ExtremeRavens Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 The “Harbowl” is back. As the new coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, Jim Harbaugh will take on his older brother, John, and the Ravens next season at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. While the date for the third meeting between the Harbaugh siblings is not yet set, the Ravens are scheduled to face the Chargers and the rest of the AFC West in 2024. The Harbaughs became the first pair of brothers to face off as opposing coaches in an NFL game in 2011, when John’s Ravens beat Jim’s San Francisco 49ers, 16-6, on Thanksgiving night at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore tied a franchise record with nine sacks of quarterback Alex Smith to end San Francisco’s eight-game winning streak. “There’s a saying that says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another,'” Jim said after the game. “And I have to say my brother, John, is the sharpest iron I’ve ever encountered in my life.” While both the Ravens and 49ers fell short in their respective conference championship games that season, it wouldn’t be long before the brothers met on the biggest stage. The following season, the Ravens rode a scorching-hot postseason performance from quarterback Joe Flacco and a Ray Lewis-led defense to Super Bowl 47, where they would meet the 49ers and breakout star quarterback Colin Kaepernick. In the historic family affair, the Ravens withstood a halftime blackout at the Superdome in New Orleans and a furious comeback bid to secure a 34-31 victory for the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. “It’s very tough,” John said when asked about his postgame handshake with his brother. “It’s a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. It’s very painful.” Jim fell short in the NFC championship game again the following season and went 8-8 and missed the playoffs in 2014 before parting ways with San Francisco. He went 49-22-1 in four seasons, but a reported disconnect between him, owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke led to his departure, with Harbaugh later saying: “I didn’t leave the 49ers, I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me.” Harbaugh was quickly hired by Michigan, his alma mater, which had fallen into a prolonged slump under coaches Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. The former quarterback immediately turned the program around, going 10-3 in three of his first four seasons, but he struggled to beat Ohio State and other elite teams and make the Wolverines a national title contender. Then, a breakthrough. After falling to 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Michigan made three straight appearances in the College Football Playoff, culminating in an undefeated 2023 season and the school’s first national title since 1997 after wins over Alabama and Washington. It did not come without controversy, however, as Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games for recruiting violations and was later suspended the last three games of the regular season after the Big Ten’s investigation into the program’s sign-stealing scandal. John came to Jim’s defense in November as details emerged about the sign-stealing scandal, saying he was “proud” of his brother for how he’s “handled himself through all this.” With the Ravens enjoying a first-round bye after finishing the regular season with the NFL’s best record, John attended the Wolverines’ national championship victory Jan. 8 in Houston, giving his brother a hug on the sideline during the game. Patrick Semansky / Associated PressRavens coach John Harbaugh, left, speaks with his brother, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, on the sideline during a game against Maryland in College Park in 2015. John Harbaugh on Tuesday provided an impassioned defense of his brother amid Michigan's sign-stealing scandal.Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore SunBaltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, right, talks with brother and San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, during their joint practice at the Under Armour Performance Center in August 2014.Michael Zagaris / Getty ImagesHead Coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers and Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens stand with their parents and John's daughter prior to the game at M&T Bank Stadium on November 24, 2011 in Baltimore. The Ravens defeated the 49ers 16-6.Jamie Squire / Getty ImagesMichigan coach Jim Harbaugh (right) celebrates with his brother, head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens after the Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-17 in their AFC Wild Card game at Heinz Field on January 3, 2015 in Pittsburgh.Gene Sweeney Jr / Baltimore SunJim and John Harbaugh greet one another after facing each other on Thanksgiving in 2011.Patrick Semansky / Associated PressMichigan coach Jim Harbaugh, left, reacts to a play next to his brother, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, in the first half.Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamRavens coach John Harbaugh and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh stand together before kickoff.Show Caption of Expand It seemed to provide some extra motivation for John, who is seeking his second title and first trip back to the Super Bowl since the brothers coached against each other in February 2013. “Like any brother, sibling, your brother gets something, you want it too, right?” John, 61, said. “You become a part of the celebration and the confetti and the jubilation and the tears. And [it] just kind of sinks in. It’s like, ‘Man, I really want to experience this for our team, I want our team to experience this.’ “That’s the big picture. That’s the ultimate goal for the season. And then with that, back to one day at a time, one play at a time.” Jim, 60, the Ravens’ starting quarterback in 1998, returned the favor weeks later, attending the team’s divisional round playoff victory over the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium. Now the Ravens host the AFC championship game Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, with the winner advancing to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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