the Pittsburgh Steelers in a very closely fought conference.
John Harbaugh hailed his brother Jim as the best coach in the league after the game
John Harbaugh, 62, hailed his younger brother Jim, 60, who returned to the NFL after a thirteen-year hiatus. Jim made headlines earlier last year when he took Michigan Wolverines to their 12th national championship defeating No.2 Washington Huskies.
John had only good words for his dear brother after defeating him on his turf during the post-game interview.
I just told [Jim], ‘You’re a great coach, and you have a great team, and I love you.’ And he said, ‘I love you and congratulations.’ It was good. Yes.
John Harbaugh at the post-game interview
In the following press conference, John heaped praise on his brother calling him the best coach in the league.
[There are] huge battles every week in this league, and going against a team that is this well-coached, by all of their coaches and by my brother, Jim [Harbaugh] – the best coach in the National Football League – what he’s done with that team and how hard they play, and what they did, hats off to them, because they’re going to win a lot more football games this year, and they’re going to be a major factor in the playoffs.
John Harbaugh said at the post-game presser
Jim Harbaugh relayed the emotions, stating that he wished John the best and his love. Until the next time, John takes home a 3-0 record while fans enjoyed a good game of football and brotherhood.
Related: Shannon Sharpe gets into a heated debate with Stephen A. Smith and fans couldn’t help but think of his fallout with Skip Bayless
