ExtremeRavens

The Ravens have largely avoided significant and long-term injuries so far this season, but no team goes unscathed. Tight end Charlie Kolar suffered a broken arm in Monday night’s win over the Chargers in Los Angeles, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday. Though the Ravens did not provide an update on Kolar after the game, he left SoFi Stadium with his arm heavily wrapped and in a sling despite playing the entirety of the game. With Kolar expected to miss at least a month, the Ravens signed tight end Scotty Washington to the practice squad. The good news for Baltimore is they still have tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and fullback Patrick Ricard. Still, Kolar was having a solid season, particularly as a blocker in the run game, and losing him cuts into the Ravens’ depth and limits their heavy packages. Baltimore leads the NFL with 2,162 rushing yards this season. A third-round draft pick out of Iowa State in 2022, the 25-year-old has also contributed in the passing game with nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Eagles Week 13 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Daniel Jones is signing with the Vikings after his release from the Giants, AP source says Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Eagles scouting report for Week 13: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens legend Jamal Lewis sees ‘last of a dying breed’ in Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who should be the NFL MVP? But his absence could have the biggest impact in the ground game. Monday against the Chargers, Kolar, who suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter, played a season-high 32 snaps on offense (along with 22 on special teams) as he helped pave the way for 212 rushing yards in the 30-23 victory. Baltimore also shared good news on the injury front, however. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who missed Monday’s game with a hamstring injury, was back on the practice field Wednesday. Nose tackle Michael Pierce also returned as did rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle). Pierce, who was placed on injured reserve after suffering a calf injury against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 27, has 21 days to be added to the active roster or else he would revert to injured reserve for the rest of the season. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens (8-4) host the Eagles (9-2) on Sunday in a battle of Super Bowl contenders. The two teams have dynamic quarterbacks and elite running backs, which should make for an entertaining back-and-forth between two of the NFL’s best teams. Betting odds give Baltimore a slight edge in a game expected to come down to the wire. What are the odds? Spread: Ravens by 3 Total: 50 1/2 points Moneyline: Baltimore -164, Philadelphia +138 The Eagles have only been an underdog twice this season, and they’re 2-0 in those games. Baltimore has been favored in all but one game this season, going 6-4-1 against the spread when favored. Baltimore’s games tend to go over the point total, with 10 of the Ravens’ 12 games going over the point total. Philadelphia has less of an over tendency, with six of its 11 games going under the total. Neither team likely cares too much about any of those stats, as they’re both good at the one thing that matters: winning. Baltimore and Philadelphia are a combined 17-6 straight up this season, as both teams have realistic Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles have a better record and slightly shorter Super Bowl odds (+650 on FanDuel) than the Ravens (+700). Only the Lions (+300) and Chiefs (+500) hold shorter odds. Take the under in a Ravens game? It sounds blasphemous, but I like the under in this matchup. Philadelphia’s backfield tandem of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley generate the most attention from casual fans, but it’s the Eagles’ defense that makes the group a Super Bowl threat. Pro Football Focus grades the Eagles out as the best defense in the NFL, and they’ve held down some elite offenses in the second half of the season. Joe Burrow’s Bengals mustered just 17 points in a loss to the Eagles on Oct. 27. It’s one of just three times this season Cincinnati failed to score 20 or more points in a game — the Bengals scored 72 points across two meetings with the Ravens this season. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders scored 18 earlier this month in a loss to the Eagles, and Matthew Stafford’s Rams tallied only 20 in Sunday night’s loss to Philadelphia. Both the Commanders and Rams scored late touchdowns with the Eagles playing prevent defense in those games, too. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens TE Charlie Kolar to reportedly miss time with a broken arm Baltimore Ravens | Daniel Jones is signing with the Vikings after his release from the Giants, AP source says Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Eagles scouting report for Week 13: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens legend Jamal Lewis sees ‘last of a dying breed’ in Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who should be the NFL MVP? Not many defenses can slow down the Ravens’ offense, but the Eagles might be the best equipped of any NFL team to slow down Lamar Jackson and company. They’ll also face a Ravens offense with one day less rest than usual. The Eagles’ offensive strength seemingly plays into the Ravens’ defensive edge, which could lead to a lower-scoring affair. The Ravens’ defense is better at stopping the run than it is the pass. Philadelphia’s strength is its running game with Hurts and Barkley, as Hurts isn’t nearly as dynamic a passer as Jackson. Starting kickers Justin Tucker and Jake Elliott are a combined 3-11 on kicks outside of 50 yards this season. Kicking Sunday won’t be any easier with chillier temperatures expected. Sunday’s high is 40 degrees and there should be a moderate breeze during the game. I’m expecting both teams to chew clock with their star running backs and try to win the field position battle in an early December matchup of Super Bowl contenders. The game should be competitive, partially because there might not be as much scoring as we’re used to from the Ravens. Best bet: Under 50.5 points Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is signing with the Minnesota Vikings, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Jones will join Minnesota’s practice squad less than a week after the Giants released the former No. 6 overall draft pick, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement hasn’t been finalized. Sam Darnold has helped the Vikings start 9-2. Jones joins Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien in Minnesota’s quarterback room. Rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy had season-ending knee surgery in August and a second procedure on his knee earlier this month. Jones went 24-44-1 as a starter in New York, with his best season in 2022 when the Giants went 9-7-1 and beat Minnesota on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Jones completed just 63% of his passes with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. View the full article

The Ravens pounded out a 30-23 win over the Chargers. The Eagles extended their winning streak to seven, thrashing the Rams 37-20. Who will have the advantage when one of the AFC’s best teams hosts one of the NFC’s best Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Eagles pass defense Lamar Jackson leads the league in passing yards, touchdown passes, passer rating and ESPN’s QBR metric for all-around performance. He has thrown just three interceptions. He leads the No. 1 passing offense by DVOA and the No. 1 red zone offense. In other words, he has been the best passing quarterback in the league this season. Jackson threw just 22 times against the Chargers as the Ravens turned back to their ground game but did his usual efficient work, averaging eight yards per attempt with touchdown strikes to Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman. Andrews has regained his standing as Jackson’s favorite red-zone target with six touchdowns in his last seven games. Wide receiver Zay Flowers leads the team with 57 catches for 789 yards, while Bateman has solidified his role as a solid No. 2, averaging 16.4 yards per catch with five touchdowns. Jackson is so effective in part because he’ll go to anyone on third down or in the red zone. His offensive line limited the Chargers to 10 pressures and one sack. Jackson will try to stay hot against a surging Philadelphia defense that has held quarterbacks to five yards per attempt, best in the league. The Eagles blitz on just 16.9% of dropbacks under venerable coordinator Vic Fangio and are not an elite pressure team. They’ve lost productive edge rushers Bryce Huff and Brandon Graham to injuries. But their secondary is packed with quality players, led by rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and safety Reed Blankenship. Zack Baun is one of the league’s top coverage linebackers. His partner in the middle, Nakobe Dean, is quietly one of the team’s best pass rushers. Veteran cornerback Darius Slay, second on the Eagles with eight passes defended, left the Rams game with a concussion. His status will be something to watch this week. Fangio likes to line up in two-high looks with a pair of safeties deep to prevent downfield strikes and disguise coverages until after the snap. Rather than attack Jackson, he’ll try to disorient him with confusing pictures. Jackson has never been better as a processor, so this could be a classic matchup. EDGE: Ravens Eagles passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Jalen Hurts’ superficial passing numbers — 69.1% completions, 8.3 yards per attempt, 102.3 passer rating, 13 touchdowns against five interceptions — look good, but he and the Philadelphia aerial attack have been merely decent, according to DVOA (the Eagles rank 16th, in part because they’ve faced poor defenses) and Pro Football Focus grades. Like Jackson, Hurts holds the ball more than three seconds per dropback, extending plays so he can look downfield for A.J. Brown, one of the league’s true No. 1 wide receivers. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Brown (18.6 yards per catch) is a monster on contested balls, and it will be interesting to see if the Ravens try to keep him out of matchups with cornerback Brandon Stephens, who has struggled to win such battles all season. Stephens outplayed Tre’Davious White against Chargers, so it’s possible the Ravens will simply stick with their rotation and hope for the best. But they have to be concerned about Brown going off given their previous struggles against Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and other elite receivers. Zach Orr’s defense has done a better job preventing big plays with Ar’Darius Washington starting at safety and Kyle Hamilton lining up deep more than he did early in the season. Tight end Dallas Goedert (35 catches on 42 targets, 406 yards) could give the Ravens trouble in the middle of the field. They got by without middle linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) against the Chargers and will go with a rotation led by Malik Harrison if their All-Pro can’t make it back Sunday. The Eagles are also dealing with a significant hamstring injury to wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who did not play against the Rams. They’re more dangerous when defenses have to worry about both him and Brown. Hurts takes sacks (29 in 11 games) because he holds the ball, but he’s protected by two of the league’s best tackles in Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, so don’t expect the Ravens to get home regularly if they rush four. EDGE: Eagles Ravens running game vs. Eagles run defense After averaging a modest 119 yards per game over their previous four games, the Ravens got back to pounding against the Chargers with 212 yards on 37 carries. Derrick Henry led the way with 140 yards and was key to the Ravens converting on eight of 15 third downs and all three of their fourth downs. Henry already has 1,325 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns and is averaging a career-best six yards per attempt. Justice Hill also had a big game with 55 yards on four carries, including a 51-yard touchdown. Jackson scored on a clever 10-yard run against the Chargers but was curiously ineffective on the ground otherwise with just five yards on his other seven attempts. The Ravens seem content keeping their franchise quarterback out of designed runs until they truly need his legs, and that might not be until the playoffs. This will be strength vs. strength as the Ravens try to bash out yards against a defense that hasn’t allowed 100 in a game since mid-October. The Packers and Falcons gashed the Eagles in the first two games of the season, but Fangio’s crew has hit a different level over the last six weeks, led by Baun and Dean in the middle and gifted 2023 first-round pick Jalen Carter upfront. That said, Philadelphia hasn’t done it against a ground attack like this one. The Ravens average 180 yards per game and 5.8 per carry, so if the Eagles hold them below 100, they will really have accomplished something. EDGE: Ravens Eagles running game vs. Ravens run defense Again, strength vs. strength. The Eagles lead the league in rushing and average 5.2 yards per carry, second only to Baltimore. The Ravens rank second in run defense and have allowed 3.5 yards per carry, best in the league. The story starts with Saquon Barkley, who like Henry joined a new team in the offseason and is somehow producing even more eye-popping numbers (126.5 yards per game, 6.2 per carry, 10 touchdowns in 11 games). Barkley went off for 255 yards, including touchdown gallops of 70 and 72, against the Rams’ not-terrible run defense. He’s complemented by Hurts, who isn’t a breakaway threat on par with Jackson but provides devastating efficiency in short-yardage situations. It’s surprising that the Eagles rank just 16th in red-zone touchdown percentage given Hurts’ work near the goal line. This is where the Ravens would presumably miss Roquan Smith the most, though Harrison ranged for 12 tackles against the Chargers, many of them violent. Orr will have to decide whether Hamilton is more important protecting the back end or serving as a Barkley deterrent closer to the line of scrimmage. Regardless, the Ravens will need sturdy work on the edges from Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy and Tavius Robinson. Defensive tackle Travis Jones has played well while dealing with a recurring ankle injury, and the Ravens will need more of the same from him against Philadelphia’s excellent interior blockers. EDGE: Eagles Ravens special teams vs. Eagles special teams Justin Tucker split the uprights on a 45-yard field goal against the Chargers and did the same on his previous attempt, from 54 yards, against the Steelers. So the Ravens have to hope their all-time-great kicker is past the spate of wide-left misses that have haunted his season. Tucker’s inaccuracy is the main reason the Ravens rank 22nd in special teams DVOA, but they’ve also committed too many penalties in kickoff and punt coverage. Punter Jordan Stout’s improvement is a bright spot. The Eagles rank 16th in special teams DVOA, and kicking has also been a problem for them. Jake Elliott has made just 17 of 22 field-goal attempts overall and is 0-for-4 from 50 yards or beyond. DeJean is a dangerous punt returner, and Philadelphia has done a solid job limiting damage in coverage. EDGE: Even Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Daniel Jones is signing with the Vikings after his release from the Giants, AP source says Baltimore Ravens | Ravens legend Jamal Lewis sees ‘last of a dying breed’ in Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who should be the NFL MVP? Baltimore Ravens | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are a virtual lock, but who will they play? Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 12: Saquon Barkley sprints into MVP conversation Ravens intangibles vs. Eagles intangibles The Ravens face a tough six-day turnaround after playing in Los Angeles Monday night. But at least they’ll be home, and the Eagles had to make the same cross-country trip one day earlier. John Harbaugh’s team removed considerable pressure from this week by beating his brother Jim’s Chargers. Harbaugh’s gutsy call to go for a fourth-and-1 from his team’s 16-yard line was a turning point in the victory. At the same time, he’s taking deserved heat for the Ravens’ league-high penalty total. Jackson has lost just one career start against an NFC team, but this will be one of the sternest tests he has faced. The Eagles have won seven straight and buried questions about their direction under coach Nick Sirianni, who seemed to lose his grip on the team as it collapsed down the stretch last season. Philadelphia has adopted a bullying identity on both sides of the ball and done it without rolling up big turnover or penalty totals. Sirianni’s balanced powerhouse takes a backseat only to the Detroit Lions among NFC contenders. That said, the Eagles haven’t faced an opponent as formidable as the Ravens during their winning streak. They’ve played the league’s third-easiest schedule by DVOA (the Ravens have played the 13th-hardest). This will be a status check for both teams. EDGE: Even Prediction Talk about brutal fun on the first day of December. This matchup will pit the league’s two best ground games against two of its best run defenses. Will Henry or Barkley go off? These superstar running backs might command the narrative focus, but that doesn’t mean they’ll decide the game. Jackson’s quest to solve Fangio’s balanced, deceptive defense will determine the flow, and the Ravens’ beleaguered but improving secondary will have to keep Hurts and Brown from connecting on explosive plays. Jackson has outplayed Hurts this season, and the Ravens have beaten better opponents than the Eagles. They’ll pull out another quality win going into their bye week. Ravens 27, Eagles 21 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Jamal Lewis used to call his old running backs coach at the start of each new season. “Who you got? What kind of backs you got?” he’d ask, pestering Anthony Lynn. Lewis worked under Lynn in Cleveland, the swan song of his career after seven illustrious years in Baltimore. With those phone calls from retirement, he was keeping a careful eye on the evolution of the position. “They all look the same,” Lynn would say, disparagingly. “Ain’t no Jamal Lewis.” Few running backs, now or ever, were like Lewis, a freight train at 5 feet 11 and 245 pounds. In 2003, he rushed for 2,066 yards in 16 regular-season games. Only eight running backs in NFL history have eclipsed 2,000 yards in a single season, and Lewis did it averaging 24 carries per game, including a Week 2 firestorm in which he broke the then-single-game rushing record with 295 yards on 30 touches against the Browns. Such volume is unfathomable in 2024. There’s not a running back in the league right now averaging 21 carries. And few, if any, could be considered the cornerstone of an offense. Lewis likes to say his era — before the ground game was truncated by pass-heavy schemes — was the last of a dying breed. He’ll concede there were a few stragglers into the 2010s. But when Lewis watches Ravens running back Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, “it’s like the 2000s again.” When the league’s top two rushing leaders meet Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, it might feel more like a Y2K party. “You can’t name me a back, probably [outside] of those two guys,” Lewis said, “that there’s a defense out there saying, ‘Man I just do not want any more of him. Please do not give him the ball.’ You got defenses complaining. … You don’t have those guys that are going to just beat up on the defense to the point where they just don’t want no more.” Henry is stiff-arming Father Time among the NFL’s best in his age-30 season. He’s flirted with the 200-yard mark twice and found the end zone a league-high 15 times in 12 weeks. Running the ball has been a strength in Baltimore for years, “but this is different,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He is adding a dimension that we have not had before. You go back to Jamal Lewis, maybe.” The Ravens signed Henry in March to a two-year deal worth up to $16 million. At 6-3, he’s the tallest tailback in the league. Like Lewis, he’s a 247-pound tanker carrying appendages like an All-Pro linebacker. Henry has 1,325 rushing yards this season after totaling 140 in a 30-23 win over the Chargers on Monday night, and he’s averaging about 18 carries per game. “Just seeing a back of my stature, my size, and everything else being able to adjust to an offense in 2024,” Lewis said, “that’s impressive.” In March, Henry made a rare media appearance on “The Pivot Podcast.” The camera zoomed in on co-host and former NFL linebacker Channing Crowder, who leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed as if he’d been chewing on this question for some time. “Were you born too late?” At every level of football, Henry said, someone argued his stature was better suited for defense. He rebutted with a long receipt of thick running backs from the early aughts (including Lewis), admitting he always fell back on wanting to be like them. Times change, but Henry’s aspirations don’t. “I embrace it,” he said, “because I know people are just waiting to see when it’s gon’ be over.” John Makely / Baltimore SunOn Sept. 14, 2003, Ravens running back Jamal Lewis rushed for a then-NFL record 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns. (Staff file) That reality doesn’t seem so close. On a temperate September night in Baltimore, Henry finished 1 yard shy of his first 200-yard outing since 2022. One nasty cutback on his first touch fissured Buffalo’s defense for an 87-yard score. Three weeks later in Tampa Bay, another 80-yarder highlighted his 169-yard outburst. All Lewis could think about was how the oldest starting tailback in the league could still find a third gear in open space. “He looks like he trains like an animal,” Lewis said. “He looks like he’s ready to get to the playoffs and eat.” There’s similar discourse happening a short ride up I-95. Barkley has been a mystifying chess piece for the Eagles, winners of seven straight. Sunday night, he shredded the Rams’ defense with such devastation (255 yards on 26 attempts and two touchdowns) that some have started to wonder if he might break the status quo and be the first non-quarterback Most Valuable Player since Adrian Peterson in 2012. Even Henry couldn’t break that glass ceiling when he rushed for 2,027 yards in 2020. “Being a running back today ain’t sexy,” Lewis said. “But at the same time, it’s gonna win you games.” That first part is true until it isn’t. When the Eagles played the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, Lewis was at home in Atlanta. That was the Sunday that Barkley broke the internet with a gravity-defying backward hurdle. Lewis stood up from his couch, mouth agape. “Not only has that never been done before,” Lewis said, “but I would have never even thought to [try that].” Barkley fits into Lewis’ “last of a dying breed” mold. He’s the closest thing to a bell cow running back, leading the league in touches. At 20 per game, he’s up to 1,392 yards on the season. With six games left on Philadelphia’s schedule, he needs to average 101 yards to hit 2,000. Like Henry’s conviction about sizable running backs, Barkley isn’t afraid to snap back at how running backs are talked about by leaning on his predecessors rather than his peers. The 27-year-old who underwent ACL surgery in 2020 told The Philadelphia Inquirer this summer that he has no intention of slowing down because Marcus Allen was still Pro Bowl-worthy in his early 30s and because Barry Sanders, who retired at 31, left the game in his prime. “There’s this weird thing with running backs right now,” Barkley said. “Is it a difficult position to play? Yes. Do you take wear and tear? Yes. But who are you or anyone else to tell me how long I can play the game? I call [BS].” The weird thing he’s referring to is the devaluation of running backs. They’re replaceable and production is preferred in parts. Lewis, conversely, used to insist on 15 carries before halftime. Now, he said, offensive coordinators can’t get a head coaching job running the football like that. Consider this other weird thing with running backs right now: the three most productive backs in the NFL signed in free agency away from teams who either didn’t want them or didn’t want to pay them. Henry, Barkley and Josh Jacobs (Green Bay) are putting conventional wisdom on the stand and the defense is arguing it’s a running back renaissance on the merit that their former teams are a combined 7-26. For a position front offices have spent the better part of the past decade moving their chips away from, is this potentially a tipping point? Can Henry and Barkley reset the market? “Yeah, they can,” Lewis said. “But what they can’t change is the guys that are representing the position in college. … To be effective, like a Derrick Henry or like myself, you have to be a featured back. Featured, meaning I am the starting running back and as a backup, you come in when I get tired or if there’s a special play. [That’s] durability and being able to withstand and be productive throughout the game. Now they’re getting that out of two backs, maybe three, versus one.” Added Henry: “We just want to go out there and do our job — do our job effectively [and] show that the position matters. And hopefully we’ve been doing that well enough to add value for the future of this position.” Ravens running back Derrick Henry is seeking to become the first player to twice rush for 2,000 yards in a season. (Ryan Sun/AP) Lewis’ son, Jazz, is a freshman wide receiver at Chamblee High School in Georgia. He already has a scholarship offer from Memphis while having unofficially visited Clemson, Georgia and his dad’s alma mater, Tennessee. So the older Lewis is fairly plugged into college ball, the best predictor of the future of the NFL. There are a finite amount of workhorses in college football. Fifteen backs have 200-plus carries. Boise State’s Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty leads a four-pack with more than 250. The rest of the field operates by committee and utilizes the position like a quasi-slot receiver capable of creating mismatches with linebackers. “As long as that’s still going on, you’re not gonna have a Derrick Henry coming out of college,” Lewis said, pointing to the last running back to win a Heisman. “That’s why it feels like the last of a dying breed.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Daniel Jones is signing with the Vikings after his release from the Giants, AP source says Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Eagles scouting report for Week 13: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: Who should be the NFL MVP? Baltimore Ravens | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are a virtual lock, but who will they play? Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 12: Saquon Barkley sprints into MVP conversation In Sunday’s game, Lewis is eagerly awaiting what was commonplace 20 years ago and a rarity now: a featured matchup of two elite running backs. Back then, Lewis used to think about his counterpart as much, if not more, than the defense. Those twice-a-year meetings with Cincinnati’s Corey Dillon and Pittsburgh’s Jerome Bettis were always circled on the calendar. Ravens Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis would say, “Oh, Jamal, we got Bettis this week. We got your back.’” Henry said he doesn’t think that way. But he has an appreciation for the other “franchise players making a big impact,” he said. “That’s the cool thing about it, just going against guys that you want to see do well.” Henry paused for a moment. “Except when they play us.” In 2024, Jamal Lewis types are hard to come by — never mind when two occupy opposite sidelines. There might not be many more Sundays like this one in Baltimore. “I gotta get to that game,” Lewis said. “I hope I can get me one of those 22 [jerseys] when I go up there to visit.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley jumped into the NFL MVP conversation with a dominant performance Sunday night against the Rams. (Ryan Sun/AP) View the full article

The playoff race is heating up as Thanksgiving nears. So is the battle for NFL Most Valuable Player. Tell us who you think should win the league’s top honor. After you vote, tell us what you think by clicking the comments button and we might publish your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

Thanksgiving is here, which means it’s time to start thinking about the postseason. Only six weeks remain in the NFL regular season, and while a lot can happen between now and when the wild-card round begins in January, the playoff picture is starting to take shape. Here’s a look at the standings in the AFC through Week 12: 1. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1), first in AFC West Remaining schedule: vs. Raiders, vs. Chargers, at Browns, vs. Texans, at Steelers, at Broncos Playoff probability, per Next Gen Stats: >99% The Chiefs’ record is sparkling, but their play on the field has been anything but. Kansas City needed a last-second field goal to escape with a victory over the lowly Carolina Panthers on Sunday a week after losing for the first time this season in Buffalo. The offense has struggled to generate big plays in large part because of a lack of speed. First-round receiver Xavier Worthy is not quite ready to be a No. 1 target, and while tight end Travis Kelce and wideout DeAndre Hopkins are reliable, they are diminished at their age. The offensive tackles remain a problem, prompting the signing of 30-year-old D.J. Humphries. Perhaps most concerning is a banged-up defense that has allowed 27 or more points in back-to-back games. The quest for a third straight Super Bowl title will be extremely difficult for Patrick Mahomes and company. 2. Buffalo Bills (9-2), first in AFC East Remaining schedule: vs. 49ers, at Rams, at Lions, vs. Patriots, vs. Jets, at Patriots Playoff probability: >99% This could be a breakthrough season for quarterback Josh Allen, who is the betting favorite to win his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award. This was expected to be somewhat of a transition year for the Bills after they lost some big-name players in the offseason (notably wide receiver Stefon Diggs), but Allen has put the team on his back and is thriving under offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Buffalo’s pass catchers are not exceptional, but they fit together well and have spread the wealth. Pass rusher Greg Rousseau has become a breakout star, and linebacker Matt Milano is expected to return soon as a key cog in the middle of the defense. This could be Allen’s best chance yet to win a title — especially if the Bills get the top seed and first-round bye thanks to their head-to-head win over Kansas City. Mike Tomlin is the early Coach of the Year favorite for what he’s done to get the Steelers on top of the AFC North. (David Richard/AP) 3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3), first in AFC North Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals Playoff probability: 93% Mike Tomlin is the early Coach of the Year favorite for what he’s done to get this team on top of the AFC North. Making Russell Wilson the starting quarterback over Justin Fields was not an easy decision, but it’s paid off so far — outside of a Thursday night loss to the Browns in a snowstorm. The big question is whether the offense is good enough to contend with the likes of the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens in the postseason. George Pickens is the only standout receiver, and Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are averaging just 4 yards per carry. They desperately need midseason pickup Mike Williams to help. Pittsburgh’s defense has been outstanding, but it’s carrying a heavy burden. 4. Houston Texans (7-5), first in AFC South Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, vs. Dolphins, at Chiefs, vs. Ravens, at Titans Playoff probability: 94% A 5-1 start has quickly gone south, with a 32-27 loss to the Titans the latest stumble for a team that has failed to build on last season’s success. Second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud has been hurt by a poor offensive line and the absence of star receiver Nico Collins, but he’s also missed some throws he usually makes. It’s enough to have serious concerns about whether Stroud can lead Houston to its second straight division title and another playoff win. It’s a good reminder that success is not always linear in the NFL, even for star quarterbacks. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews celebrates a touchdown catch Monday night against the Chargers. (Ryan Sun/AP) 5. Ravens (8-4), second in AFC North Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Giants, vs. Steelers, at Texans, vs. Browns Playoff probability: 99% They might be a wild-card team right now, but the Ravens have the look of a Super Bowl contender. Baltimore rolled to a methodical 30-23 win over the Chargers on Monday night that was much more dominant than the score might indicate. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Ravens were on pace to set an NFL record with a whopping 7.1 yards per play. Baltimore trailed 10-0 early, but a bold call by John Harbaugh to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 16-yard line paid off as the Ravens drove for a touchdown and never trailed again. Even the much-maligned defense stood its ground despite missing star linebacker Roquan Smith. The Steelers are a half-game up in the AFC North with a head-to-head win in hand, but the division race is far from over. This is the classic team nobody wants to play in the postseason. 6. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), second in AFC West Remaining schedule: at Falcons, at Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Broncos, at Patriots, at Raiders Playoff probability: 86% Monday night was a chance for the Chargers to prove they were a legitimate playoff contender, and for stretches, it looked like they could be. L.A. raced out to a 10-0 lead behind a dominant opening drive, pounding the ball behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. But after that, they couldn’t stop the Ravens, who at point scored on five straight possessions. A knee injury that forced Dobbins out of the game looms large since the Chargers and offensive coordinator Greg Roman rely on the rushing attack to be successful. Justin Herbert is plenty good enough to carry this team to the postseason, but his supporting cast might hold him back. 7. Denver Broncos (7-5), third in AFC West Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Colts, at Chargers, at Bengals, vs. Chiefs Playoff probability: 73% After a rough start, the Broncos and coach Sean Payton have settled into a nice groove with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Denver almost upset the Chiefs a few weeks ago but responded to that heartbreaking loss by winning two straight over the Falcons and Raiders. Since Week 3, Nix has thrown 16 touchdown passes to just two interceptions, showing more command of the offense as Payton discovers what the six-year college starter is comfortable with. The defense has been the real star of the show, with Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss blanketing receivers and Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper leading a deep group of pass rushers that leads the league with 44 sacks. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | NFL winners and losers, Week 12: Saquon Barkley sprints into MVP conversation Baltimore Ravens | Gamble pays off for Ravens’ John Harbaugh: ‘No guts, no glory, right?’ Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, spurred by bold 4th-down call, roll to 30-23 win over Chargers In the hunt Miami Dolphins (5-6), 16% playoff probability: The Dolphins have been a different team since quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion, winning three straight games to put themselves back in playoff contention. Miami has scored 34 points in back-to-back wins, and Tagovailoa is leading the NFL with a 72.5% completion rate. Jaylen Waddle broke out from a deep slumber with 144 receiving yards against the Patriots. If Tagovailoa stays healthy and former Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver’s defense continues to play well, the Dolphins could be a scary wild-card team. Indianapolis Colts (5-7), 21% playoff probability: Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson has had an up-and-down season, but he’s played much better since being benched for two games in favor of veteran Joe Flacco. A soft schedule to end the season, including matchups against the Patriots, Titans, Giants and Jaguars, could give the Colts a chance to catch the slumping Texans and compete for the AFC South title. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7), 13% playoff probability: It would probably take the Bengals going at least 5-1 down the stretch to have any chance of sniffing a playoff berth, but don’t put it past Joe Burrow and company. The star quarterback is putting up MVP-worthy numbers throwing to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, reaching a new level of command and comfort in the pocket in his fifth season. The Bengals’ defense keeps letting the team down in big games, but a slate of matchups against mediocre offenses in Pittsburgh, Dallas, Tennessee, Cleveland and Denver might give Cincinnati a chance to simply outscore opponents and make an improbable run. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 12: Winner: Saquon Barkley Could a running back win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award? We’re about to find out. Saquon Barkley vaulted himself into the conversation with a majestic performance in Sunday night’s 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles star rushed for a staggering 255 yards, the most in team history and the ninth-most in league history. That included a pair of 70-plus-yard touchdown runs in which Barkley showed off the elite burst that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Through 11 games in Philadelphia after leaving the Giants in free agency, Barkley has already rushed for a career-high 1,392 yards. At 27 years old, he looks just as explosive as ever, making his three-year, $37.5 million contract an absolute steal. For context, Barkley is the eighth-highest-paid player on Philadelphia’s offense. As Barkley goes, so do the Eagles (9-2), who have won seven straight and firmly hold the top spot in the NFC East. While quarterback Jalen Hurts has been effective, Barkley’s down-to-down impact is what has vaulted Philadelphia from a struggling offense in the back half of last season to one of the league’s best. Despite playing behind a strong offensive line, former Eagles running back D’Andre Swift eclipsed 100 yards just twice last season. Barkley has already done so seven times, including five games over 145 yards. And it’s not just Barkley who deserves all the credit. He leads the league in average yards before contact, which is a credit to the offensive line for opening big holes and moving defenders off the line of scrimmage. Giving an elite athlete like Barkley all that room puts pressure on second- and third-level defenders to bring him down, and they’re often left grasping at air or being shoved into the ground. After last year’s epic collapse that resulted in an early postseason exit, it was impossible to predict what kind of Eagles team would show up this season. There have still been head-scratching moments with coach Nick Sirianni, but his grip on the team feels more secure. The addition of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has also solidified a unit brimming with talent, including rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. With Barkley on a tear, the Eagles look like a Super Bowl contender that’s getting better every week. Maybe running backs do matter after all. Loser: Washington Commanders Just three weeks ago, Washington seemed destined for the playoffs and Jayden Daniels looked like a shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Oh, how things have changed. After a wild finish Sunday that included 31 points in the final four minutes, Washington suffered its third straight loss, 34-26 to the Cooper Rush-led Dallas Cowboys. Those final minutes included a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a miracle 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left, a missed game-tying extra point attempt, an onside kick return for a touchdown and an interception on a Hail Mary. For many teams, that’s a season’s worth of excitement. While a 7-5 record is a great result for a team with a rookie quarterback and first-year coach, the path the Commanders have taken here is troubling. For starters, there’s the usual second-half regression that often accompanies offenses directed by coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, which many have dubbed the “Kliff Cliff.” Whether it’s something inherently broken in Kingsbury’s scheme or perhaps a lingering injury for Daniels, the offense has not been nearly as effective over the past three games. Perhaps most glaring Sunday, however, was the rash of mistakes that prevented Washington from beating a Cowboys team missing many of its best players. In addition to the special teams blunders, the Commanders were penalized eight times for a season-high 78 yards. They also committed three turnovers, including two interceptions from Daniels, and went just 4-for-12 on third down. Washington blocked a field goal and a punt in the same game for the first time since 1977 … and still lost. There is still plenty of time to right the ship, starting with a home game Sunday against the 3-8 Titans. But there is little margin for error with the Falcons (6-5), Buccaneers (5-6) and the entire NFC West jockeying for playoff position. NFL Next Gen Stats gives the Commanders a 58% chance to make the playoffs. Falling short of the seven-team field after a 7-2 start would be a disappointing way to end such a promising campaign. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just one interception since returning from a concussion. (Lynne Sladky/AP) Winner: Miami Dolphins After Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion and the Dolphins fell to 2-6, there was some conversation about whether it even made sense for the star quarterback to return this season. Why risk his health during a lost year? With three straight wins, the latest a 34-15 rout of the Patriots, Miami (5-6) has revived its postseason hopes. Tagovailoa has been exceptional since his return in Week 8, throwing 11 touchdown passes with just one interception while averaging 255.4 passing yards per game. He carved up New England on Sunday to the tune of 317 yards and four touchdowns. “We’re still below the .500 threshold, and it’s a long way to where we want to get to,” Tagovailoa said. “We’ll enjoy this win, but this next one is going to be big for us.” That next one is Thanksgiving night against the Green Bay Packers, who are 8-3 and coming off a blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers. But the Packers are dealing with injuries to wide receiver Romeo Doubs (concussion), cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and could be vulnerable during a short week of preparation. What seemed like a gantlet to end the season for Miami does not seem so daunting now, with the Jets, Texans, 49ers and Browns all struggling and falling below preseason expectations. Next Gen Stats gives the Dolphins just a 15% chance to make the playoffs, since the Bills (9-2) are running away with the AFC East and the Broncos (7-5) have a firm hold on the final wild-card spot. But the fact that Miami even has hope given how the season started is a testament to Tagovailoa’s determination and belief in the locker room. Loser: New York Giants Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Giants. A week that began with the release of quarterback Daniel Jones ended with a dispiriting 30-7 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dropping New York to a league-worst 2-9. The performance on the field was bad enough, as the defense allowed 450 total yards and the offense only mustered one meaningless fourth-quarter touchdown, but the comments after the game are the real concern. “We played soft,” star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “I personally don’t think everyone’s giving 100%,” offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor said. “We’ve got capable players who don’t play like they’re capable, period,” wide receiver Darius Slayton said. Related Articles NFL | NFL playoff picture: Ravens are a virtual lock, but who will they play? NFL | Gamble pays off for Ravens’ John Harbaugh: ‘No guts, no glory, right?’ NFL | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers NFL | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 30-23 win over Chargers NFL | Ravens, spurred by bold 4th-down call, roll to 30-23 win over Chargers The move to release Jones and start third-stringer Tommy DeVito didn’t seem to sit well in the locker room. Drew Lock was confused as to why he wasn’t elevated to the starting role. Lawrence said Jones was the best quarterback on the team, and rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers said during his lengthy rant Sunday that the quarterback isn’t the problem. Team owner John Mara gave general manager Schoen and coach Brian Daboll a public vote of confidence four weeks ago, asserting that they would return next season. It’s becoming harder to justify that decision, especially if the players don’t believe in the team’s direction. It doesn’t help that Barkley and Packers safety Xavier McKinney (league-high seven interceptions), two former high draft picks the Giants let walk in free agency, are thriving with their new teams. The only silver lining right now is an incoming high draft pick, perhaps No. 1 overall. But given the mistakes the Schoen-Daboll regime has already made when it comes to evaluating talent, it would be a big risk to let them make that decision. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

John Harbaugh treated Monday night not like a coach in a consequential NFL game that could alter the course of the season, but like an older brother pinning his younger sibling into the shag carpet. Even if Harbaugh won’t admit familial influence in Baltimore’s 30-23 win over the Jim Harbaugh-coached Los Angeles Chargers, his players certainly felt it with the Ravens converting three fourth-down attempts and lining up for a borderline-greedy 2-point try. “For me, being a big brother, it’s like, ‘I can’t lose to my little brother,’” quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “That’s what I believe, going into that game, he was thinking [of] a lot.” The elder Harbaugh has long been one of the league’s most aggressive coaches, but not so much recently. The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin runs a program that tracks this sort of thing. From the start of the 2023 regular season heading into Monday night, Baltimore ranked 31st out of 32 teams in how often teams go for it when they should. The Ravens’ veteran coach tossed that playbook out the window for the sake of family bragging rights. On the first play after the two-minute warning in the first half, Harbaugh sent his offense back out to the field for a fourth-and-1 pinned back at their own 16-yard line. Common sense might say punt. Analytics suggest go for it. Harbaugh, perhaps uncharacteristically, told ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters, “No guts, no glory, right?” It’s been 12 years since an NFL team converted a first-half fourth-down that deep in their own territory. In 2012, the St. Louis Rams did it on a fake punt. On Monday, Jackson was ready to come off the field for a third punt in four possessions. Then Harbaugh told him, “It’s very short. We can convert.” Tight end Mark Andrews took a snap under center and got past the first-down marker with a push from running back Derrick Henry. That was the same play call that resulted in an offsides penalty against Charlie Kolar in Cleveland last month. This time, Andrews converted, and five plays later Jackson flung a picturesque 40-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman, a turning point in the win. “The overriding thing was who we were playing, and the idea that you just gotta try to hang on to possessions as long as you can, because they’re so good,” Harbaugh said. Safety Kyle Hamilton told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt that the defense was joking on the sideline, “You know your job is secure when you can make calls like that.” He lauded Harbaugh’s ability to downplay the brother storyline during the week, but everyone in that locker room knows they contributed to a Thanksgiving back-and-forth. “It wasn’t a huge talking point for us,” Hamilton said, “but we know deep down ‘Harbs’ wants this win. It means a little more than the other ones.” Two Ravens possessions later, the older Harbaugh flexed his muscles again — a tough decision alleviated when he’s leaning on the NFL’s best offense. “I just felt like we could get them,” he said. “You have to believe in your guys.” Baltimore stumbled to another fourth-and-1 in the second half. Henry rushed 26 yards further than he needed to keep the drive alive and 20 yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats. One more fourth-and-1, and again Henry crossed the sticks, part of a 140-yard night. That pair of conversions set up a leaping touchdown catch by Andrews in the back of the end zone. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, spurred by bold 4th-down call, roll to 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 30-23 win over Los Angeles Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith inactive vs. Chargers The only gamble Harbaugh didn’t cash in on was his decision to go for 2 early in the fourth quarter. Rather than being satisfied with an extra point that would have put his Ravens up eight, he rolled the dice to make it a two-possession game. But Zay Flowers couldn’t haul in Jackson’s pass. Nevertheless, Harbaugh resisted conservative playcalling. His team’s 3-for-3 execution on fourth down directly set up 14 points — the difference on the scoreboard until a Los Angeles touchdown in the game’s final minute. Monday night was the ninth time under Harbaugh the Ravens converted a trio of fourth downs in a single game. It was the first since Dec. 4, 2022, and tied the organization’s single-game record, first set in 2004. But when brotherly bragging rights are on the line, there’s no holding back. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens smashed through the league’s stingiest scoring defense to pick up a crucial 30-23 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in the third coaching matchup between John and Jim Harbaugh. Here are five things we learned from the game: The Ravens rediscovered their identity in the wake of a bitter loss They weren’t in genuine danger of falling off a playoff track, but the Ravens had to know a loss to the Chargers would lead to uncomfortable discourse regarding their long-term prospects. Already, the talk was that they could not get out of their own way coming off a penalty- and turnover-fueled loss to the maddening Pittsburgh Steelers. While the fraternal rivalry between coaching Harbaughs would be the cheerful surface plot in this matchup of AFC contenders, the trip to Los Angeles represented a low-key reckoning for the Ravens. Fall to 7-5 with the scorching hot Philadelphia Eagles up next, and they’d suddenly be in survival mode, confronting ugly doubts. They steered right into those doubts to start the night, offering little resistance on an opening drive orchestrated by their former offensive coordinator, Greg Roman. They short-circuited their own powerful offense with a pair of 15-yard penalties, the bane of their recent existence. The nightmare scenario seemed to be unfolding. And then the Ravens woke up. They re-fired the engine of their brutal, relentless offensive machine, handing the ball to Derrick Henry, counterpunching with Justice Hill, grinding on the league’s No. 1 scoring defense. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was more workmanlike than magical for most of the night, but he made the necessary throws and runs when it was time to finish drives in the end zone. Coach John Harbaugh, looking to embolden this attack, went for three fourth downs. The Ravens converted all three, not to mention eight of 15 third downs. At its core, this team is special because it can run on anyone and because Jackson is nearly impossible to defend on those high-leverage plays that extend and complete drives. The Ravens made too many mistakes for those virtues to shine through in Pittsburgh, but they were back to being themselves against Jim Harbaugh’s tough, disciplined Chargers. They boarded their overnight flight 8-4, just a half-game behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North and set for an intriguing battle of the bullies against the 9-2 Eagles. John Harbaugh’s heart grows three sizes when he’s coaching against his younger brother He’s just trying to draw them offside. That’s what we all thought when the Ravens’ offense stayed on the field facing fourth-and-1 from their own 16 as the clock ticked down to the two-minute warning. Surely, they’d punt it away safely when the break was over, content with a one-score deficit going into the locker room. And then, Mark Andrews lined up under center. “The upside was that I really thought we’d get it,” Harbaugh said, reflecting on the call that helped put the Ravens up to stay. Harbaugh’s not a fearful coach under any circumstances, but his little brother seems to draw out the gunslinger within. Who could forget the fake field goal big brother called — the first in Super Bowl history — the last time we saw Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh? Ravens coach John Harbaugh, left, is 3-0 when coaching against his brother. (Jeff Lewis/AP) That bit of daring came up a yard short. This time, the math was on Harbaugh’s side. But imagine the howls of derision he would have heard if the direct snap to his tight end did not work. Andrews powered forward just enough on the Ravens’ version of the tush push. Five plays later, Jackson slipped a 40-yard touchdown strike to Rashod Bateman through blanket coverage. Harbaugh’s gumption paid off more richly than even he could have imagined. We saw just how significant an upgrade the Ravens made at running back Henry was alone, moving in the wrong direction with two Chargers between him and a third-down conversion. He extended his mighty right arm to push the first defender aside and turned upfield, but the second still had a good angle to stop him short. Again, Henry thrust out his Muhammad Ali straight right to create the space he needed. Five yards and the Ravens were still moving, on their way to another score. The run was far from Henry’s longest in a mighty 140-yard performance, but it might have been his most clutch and the one that best illustrated his unique qualities. His greatness felt particularly significant on a night when the Ravens faced their two top running backs from the pre-Henry era. J.K. Dobbins averaged a wildly efficient 5.8 yards per carry in Baltimore. Gus Edwards was one of the fiercest battering rams ever to wear the purple and black. But Dobbins couldn’t stay on the field, and Edwards didn’t run with quite as much fury in 2023. Instead of re-upping with either, general manager Eric DeCosta jumped into the running back market with both feet, signing the most proven of proven stars. Only the most pitiless fan could have felt anything but pained empathy for Dobbins when he left the field with a knee injury Monday night. He carried six times for 40 yards and caught another three passes for 19 yards; perhaps the night would have been his if that knee had allowed it. Edwards, meanwhile, carried nine times for just 11 yards. The Chargers had no answer for Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 140 yards in Monday’s win. (Kyusung Gong/AP) On the other side, Henry just kept doing the things that have him pointed toward the Hall of Fame, hauling his 247 pounds of muscle around the edge, throwing that stiff right when he needed it. He has suffered just one significant injury in his career despite carrying 378 times in 2020 and 349 in 2022. He and Saquon Barkley, whom the Ravens will see Sunday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles, are the gold standard at a position where many teams have turned to bargain-hunting over the last decade. DeCosta had too little cap space to spend on every part of his roster last summer. He could have easily chased value instead of premium talent at running back, figuring Jackson would give the team an excellent ground game no matter what. But his choice to pursue Henry, now on pace for 1,877 rushing yards, created a super-charged offense. “I can’t give him credit enough for how locked in he is,” Jackson said of the best running back he’s ever partnered with. “How dynamic he is.” The Ravens can’t stop putting themselves in holes with penalties Fullback Patrick Ricard’s leg whip wiped out a 17-yard completion and put the Ravens in an impossible first-and-25 hole to stall their first drive. They were backed up another 15 yards at the start of their second drive when Nate Wiggins drew a flag for blocking a defender out of bounds on Tylan Wallace’s punt return. The call on Ricard was sketchy given how little contact he made, but that was beside the larger point. Eight days earlier, Harbaugh had lamented how penalties made it impossible for his offense to find any rhythm in an 18-16 loss to the Steelers. A quarter in, the Ravens were right back to the same shenanigans against another tough, disciplined opponent. They goofed again in the second quarter with an illegal formation in the red zone, but Jackson rendered that one irrelevant with a nifty 10-yard touchdown run. Not coincidentally, the Ravens played significantly cleaner football during their stretch of five straight scoring drives that gave them a two-touchdown lead. Only a holding call on guard Patrick Mekari, their most penalized lineman, marred that run of elite offense. But pass-interference calls on Marlon Humphrey and Jalyn Armour-Davis kept the Chargers alive on a last-ditch drive that finished in the end zone and gave Los Angeles a shot at a final onside kick. Those penalties took the Ravens’ tally to nine for 102 yards, still an unacceptable pace even if the flags did not prove as costly as the 12 for 80 yards they drew in Pittsburgh. It’s not as if this is an every-year problem for Harbaugh’s teams. The Ravens ranked 26th in penalty yards as recently as 2022. But the bottom line is they’re not shedding what has become a major albatross this season, and as Harbaugh said, that buck stops with him. Though it’s impossible to eradicate holding and pass interference, the Ravens keep making mental mistakes pre-snap and on special teams. They won’t win four straight games against postseason competition if they don’t clean up their act. Ravens inside linebacker Malik Harrison, tackling Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins in the first half Monday night, stepped up in Roquan Smith’s absence. (Eric Thayer/AP) With an unexpected star turn by Malik Harrison, the defense stood tough in Roquan Smith’s absence Smith sprinted on his sore hamstring during pregame warmups, hoping he could defy the odds and start at linebacker after a week of missed practices. But the Ravens prudently chose to give their defensive leader another week with the bruising Eagles on their way to town and a bye after that. Boy did they miss Smith on the Chargers’ opening touchdown drive as Dobbins and Edwards slashed off-tackle and Justin Herbert lofted an 18-yard completion to tight end Will Dissly that fell between the Ravens’ linebackers and their back end. The Baltimore defense has been soft in the middle even with its All-Pro middle linebacker. Without him, it seemed disaster might be afoot. So, give a game ball to Harrison, the reserve linebacker most responsible for stepping into the breach. No one questioned the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Harrison’s sturdiness against the run, but many of us wondered if his lack of mobility would be a fatal liability against Dissly and the Chargers’ other intermediate pass catchers. Nope. Harrison not only led the team with 13 tackles; he earned very good marks on 24 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus’ early grading. A serviceable performance would have been well-received. No one could have guessed Harrison would be the team’s best defender in Los Angeles. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, spurred by bold 4th-down call, roll to 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 30-23 win over Los Angeles Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith inactive vs. Chargers “Malik Harrison steps in and has a career game,” Harbaugh said. “He had [13] tackles. And the thing I appreciate about Malik, is he’s a really even-keeled guy, but he’s a confident person. And they go down there the first drive, and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on and how we’re going to play these different things, and [we] talked through it, and he didn’t flinch for one second.” We wondered also how much the Ravens would get from defensive tackle Travis Jones, who was questionable to play against the Chargers because of an ankle injury that keeps flaring. Well, Jones gritted his teeth through 34 snaps and earned the highest preliminary PFF grade of any Baltimore interior defender. The Chargers ran for 35 yards on that first drive, 48 the rest of the game. Dissly and star slot receiver Ladd McConkey caught all 10 passes thrown their way for 130 yards but did not rip off the chunk gains that have killed the Ravens for much of the season. The Ravens will need Smith’s brain, legs and fire to be at their best down the stretch. He has to be delighted that his teammates found those qualities in themselves while he could only watch from the sideline Monday night. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Week 13 Eagles at Ravens Sunday, 4:25 p.m. TV: CBS Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 2 1/2 Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, accounted for three touchdowns Monday night. (Jeff Lewis/AP) View the full article

Here’s how the Ravens (8-4) graded out at every position after beating the Chargers (7-4), 30-23, on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California: Quarterbacks There was nothing magical about Lamar Jackson’s performance, but he managed the game well and made plays several times when pressured. Jackson completed 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns. He started slowly and overthrew some receivers early, but overall he controlled the tempo of the game. Jackson finished with a passer rating of 126.5 and also had a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Grade: C+ Running backs As expected, the Ravens pounded the Chargers with running back Derrick Henry, who had 140 yards on 24 carries. Henry was successful with several cutback runs, and he was also strong running off tackle on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Backup Justice Hill added 55 yards on four carries, with most of those coming on a back-breaking 51-yard touchdown run around the left end in the fourth quarter. Grade: B Offensive line The Chargers were expected to challenge offensive tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten off the edge with outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, but they caused few problems. When they did get pressure, Jackson avoided it well. Right guard Daniel Faalele did a nice job of pulling and getting seal blocks, but left guard Patrick Mekari is still drawing too many penalties. It’s unlikely the Ravens will make any changes with Mekari, but those holding penalties are becoming more costly and will hurt in the postseason. The Ravens had 212 rushing yards. Grade: B The Ravens, behind a stout offensive line, ran for more than 200 yards in Monday’s win over the Chargers. (Ryan Sun/AP) Receivers The Ravens didn’t need much from this group, but they did get a couple of big plays from tight end Mark Andrews. He had five catches for 44 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. Rashod Bateman also had a 40-yard touchdown reception in the second. That catch showed great concentration by Bateman, who was closely covered by Kristian Fulton but the cornerback failed to turn and make a play on the ball and was called for pass interference. Slot receiver Zay Flowers had five catches for 62 yards. Overall, it’s usually a good day for the Ravens when their receivers don’t have to dominate and control the flow of the game. Grade: C Defensive line It would have been interesting to see what the Chargers would have done if running back J.K. Dobbins played the second half, but he left the game late in the first with a knee injury after rushing for 40 yards on six carries. The Chargers had success running at the Ravens with Dobbins, but they became too one-dimensional after he exited. Once the Ravens took the lead, they simply overpowered the Chargers’ offensive line, which was guilty of several holding penalties. Los Angeles finished with only 83 rushing yards. Defensive tackle Travis Jones finished with three tackles. Grade: B Linebackers The Ravens got a strong game from Malik Harrison, who was filling in for injured starting inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Harrison started slow but became more dominant after the first quarter. He finished with 13 tackles, including one for a loss. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh were starting to get consistent pressure on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The Ravens finished with four sacks and seven pressures, and Oweh and Van Noy had one sack each. Grade: B+ Secondary It’s tough to figure this group out. While it has held its own for two straight weeks, both opponents, the Chargers and the Steelers, are lacking talent at the wide receiver position. The Chargers dropped several passes Monday night, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey played well in coverage despite missing some tackles early. Overall, there has been improvement from the back end, but the Chargers attacked down the middle of the field early. As usual, safety Kyle Hamilton had a strong game and fellow safety Ar’Darius Washington keeps getting better. He finished with four tackles while cornerback Nate Wiggins had six and knocked down two passes. It will be interesting to see how much this group progresses. The Ravens, though, are good at holding. Grade: C+ Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, spurred by bold 4th-down call, roll to 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 30-23 win over Los Angeles Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith inactive vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 30-23 win Special teams When the offense struggled on their first two possessions of the game, punter Jordon Stout bailed them out. He finished the game by averaging 54.3 yards on three punts, including a 62-yarder. Kicker Justin Tucker made a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter, but the Ravens, including running back Keaton Mitchell, still seem confused about when to return kickoffs. They need to improve their coverage units, too, after allowing one kickoff return of 46 yards and a punt return of 19 yards. Grade: C Coaching Good call by coach John Harbaugh to gamble on fourth down late in the second quarter at his own 16. Harbaugh won on all three fourth-down attempts, but it was more of a statement about the Chargers and how soft they are on defense than the Ravens’ explosive offense. Offensively, the Ravens were balanced and the defense was more aggressive and gave the Chargers several new looks. Baltimore wase far from dominant, but it controlled the pace of the game after the first quarter. Grade: B Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The storylines were enough to fill a Hollywood script. Ravens coach John Harbaugh facing off against little brother and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh for a third time and the first since beating him in the Super Bowl a dozen years ago. A pair of ex-Baltimore running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards seeking revenge against the team that jettisoned them. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looking across the sideline at condemned former Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman. It all provided plenty of drama and possibilities at SoFi Stadium on Monday night. Then, a plot twist. With the Ravens trailing the Chargers, 10-7, in a critical AFC showdown and facing fourth-and-1 from their own 16-yard line late in the second quarter, John Harbaugh went against conventional wisdom and decided to gamble. The analytics favored the choice, but reality painted a potentially disastrous outcome had they not converted. After quarterback Lamar Jackson tried to draw Los Angeles offside before the two-minute warning, the Ravens’ punt team started to come onto the field before things took a turn. Tight end Mark Andrews took the snap from under center, running back Derrick Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard pushed from behind and Baltimore picked up 2 yards and the first down. “I told him I’m gonna push the [crap] out you,” said Henry, who is usually the one with the ball in his hands. Instead, he had his tight end’s backside. “He said to me after ‘I felt ya.'” And the Ravens had plenty of reason to feel good, too. Three plays later, wide receiver Zay Flowers caught a short pass, cut back across the defense and gained 22 yards. Two plays after that, Jackson threw deep down the left sideline for a well-covered Rashod Bateman, who fended off Kristian Fulton and hauled in the 40-yard touchdown strike. The score gave Baltimore its first lead of the night as it shook off a sluggish start and turned the momentum in Harbowl III as the Ravens (8-4) pulled away from the Chargers (7-4) for a 30-23 victory. “It was just gutsy,” center Tyler Linderbaum said of the fourth-down call. “Credit to Coach to having trust in us to get the job done and credit to all 11 guys on the field to get that first down. It was definitely a big momentum swing.” “That, I think, changed the game,” added Ricard. “It changed momentum for us going into the second half.” The win keeps Baltimore within a half-game of the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. It also marked Harbaugh’s third victory over his sibling in as many meetings and the first since they last met in the Super Bowl in February 2013 when Jim was coach of the San Francisco 49ers. “I just thought that [Andrews] and Tyler and our interior offensive line … I thought we could get it, and they did,” Harbaugh said of the call. “That was a big turning point in the game.” And like any good plot line, a central tenet to the story. Baltimore went for it on fourth down two more times on the night, including another in their own territory in the third quarter. They converted them all and along the way broke the will of their opponent. Ravens coach John Harbaugh, left, hugs his younger brother and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh after Baltimore’s 30-23 win. (Jeff Lewis/AP) “You do when you’re getting 5 yards a play, so just might as well keep running the same play over and over again,” Ricard said. “That’s what we were doing. We were flipping sides running the same play.” And they bullied the Chargers right out of their building when it mattered most. Clinging to a 17-16 lead late in the third after both teams had traded field goals and facing fourth-and-1 from their own 39, the Ravens didn’t hesitate. This time the call was more traditional, and Henry ripped off a 27-yard gain through the left side of the line. Later in the drive and facing a fourth-and-1 from Los Angeles’ 25, Henry (24 carries for 140 yards) delivered again. Five plays later, Jackson hit Andrews in the back of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown. Rather than kick the extra point to extend the lead to eight points, however, the Ravens went for 2, but Jackson’s pass fell incomplete. Unlike the Nov. 17 game against the Steelers, it didn’t matter. After the Chargers went three-and-out on their next possession, running back Justice Hill took a handoff on third-and-3 and raced around the left end for a 51-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 30-16. It was a stark contrast to most of the opening 30 minutes and especially the first quarter. The Chargers dominated in both yards and time of possession in the opening frame, outgaining the Ravens 123 yards to 20 and keeping the ball for more than 10 of the first 15 minutes, and took a 10-0 advantage early in the second. Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens sacks Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the second half Monday night. (Ryan Sun/AP) “We started off very slow,” Jackson said. “We gotta get back in the groove starting our games off the correct way. “The beginning of the season we were doing a great job of that. As the season gone on someway somehow we’ve been horrible starting the game.” But soon after, the Ravens finally started to chip away on both sides of the ball. On offense, they leaned on the long and strong legs of Henry, who came into the game second in rushing in the NFL and finally got going in the second quarter. Off right tackle for 19 yards. Off left tackle for 14 yards. Then Jackson and Andrews ad-libbed to convert a third-and-5 before Henry ripped off another chain-moving run, this one for 11 yards. A penalty for illegal formation on right tackle Roger Rosengarten wiped out Henry’s 5-yard touchdown run one play later, ending his streak of consecutive games with at least one touchdown at 11, but Jackson made up for it by racing to the pylon for a 10-yard score. That cut the deficit to 10-7, and the decision to go for it on fourth down from deep in their own end on the next possession paid off. Baltimore marched 93 yards in eight plays and was on its way. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey breaks up a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer in the second half. (Eric Thayer/AP) Then the defense, which has been prone to giving up big plays and blowing big leads and was without All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith because of a hamstring injury, did the rest. The Chargers were held to just 10 points in the second half and quarterback Justin Herbert finished 21-for-36 for 218 yards with a touchdown, scoring the game’s first points on a 5-yard run. Malik Harrison, who along with Kristian Welch filled in for Smith, did most of the damage with a team-high 13 tackles. He was all over the field for Baltimore, playing inside and on the edge and on special teams. “Knowing that the possibility that Ro’s gonna be out I just had the mindset that I was going to go out there and start,” Harrison said. “I prepared my [butt] off all week.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 30-23 win over Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 30-23 win over Los Angeles Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith inactive vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 30-23 win And he helped eliminate any opportunity for ex-Ravens Dobbins and Edwards to exact revenge. Dobbins finished with 40 yards on six carries before exiting late in the second quarter with a knee injury. Edwards had just 11 yards on nine carries and a touchdown in the final minute. Jackson, meanwhile, had just 177 yards but was efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes with two touchdowns and no turnovers. He improved to 18-4 in his career in games after a loss. “Being down 10 early there was just belief,” Andrews said. “Believe that we’re gonna get things going and get things rolling. We’ve got so many playmakers that are able to step up and make big plays when they matter. It was countless today of guys making big-time plays, big-time catches, big-time runs over and over to advance the ball.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman, right, celebrates his 40-yard touchdown catch with Diontae Johnson in the second quarter Monday night against the Chargers. (Ryan Sun/AP) View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Monday night’s Week 12 game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California: Brian Wacker, reporter: John Harbaugh gambled and won. The analytics favored the Ravens going for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 16-yard line late in the second quarter, but trailing 10-7 at the time not getting it would have been disastrous. Of course, Baltimore never had to worry about that, and Harbaugh showed belief in his high powered and powerful offense by going for it and converting on three fourth downs on the night, including twice on one drive. The Ravens went on to score touchdowns on both series, and that swing the momentum from what had been a sluggish start. But in the long game, the team with the better talent can withstand a couple of body blows and bounce back, and that’s what Baltimore did. After the Ravens’ offense was barely on the field in the opening quarter, Baltimore began to chip away with its running game and came through on a handful of critical conversions. The biggest surprise perhaps was on defense. Despite being without inside linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens stifled quarterback Justin Herbert in the second half and held the Chargers in check on the ground most of the night and especially once J.K. Dobbins went out with a knee injury late in the second quarter. This was a game Baltimore could ill afford to lose with the Philadelphia Eagles looming, and once again the elder Harbaugh figured out how to get the best of his younger brother. Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens introduced the league’s stingiest scoring defense to a different level of medieval football, riding Derrick Henry and Justice Hill to more than 200 rushing yards and buckling down on defense for a crucial win. They converted on 8 of 15 third-down attempts and more importantly, 3 of 3 fourth-down attempts. You won’t see a wilder momentum flip than the one the Ravens pulled off just before halftime. Facing fourth-and-1 deep in his own territory, coach John Harbaugh made a shocking call to go for it with a direct snap to Mark Andrews, who converted. A few plays later, Lamar Jackson hit Rashod Bateman for a 40-yard touchdown to put Baltimore up 14-10. Boldness rewarded in the brother vs. brother coaching showdown. Linebacker Roquan Smith’s absence was felt on the first drive of the game as the Chargers carved their way up the middle of the field, carrying seven times for 35 yards and connecting on passes to tight end Will Dissly and slot receiver Ladd McConkey. The Ravens then saw their first drive wiped out by a phantom leg whip call against fullback Patrick Ricard. The night could hardly have gone worse to that point. But the Ravens tapped back into who they are with their best running performance in more than a month. Malik Harrison did stout work standing in for Smith. They spit out the bitter taste from their loss to the Steelers eight days earlier. Mike Preston, columnist: The Ravens needed a win badly after a poor performance in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. In that game, the Ravens had 12 penalties for 80 yards and three turnovers. They weren’t dominant against the Chargers until the second half, but they were efficient on both sides of the ball. They got big plays from their offensive stars in quarterback Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews and running back Derrick Henry, and the defense was able to slow Los Angeles, especially after running back J.K. Dobbins went down with a knee injury late in the first half. After a slow start on the Ravens’ first two drives of the game, they were able to dissect Los Angeles’ defense and several times succeeded on fourth down, which is more of an indictment of the Chargers’ soft defense than coach John Harbaugh’s willingness to gamble. Defensively, the Ravens gave Los Angeles a lot of different looks and blitzed more than usual. Without Dobbins, the Chargers had no threat for running the ball and quarterback Justin Herbert couldn’t carry them alone. The Ravens ran them over in the second half, at one point scoring on five straight possessions with a good blend of runs and passes. This game was virtually over by midway through the fourth quarter, and the Ravens won as expected. It will get a little tougher Sunday when Baltimore faces Philadelphia, but at least the Ravens recovered from their poor performance in Pittsburgh. Sam Cohn, reporter: Baltimore’s defense had a gaping, All-Pro-sized hole in the middle of the defense. Linebacker Roquan Smith hadn’t practiced all week but wasn’t officially ruled out until about 90 minutes before kickoff. The thinking was, no Smith — the NFL’s tackling leader and Baltimore’s defensive signal caller — and the Chargers’ offense could have a field day over the middle. That’s what it looked like on Los Angeles’ opening drive. But Malik Harrison, Smith’s primary replacement, was serviceable even if not revelatory. Combine a second consecutive solid outing from a defensive group that struggled much of the season with some gutsy decision making from coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens get within a half-game of the Steelers in the AFC North. C.J. Doon, editor: As maddening as this Ravens team can be at times, the moments of brilliance are so sweet. It’s much easier to overlook an illegal formation penalty that wipes out a touchdown run by Derrick Henry when Lamar Jackson dashes into the end zone on the very next play. That’s a luxury simply few teams have. And how many other NFL teams would have the guts to for it on their own 16-yard line trailing in the second quarter? Maybe the Detroit Lions? Don’t take that for granted. John Harbaugh might make a lot of decisions you don’t agree with (like going for 2 to extend the lead to 9 instead of 8 in the fourth quarter), but he’s not doing it for the sake of being bold. That fourth-down call might have saved the Ravens from being down two scores at halftime. Give props to coordinator Zach Orr for patching together the defense in the absence of linebacker Roquan Smith. Malik Harrison and Chris Board played well in increased roles, and after getting gashed on the opening drive, the Ravens didn’t give up another touchdown until there was less than a minute left in garbage time. That’s a sign of good coaching. Justin Herbert still made some great throws, but he didn’t torch a Ravens secondary that has struggled all season. Perhaps that’s more of knock against the Chargers’ uninspiring receivers (that drop by Quentin Johnston on third down in the fourth quarter was particularly brutal), but this defense needed a win however it could get it. You know it was a good night for the Ravens when the officials pick up a pass interference flag against Brandon Stephens. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith inactive vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers live updates: Baltimore leads 23-16 in 4th quarter Baltimore Ravens | Coaching, the ‘crab’ and water ping-pong: For Harbaugh brothers, the competition never stops Baltimore Ravens | Ravens reportedly interested in former Giants QB Daniel Jones Tim Schwartz, editor: A methodical victory? Those are far too rare for the Ravens for as good as they are, but they put together one of their most complete performances when they needed it most. The Chargers had no answer for the backfield duo of Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, while Lamar Jackson was efficient and didn’t unnecessarily force anything despite Baltimore trailing by 10 early in the second quarter. The bomb to Rashod Bateman changed the game as it opened up running lanes for Henry. I would ask why the Ravens aren’t using Keaton Mitchell and his game-breaking speed, but it’s hard to argue when Hill takes a simple handoff 51 yards to the house in the fourth quarter. This was a critical game for the Ravens after the Steelers’ loss Thursday night and keeps them right in the mix for the AFC North. And one look at the AFC playoff standings would tell you how important a home playoff game would be. Beating the Eagles would put Baltimore right back in the Super Bowl contenders category. Bennett Conlin, editor: Lamar Jackson is the best player in football, and pairing him with Derrick Henry still feels unfair. That electric duo (and Justice Hill starred Monday as a complementary back) makes up for the fact that Baltimore commits too many penalties and struggles to play consistent defense. Monday, the offense clicked and the defensive flaws showed early in the game when the Ravens fell behind, 10-0. Baltimore is 4-1 on the season when trailing by double digits, as it has now rattled off four consecutive wins in such scenarios. The Ravens can never be counted out because of Jackson’s elite skills and their several offensive weapons alongside the two-time MVP. Baltimore’s defensive shortcomings — which were highlighted early in Monday’s game with Roquan Smith absent before the unit settled into the game — usually guarantee that opponents are never out of a game with the Ravens. Monday, and plenty of other times this season, that makes for entertaining viewing. If Baltimore fulfills its potential and wins a Super Bowl, it’ll be because Jackson’s greatness outweighs the team’s flaws. Jackson carried the load Monday, getting just enough help from his defense after a sluggish start. That recipe just might work for this team. View the full article

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) celebrates his rushing touchdown with offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) celebrates his rushing touchdown with quarterback Lamar Jackson during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) scores a rushing touchdown past Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden (22) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (43) runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) reacts after catching a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews (89) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) leaps behind a blocker during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) reaches for a first down as Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) defends during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still (29) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) if tackled by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rolls out during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison, center, and linebacker Odafe Oweh during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison, center, and linebacker Odafe Oweh during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) is tackled after a catch by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton (7) and cornerback Elijah Molden (22) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs past Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford (95) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) makes a touchdown catch as Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton (7) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rolls out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu (45) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Los Angeles Chargers tight end Will Dissly (81) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Chris Board (49) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates his rushing touchdown with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) scores a rushing touchdown as Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley attempts a tackle during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman (32) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) carries during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) runs during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) The Baltimore Ravens enter the field before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, right, hugs his brother Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh before an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) warms ups before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) View the full article

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Ravens’ already struggling defense has suffered another blow. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who didn’t practice all week because of a hamstring injury, will not be available for Monday night’s critical AFC showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers. The two-time All-Pro was ruled out Monday after being listed as questionable earlier in the week. Smith, 27, is tied for the most tackles in the NFL with 110. It marks the first time he has missed a game because of injury since late in the 2019 season when he finished the year on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle while a member of the Chicago Bears. The defensive signal-caller suffered this latest injury on the first play of the fourth quarter of Baltimore’s 18-16 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Nov. 17 and did not return. How the Ravens will replace Smith remains to be seen. One option could be starting Malik Harrison and rotating in Chris Board. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr said last week the team would replace Smith by committee. “Not one person is going to replace Roquan,” Orr said. “Roquan’s an every-down linebacker [and] a top linebacker in this league [and] All-Pro for a reason. We like our guys that we have in the room. They got to step up, and we got to step up collectively as a defense, and that linebacker room [has] to step up collectively as a group.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers, November 25, 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers live updates: Baltimore leads 23-16 in 4th quarter Baltimore Ravens | Coaching, the ‘crab’ and water ping-pong: For Harbaugh brothers, the competition never stops Baltimore Ravens | Ravens reportedly interested in former Giants QB Daniel Jones Baltimore Ravens | For Ravens, facing Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers will be ‘like playing the L.A. Ravens’ Even with Smith, the Ravens’ defense has not played to its usual standard. Baltimore is 26th in yards allowed per game (362) and 23rd in points allowed per game (24.6). The middle of the field has also been a weak spot, particularly against the pass, with the Ravens ranking last in passing yards allowed per game (284.5) and 27th in yards per pass (7.7). Other inactives for the Ravens are cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf), rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle), outside linebacker David Ojabo, backup center Nick Samac (chest) and rookie running back Rasheen Ali. Center Tyler Linderbaum (back) and defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle) are active after being listed as questionable. Inactive for the Chargers are linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin), cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle), wide receiver D.J. Chark, running back Kimani Vidal, offensive linemen Brenden Jaimes and Jordan McFadden, and quarterback Easton Stick, who is the emergency third quarterback. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder), outside linebackers Khalil Mack (groin) and Bud Dupree (foot), and safety AJ Finley (ankle) are active after being listed as questionable. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens (7-4) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) face off on “Monday Night Football” in the third meeting between brothers John and Jim Harbaugh. In a matchup between two of the league’s top quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert, Baltimore is looking to bounce back after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Los Angeles seeks to continue its four-game winning streak. Follow along here for live coverage and analysis. View the full article

The Ravens had just demolished the Buffalo Bills on national television and the clock was nearing 11:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore when the phone rang inside the luxury box. As Jack Harbaugh was winding down a thrilling night with family and friends, his eldest son, John, called up from the jubilant locker room to request his pop’s presence. So the patriarch of the football family — the only one with two brothers to face off as opposing head coaches in the championship game of a major American team sport — ambled down the maze of stairs and down a hallway to find out what the fuss was all about. To Jack Harbaugh’s bewilderment, he ended up in the interview room, where the assembled media was already gathered and awaiting the winning coach’s news conference. Jack, 85, wasn’t lost; he quietly turned to his boy to ask what was going on. “I had no idea what he’s talking about, I see all of you and I’m thinking what am I doing here?” Jack recalled in an interview with The Baltimore Sun. “He’s says, ‘Dad, you got a question for me?’ So of course I yelled out ‘Whooo’s got it better than us?!’” Except, awkward silence. “I don’t know if it ever fell flatter,” Jack continued, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “I told John, ‘I don’t think this is working too well.’ “Maybe the most embarrassing moment of my life. But in a moment when you win a game like that, that’s what you remember.” It’s one of countless memories big and small that Jack has shared with his sons John and Jim, who will face off against one another when the Ravens (7-4) and Chargers (7-3) meet at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday night. It will mark just the third meeting between the coaches, the most recent coming on the game’s biggest stage, the Super Bowl, in February 2013 when Jim was coach of the San Francisco 49ers (or fourth, if you count a preseason game in 2014, as John once eagerly pointed out). John has won them all, though whether it stays that way doesn’t really matter for parents Jack and Jackie, sister Joani or even the two coaches. It’s the journey that stands out. “I think we’re just older, a little wiser, probably appreciate even more how cool it is, the gravity of it, how amazing it is to be in this situation get to play each other,” John Harbaugh, 62, told The Sun. “I think we’re both like, this really is unbelievable. But then you get back to reality and you’ve got work to do.” That work — competition — has been going on their whole lives. When they were young, there was one fight or another “every day,” said John, who is 15 months older than Jim and until about 18 or 19 was bigger than him, too. Until then, Jim used to fend John off with a “crab” technique, in which Jim would be on his back with hands and feet flailing upward as they wrestled in the family basement. John responded by grabbing one of the big brown corduroy body pillows nearby, swiping at his brother’s feet with it and then pouncing on him. An 11-year-old John Harbaugh, left, poses for a picture outside the family’s home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with brother, Jim, and little sister, Joani. John is 15 months older than Jim. (Courtesy Jacqueline Harbaugh) Of course, that only lasted so long. Jim played quarterback for 14 seasons in the NFL, mostly for the Chicago Bears, who drafted him 26th overall in 1987, and the Indianapolis Colts before spending one season in Baltimore and then finishing his career with the Chargers and finally Carolina Panthers. Along the way, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1995 and led the Colts to the AFC championship game the same year. John’s playing days ended at Miami University, where he was a defensive back before he turned to coaching — first as running backs and outside linebackers coach under his dad at Western Michigan, then in various roles at four other schools before finally landing with the Philadelphia Eagles as a special teams coordinator in 1998. He remained there until 2008, when a phone call from Bill Belichick helped get him hired as the Ravens coach. In Baltimore, he became the only coach to win a playoff game in six of his first seven seasons, won a Super Bowl and has been a model of consistency as the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind only Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Eventually, the younger Harbaugh joined his older brother in the coaching ranks, first as an offensive consultant at Western Michigan in 1994, then as the then-Oakland Raiders’ quarterback coach in 2002 before being named head coach at the University of San Diego in 2004. From there, it was off to Stanford in 2007, the 49ers in 2011, his alma mater Michigan in 2015 (with a national championship in 2023) and finally back to the Chargers earlier this year. Along the way, the competition never stopped, be it on the half-basketball or shuffleboard court or billiards table at John’s house. Or in the pool playing water ping-pong against each other, which was, as John puts it, “a neck and neck battle” that grew intense until Jim’s wife Sarah stepped in “and beat us both.” Their parents, meanwhile, have simply been along for the joyous ride. Jack still sometimes makes appearances at practices and games for both of his sons. This week, they’ll watch the game from their daughter’s house in Bradenton, Florida, where they’ll be joined by son-in-law and former college basketball coach Tom Crean along with their grandkids. Perhaps fittingly, the game will also take place on their 63rd wedding anniversary. Occasionally, there’s still some coaching wisdom dispensed, too. Jim Harbaugh, left, and his father Jack Harbaugh speak to a player before the Ravens’ divisional round playoff game against the Texans on Jan. 20 in Baltimore. (Nick Wass/AP) For years, Jack has been getting game film after each of his son’s contests. After more than 40 years coaching at the college level, he will lend insight when asked. “I don’t overwhelm them; I don’t call them, I don’t text,” Jack said. “If they have a question I can help them with, I’m open to part of the discussion. My wife Jackie, though, she’s been around it enough that if she sees something, she’s likely to let you know what she saw. “When they were younger, just getting started I was more likely to say something. But I tell them this often: I wish I would’ve known what those two know, they are so good. Not the aspect of Xs and Os, it’s dealing with all they deal with. There’s so many things a coach is responsible for now.” That includes managing the hoopla around a brotherly rivalry renewed that also includes a number of reunions among former Ravens now with the Chargers. “I’m sure he doesn’t want to make it about him,” Jim said this week. ”I don’t want to make it about me. It is what it is. Big game, for sure. Two teams having at it.” John, of course, views it similarly. “It’s a tough matchup,” he said Thursday. “It’s a very good football team we’re playing this week. [The Chargers are] highly ranked in pretty much every area. [They’re] a winning football team, very physical, very tough [and an] extremely well-coached football team — no question about it. [Jim Harbaugh] is one of the best coaches of this generation, no question — I believe that. Even if he weren’t my brother, I would say the same thing. We have our work cut out for us.” But will there be a moment when the two coaches step back from that intensity to appreciate the uniqueness of the moment? Don’t count on it. “I’m sure we’ll talk before the game, chit chat before the game, and it’ll be different because it’s my brother than it is with other coaches, and it’ll be great,” John said. “We had that moment before the Thanksgiving game [in 2011], we talked before the Super Bowl [the] same way. I don’t think it’s different in that sense. It’s really cool, but even when you’re talking, your thoughts are on the game and on the teams.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens reportedly interested in former Giants QB Daniel Jones Baltimore Ravens | For Ravens, facing Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers will be ‘like playing the L.A. Ravens’ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith questionable to play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive S Eddie Jackson amid latest turmoil for secondary Baltimore Ravens | Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Rashod Bateman pop up on injury report Instead, they’ll leave that to the man who will be watching from afar. After all, who knows how many more times Jack will get to see his sons stand across from each other doing what no other brothers have yet to do? “The moments are fleeting,” Jack said. “We were at the Thursday night [Ravens vs.] Bengals game a couple weeks ago when they were down and came back and won. I went to the locker room and they were celebrating and excited and I wake up the next morning and John is already gone. He left for the office at 5:30 in the morning. “It’s about an eight-hour deal. It reflects life so much — you can’t spend too long patting yourself on the back, and you can’t spend too long lamenting feeling sorry for yourself. It’s not a quality you want in this business and in life.” After all, after a dozen-year gap, it’s time to find out who’s got it better between John and Jim Harbaugh. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens could be targeting an upgrade at backup quarterback. Baltimore is one of several teams interested in signing former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, according to multiple reports. The 27-year-old veteran is expected to become a free agent once he clears waivers Monday afternoon. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Ravens and Minnesota Vikings are two of the likeliest teams to land Jones, who reportedly wants to sign with a playoff contender. The Ravens, who are 7-4 and in second place in the AFC North, have a 97.4% chance to make the playoffs and a 18.7% chance to make the Super Bowl, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. Other possible options for Jones include the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders. Jones was benched by the Giants for third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito before being released Friday in a “mutually agreed” move to allow him to join another team before the end of the season, according to team owner John Mara. The 2019 first-round draft pick signed a four-year, $160 million contract in March 2023, but New York cut ties in part to avoid a $23 million injury guarantee if Jones did not pass a physical this upcoming offseason. While the Ravens have two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson at quarterback, the options behind him are thin. The backup is 38-year-old journeyman Josh Johnson, who has not started a game since filling in for an injured Jackson in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021. Devin Leary, a rookie sixth-round draft pick who struggled in the preseason, is on the practice squad. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith questionable to play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive S Eddie Jackson amid latest turmoil for secondary Baltimore Ravens | Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Rashod Bateman pop up on injury report Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers staff picks: Who will win Monday’s game in Los Angeles? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman Jones could join the practice squad, which means a team would not have to cut a player on its 53-man roster to sign him. For the Ravens, there’s also the appeal of a potential extra draft pick because Jones will count toward the compensatory free agent formula this offseason. Although Jones had a rocky start to his career after being the surprising No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, he enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2022 with coach Brian Daboll, leading the Giants to a playoff berth and a wild-card-round win over the Vikings. But after signing the extension, he struggled amid New York’s 1-4 start to the 2023 season, missed three games with a neck injury and then tore the ACL in his right knee in a Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Giants entered this season with playoff expectations but have cratered to 2-8, tied for the league’s worst record. Jones has completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,070 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 265 yards and two scores, ranking 26th in QBR and 28th in expected points added per play. For his career, Jones is 24-44-1 as the starter while passing for 14,582 yards with 70 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Football is a sport bound together and upheld by family trees. In rare cases — the Shanahans, the Harbaughs — these trees are rooted in biology. More often, they grow from coaching relationships — a shared mentor, long years spent side by side on the same staff, belief in the same tactics and philosophies. And then we get a game such as Monday night’s showdown between the Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers, which will bring two branches of the same tree into sharp conflict. The headlines begin with the brothers atop these two AFC contenders. John and Jim Harbaugh have not coached against one another since Super Bowl 47, 12 years ago. With Jim in the college ranks and John still in the NFL, it was easy for them to maintain a mutual support network, even shipping developing coaches back and forth from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Baltimore. Now, the brothers are back to chasing the same prize, and a passel of those coaches, executives and players who cut their teeth with the Ravens will be on the other side. It’s an important game for the Ravens as they try to bounce back from an error-filled loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and maintain a foothold in the AFC North race. To win it, they’ll have to overcome the one opponent most built in their image. “We’ve been joking that it’s going to be like playing the L.A. Ravens,” fullback Pat Ricard said. A not-so-quick rundown of the Chargers’ Baltimore connections: • General manager Joe Hortiz spent the first 25 years of his career with the Ravens, learning how to build a roster first from Ozzie Newsome and then from Eric DeCosta. • Offensive coordinator Greg Roman held the same position with the Ravens from 2019 to 2022, laying the framework for Lamar Jackson’s first NFL Most Valuable Player season. • Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter coached on the Ravens’ staff from 2017 to 2020, right beside his Baltimore counterpart, Zach Orr. • No. 1 and No. 2 running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards held the same positions on the Ravens as recently as the beginning of last season. • Reserve tight end Hayden Hurst was the Ravens’ first first-round draft pick in 2018, the year they traded into the last spot of that round to select Jackson. Starting center Bradley Bozeman was Baltimore’s sixth-round pick the same year. The ties that bind indeed. Running back J.K. Dobbins, right, is one of several Chargers executives, coaches and players with ties to the Ravens. (Ashley Landis/AP) There are tactical concerns at play with such familiarity. We’ll get to those. But Mark Andrews, who became a star in Roman’s tight end-friendly offense, pointed out that Monday night’s game will also be an unusual chance to celebrate the NFL roots reaching out from Baltimore. “I think it’s definitely a unique thing,” Andrews said. “I think it’s a tribute to the culture that we have here and just the type of organization that we have. We’ve had a bunch of incredible players and people and personnel that [are] on [the Chargers] and are doing great things. So it’s cool.” The Chargers (7-3) freely acknowledge the Baltimore influence on their franchise as they reset from a dispiriting 5-12 season under previous coach Brandon Staley. “Down throughout the roster, it’s kind of what we’re driving for,” Jim Harbaugh told the “Rich Eisen Show.” “When you watch the Ravens or watch our team, we hope to be looking in the mirror. That’s how much respect we have for the Baltimore Ravens.” John Harbaugh said he already sees his brother’s touch, and by extension those of all those other Ravens, in everything the Chargers do. “The culture, the way things are done, how they play, the schemes are very similar,” he said. “Not exactly the same but in a lot of ways, mirror images. With that, it’s two different football teams. It’s two teams squaring off in a really important game. That’s really what it’s going to be about, the guys out there playing the game.” So, is it harder to trick your mirror image when constructing a game plan? Players and coaches usually downplay the impact of having a former colleague embedded with a rival. In this case, however, several Chargers were intimately involved in designing the Ravens’ roster and strategy. Minter is four years and two defensive coordinators removed from his time in Baltimore. But Roman worked closely with Jackson and many other key offensive players, and Hortiz scouted most of the Ravens’ roster. Dobbins and Edwards played in coordinator Todd Monken’s offense a year ago. John Harbaugh said he couldn’t remember a game in which he faced two coordinators who’d worked for him. “It’s different than other games, sure,” he said. “We know the schemes pretty much. But there will be wrinkles. It’s the old ‘they know what we know that we know that they know that we know that they know what we know.’ With that, there will be wrinkles. But it’s going to come down, in the end, to the players. All the scheme stuff is important, but most important is really how the game is played.” The Ravens don’t seem concerned about the Chargers having inside knowledge of their playbook. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith questionable to play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive S Eddie Jackson amid latest turmoil for secondary Baltimore Ravens | Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Rashod Bateman pop up on injury report Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers staff picks: Who will win Monday’s game in Los Angeles? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman “Teams see everything we do on film anyway,” Ricard said. “The thing they know is us personally.” For all the acclaim around quarterback Justin Herbert’s efficient performance in Jim Harbaugh and Roman’s system, Minter’s defense has been the unexpected star, going from 24th in points allowed last season to first this season. The Chargers are doing it without a signature element. They deceive with ever-changing coverages, get to the quarterback without relying on all-out blitzes and take the ball away, much like the Ravens did last year. On offense, Roman can’t use all the run designs he developed for Jackson, but Ravens defenders see plenty that’s familiar when they peruse Chargers film. “It’s two like-minded teams,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “It is somewhat similar. You don’t have the same people. You don’t have Lamar. … It’s hard-nosed football. You know where the ball’s going. You know what’s going to happen. It’s can you stop it or not? There’s some beauty in that.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that he wouldn’t rule out inside linebacker and leading tackler Roquan Smith for Monday night’s game against the host Los Angeles Chargers “by any stretch.” Two days later, that remained the case. Smith, who suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and hasn’t practiced all week, is listed as questionable for the critical AFC showdown. Smith leads Baltimore (7-4) in tackles (110) while contributing an interception, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The two-time All Pro has also been incredibly durable, having not missed a regular-season game because of injury since 2019, his second year in the league with the Chicago Bears. If he can’t play, the Ravens’ options are less than ideal, particularly with a defense that has struggled in the middle of the field. Baltimore could shift linebacker Malik Harrison to more of an inside role to fill in for Smith. They also have Chris Board, who plays primarily on special teams, and Kristian Welch, whom they signed to the 53-man roster after waiving struggling safety Eddie Jackson on Saturday. Or the Ravens could deploy a dime linebacker look, though that would make them more vulnerable against the run against an offense led by former Baltimore coordinator Greg Roman and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. “If ‘Ro’ can’t go, it’ll be linebacker by committee, depending on what we want to run and what they want to run, as well,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Friday. “You’ll see a mixture of guys in there.” The only players the Ravens will definitely be without are cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) and rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle). Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens waive S Eddie Jackson amid latest turmoil for secondary Baltimore Ravens | Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Rashod Bateman pop up on injury report Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers staff picks: Who will win Monday’s game in Los Angeles? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith misses practice Thursday but could play vs. Chargers Defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle) is listed as questionable after being limited during Saturday’s walk-through practice. Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum (back) was also limited and is questionable. The Chargers (7-3), meanwhile, will be without former Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin), who ranks third on the team with 54 tackles. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack (groin), wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder), outside linebacker Bud Dupree (foot), safety AJ Finley (ankle) and cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle) are all questionable. The 33-year-old Mack, who has 4 1/2 sacks in a resurgent season, missed last week’s game. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Eddie Jackson’s Ravens career didn’t last long. The Ravens waived the veteran safety Saturday, less than a week after he didn’t make the trip to Pittsburgh for Sunday’s game against the Steelers. Coach John Harbaugh declined to say why Jackson did not travel with the team. “I really don’t have anything to say about those personnel decisions that get made, or why they get made,” he said. “Some of those things are just in-house conversations that we have, and it stops there.” Jackson participated in practice Friday in Owings Mills but a day later was cut loose before the team traveled to Los Angeles for Monday night’s game against the Chargers. Baltimore signed the 30-year-old former All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in July as a replacement for Geno Stone, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason. But Jackson’s play was underwhelming from the start and he seemed to get worse as the season wore on. Jackson had 30 tackles in eight games for the Ravens but struggled mightily against the pass. He allowed a passer rating of 144.9 in coverage and surrendered 15.6 yards per catch, per Pro Football Focus, which has him ranked 83rd out of 89 safeties. He also had just one pass breakup. One of Jackson’s worst games came in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Ravens won, 41-31, but Jackson allowed four catches on five targets for 75 yards. A week later was even worse. Starting over a likewise struggling Marcus Williams, he was burned for six catches on 10 targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns and dropped two would-be interceptions in the Ravens’ 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith questionable to play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Rashod Bateman pop up on injury report Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers staff picks: Who will win Monday’s game in Los Angeles? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith misses practice Thursday but could play vs. Chargers Jackson was a healthy scratch the following week in Baltimore’s win over the Denver Broncos, then played just 16 snaps in a Thursday night win over the Bengals four days later in what turned out to be his final game in Baltimore. His departure is only the latest in a series of moves for what has been the NFL’s worst pass defense. Baltimore has also flip-flopped between Williams and Ar’Darius Washington at safety alongside All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Washington will be the starter going forward, Harbaugh said. In a corresponding move to Jackson being waived, the Ravens signed inside linebacker Kristian Welch from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Welch has played the past two weeks on special teams but could see an increased role if Roquan Smith (hamstring) is ruled out against the Chargers. Smith is questionable after missing practice all week. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman and Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum popped up on the team’s penultimate injury report after missing practice Friday in Owings Mills three days ahead of a crucial Monday night showdown against the host Los Angeles Chargers. Bateman, who is second on the team in catches (33) and receiving yards (531) this season, is listed with a knee injury, though he was in good spirits and did not appear to be in pain in the locker room after the snowy session. Linderbaum, meanwhile, missed practice with a back injury, and his backup, rookie Nick Samac (chest), was limited. On the flip side, running back Justice Hill (concussion protocol) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (illness) were both full participants after Hill was limited a day earlier and Agholor was out sick. The biggest concern for Baltimore (7-4) ahead of its showdown with the Chargers (7-3) remains the status of All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith, who did not practice for a third straight day because of a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Friday, adding that Smith’s role will be filled by a committee of Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison and Chris Board if he doesn’t play. “Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker [and] a top linebacker in this league [and] All-Pro for a reason. Not one guy’s going to replace him. We like our guys that we have in the room — they’re here for a reason, and somebody [has] to step up.” There were no changes to the rest of the Ravens’ injury report, with safety Kyle Hamilton (neck) and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (neck) both full participants for a second straight day and defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle), rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle) and cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) all not practicing again. The Chargers, on the other hand, appear to be getting healthier with a few key players back on the field. Notably, outside linebackers Khalil Mack (groin) and Joey Bosa (hip), rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder), tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) and rookie cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle) all practiced Friday. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers staff picks: Who will win Monday’s game in Los Angeles? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith misses practice Thursday but could play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers scouting report for Week 12: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers Week 12 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Mack, who is third on the team with 4 1/2 sacks and hasn’t played since injuring his groin three weeks ago in a win over the Cleveland Browns, practiced for a second straight day, though he was limited again. Bosa, outside linebacker Bud Dupree (foot), safety Derwin James Jr. (groin) and offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III (ankle) were also limited. Mack’s return would be an added boost to a defense that already leads the NFL in points allowed per game (14.5) and is tied for the fourth-most sacks with 34. Meanwhile, McConkey, who leads Los Angeles in catches (43) and receiving yards (615) to go with four touchdowns, was limited after not practicing Thursday, as were Hurst, a 2018 Ravens first-round draft pick, and Hart, a Baltimore native. Linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) did not practice, nor did former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins, who was given a rest day. With the game Monday night, the final injury report with game statuses will come out Saturday. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Monday’s Week 12 game between the Ravens (7-4) and Chargers (7-3) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 30, Chargers 20: As bad as Lamar Jackson was last week in an ugly 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s unlikely he’ll struggle the same way against the Chargers. Jackson is 19-5 as a starter in prime-time games, which includes an 11-1 mark in his past 12, and L.A.’s defense has benefitted from a fairly easy schedule. I also suspect Derrick Henry will get more than the 13 carries he had last week. The biggest concern for Baltimore, of course, is its defense, particularly if Roquan Smith (hamstring) is out. That could spark a big day for former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins and tight end Will Dissly, who had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Baltimore’s offense hasn’t had two bad games in a row and I don’t expect that to change here as coach John Harbaugh improves his record to 3-0 against younger brother Jim. Childs Walker, reporter Ravens 31, Chargers 23: The Chargers are a balanced team capable of winning ugly. The Steelers just used that formula to beat the Ravens. Unlike Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert will attack in the middle of the field, where the Baltimore defense is weakest. That said, Los Angeles has built its winning record and impressive defensive statistics against opponents that can’t touch the Ravens’ firepower. Cincinnati scored in bunches against the Chargers and that was without a notable running attack. If the Ravens get ahead early, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will control this one. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 30, Chargers 23: The Ravens lost a tough one to Pittsburgh last week, but they earned it by losing two fumbles and throwing an interception. Quarterback Lamar Jackson played his worst game of the season and consistently missed open receivers, especially in the first half. The Chargers’ defense has gotten better every game, but the Ravens will rebound with a stellar offensive effort. On defense, the Ravens will be challenged because Los Angeles has a good quarterback in Justin Herbert, but the Chargers lack a quality receiver who can challenge the Ravens downfield even though Baltimore still has one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 27, Chargers 20: If you were building a team to defeat the Ravens, it would closely resemble the Chargers. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack can rush the passer and set hard edges. Poona Ford can hold up in the middle. Kristian Fulton, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still can play sticky coverage. Daiyan Henley, Derwin James Jr. and Elijah Molden can tackle in space. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will not have an easy time against Jesse Minter’s defense. On the other side of the ball, L.A. has one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Justin Herbert who has taken a big step forward this season by playing much more aggressively. He’s capable of torching the Ravens’ secondary … if he had a better group of receivers. Even if rookie Ladd McConkey does play, the Ravens’ have the clear edge in offensive talent. It should be enough to win, but Baltimore needs to play a clean game to keep its offense on schedule and avoid giving the Chargers extra possessions. Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 35, Chargers 24: The NFL’s second-highest scoring team meets the league’s stingiest defense in terms of points allowed. But before we go too much further, it’s worth noting that the Chargers have feasted on terrible teams for much of this season. Their four-game winning streak features victories over the Saints, Browns, Titans and Bengals. In their three losses, they’ve scored 10 points in two and 15 in the other. For all the talk about the Chargers’ offense, Justin Herbert and coordinator Greg Roman, they average just 22 points per game, fewer than the Steelers and middle of the pack in the NFL, and have scored more than 30 points just once — last weekend against the Bengals. It will take more than 30 points to beat the Ravens on Monday night, and nobody is more familiar with the Chargers’ scheme and personnel than John Harbaugh. They don’t call ’em the L.A. Ravens for nothing. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 31, Chargers 24: The Ravens have stumbled twice this season against awful teams, losing to the Browns and Raiders. The Chargers have done the opposite in their march to a 7-3 record, going 6-0 against opponents with losing records. While Los Angeles thrives on beating up bad teams, the Ravens dominated the Bills and Broncos and controlled their win over the Commanders. Even in close losses to the Chiefs and Steelers, John Harbaugh’s team showed it’s more capable of beating playoff-caliber opponents than Jim Harbaugh’s group. It’s hard to pick against Lamar Jackson in prime time. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

Monday night’s Ravens-Chargers game in Los Angeles will of course pit Baltimore coach John Harbaugh against his younger brother Jim in the third edition of a “Harbowl” and the first meeting since the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in February 2013. But there will also be another intriguing reunion of sorts at SoFi Stadium. It will mark the first time that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and former Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be on the field together since the latter’s departure from Charm City a little under two years ago. When Jackson was asked Thursday how he looks back at his time with Roman, his reaction was curious. The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player turned and looked straight ahead, paused for a handful of seconds and bobbed his head back and forth. “It was good,” Jackson finally said. “I mean, we had a lot of success. I won my first MVP with G-Ro’s system. We had a lot of great seasons.” In 2019, his first year as Baltimore’s full-time starter and just his second in the league, the Ravens went 14-2 during the regular season. Under Roman, Jackson led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes, threw for 3,127 yards and set the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206. That led to Jackson becoming just the second unanimous NFL MVP, joining Tom Brady. But the top-seeded Ravens stunningly lost to the Tennessee Titans, 28-12, in the divisional round, and the honeymoon didn’t last. Baltimore announced Roman’s resignation in January 2023 after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round of the playoffs, a game that Jackson missed because of a knee injury he suffered in Week 13 of the regular season. While Roman’s scheme unleashed Jackson as the game’s most potent player, critics believed the passing attack was lacking. In his first season under coordinator Todd Monken, Jackson won his second MVP Award after setting career highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (.672) and the Ravens reached the AFC championship game. Roman, meanwhile, spent the year out of pro football before being hired by Jim Harbaugh this past February shortly after the former quarterback led his alma mater Michigan to the national championship. Roman’s results in Los Angeles so far have been mixed. The Chargers (7-3) rank 18th in points per game (22) and yards per game (326.4), though they are 12th in rushing yards per game (121.6). They have also won four games in a row and five of their past six. The Ravens (7-4) have been more streaky, though Monken’s offense ranks first in yards per game (430.1) and second in scoring (30.4) with Jackson once again putting up MVP-worthy numbers. After an 0-2 start to the season, Baltimore won five in a row before splitting its next four, which included a sloppy, mistake-filled loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. In that 18-16 defeat, Jackson was held to just 207 passing yards and a 48.5% completion rate, easily his lowest mark of the season. Now comes a Chargers defense that ranks first in points per game (14.5). Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LB Roquan Smith misses practice Thursday but could play vs. Chargers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers scouting report for Week 12: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers Week 12 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Were the Ravens bullied by the Steelers? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Raven Terrell Suggs’ trial in Arizona postponed amid potential plea negotiations “We’re not doing a good job of being consistent,” Jackson said. “We having our moments where, go into the game scoring first drive. Then there’s been a couple weeks we haven’t been scoring first drive and it’s been taking us a little while to get our groove. We gotta work on that.” It starts with the details, Jackson said. “Just being locked in on practice, every little detail, the smallest details, things from the game that we probably made a mistake on, cleaning that up. Small things like that and I feel like we’ll be on our way to being consistent.” And as for that time with Roman? Said Jackson: “I believe it was just short, that’s all.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that middle linebacker Roquan Smith, who is dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered Sunday in Pittsburgh, is “not ruled out by any stretch” for Monday night’s prime-time matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Smith hasn’t practiced this week and was absent again Thursday but is “working hard to get healthy,” Harbaugh said. The Ravens have an extra day of practice this week because they play on “Monday Night Football.” Whether Baltimore’s leading tackler returns Friday could be more telling about his status for Week 12. Should Smith miss Monday’s game, safety Kyle Hamilton would likely wear the green dot, which signifies who relays the defensive play calls, in his place. “I’ve had it in my helmet pretty much every day in practice for the past 12 weeks,” Hamilton said, insinuating he’d be comfortable with that role. “They never told me I had the mic in my helmet until Day 1 of practice and I was hearing [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] in my ear.” Defensive lineman Travis Jones (ankle) was another notable absence from the first full practice of the week. He was a limited participant last week, then appeared to shuffle in and out of Sunday’s game with a noticeable limp. His status for Monday has not yet been determined. Wide receiver Nelson Agholor didn’t practice because of illness. Running back Justice Hill, who was seen wearing a red noncontact jersey and Guardian cap during the open portion of practice, was limited as he works through concussion protocol. Neither cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) nor safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle) practiced Thursday. Maulet, who did not play in Pittsburgh, was out of the boot he wore last week. Kane, a rookie primarily playing on special teams, left Sunday’s game early and did not return. Hamilton and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh were listed with neck injuries but practiced fully. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson reflects on time with former OC Greg Roman Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers scouting report for Week 12: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Chargers Week 12 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Were the Ravens bullied by the Steelers? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Former Raven Terrell Suggs’ trial in Arizona postponed amid potential plea negotiations The team on the other side of the “Harbowl” included a few notable names on their injury report, too. Chargers outside linebacker and four-time Pro Bowl selection Joey Bosa was limited with a hip injury, but he hasn’t missed a game. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack (groin) did not play Sunday night against the Bengals but was limited Thursday, which could signify he’s nearing a return. The Chargers’ report is an estimation because they did not practice. Both wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder) and cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle) missed practice, as did safety AJ Finley (ankle) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin). Outside linebacker Bud Dupree (foot), safety Derwin James Jr. (groin) and tackle Trey Pipkins III (ankle) were listed as limited participants on Los Angeles’ first injury report of the week. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article