NFL Week 12 Overreactions
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down NFL week 12 wildest games.
Sports Seriously
It’s bowl season, and that kicks off with the Harbaugh Bowl between the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football.”
Jim Harbaugh has had the Chargers humming in 2024. In his return to the NFL, the younger Harbaugh has helped Justin Herbert and the Bolts start to change the narrative surrounding the team. That much was apparent in the Chargers‘ last prime-time appearance when they held off a red-hot Joe Burrow for a win on “Sunday Night Football.”
It’s business as usual for John Harbaugh and the Ravens entering “Monday Night Football.” The Ravens are 7-4, but are 2-2 in their last four games, with division losses to the Browns and Steelers. Still, Lamar Jackson is an MVP candidate and the Ravens offense has scored 30 points or more in six games this season – and all six games were, expectedly, victories.
The soaring Ravens offense will provide a challenge for the Los Angeles D. The Chargers have stifled opponents, as they’re ranked the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL entering Week 12. Jackson heading to L.A. provides a textbook definition of “unstoppable force vs. immovable object” on Monday night.
Thanksgiving dinner bragging rights are on the table for the Harbaugh brothers. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Chargers and Ravens below.
Jim Harbaugh is 0-2 vs. his brother John in the NFL. His 49ers team lost to the Ravens in Super Bowl 47 (34-31), as well as on Thanksgiving in 2011 (16-6).
John Harbaugh is the older of the Harbaugh brothers. He was born on Sept. 23, 1962, making his 62 years old. Jim, 60, was born just over a year later on Dec. 23, 1963.
- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT)
- Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California.
The Chargers and Ravens will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET.
- TV channel: ABC | ESPN | ESPN2
ESPN again is the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football.” The longtime team of Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (color) will be on the call, with Lisa Salters adding reports from the sideline.
Viewers can also tune in to ESPN2 for the “ManningCast” featuring Peyton and Eli Manning.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels tonight’s Chargers-Ravens “MNF” matchup will tilt:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Chargers 24, Ravens 23
- Tyler Dragon: Ravens 25, Chargers 23
- Richard Morin: Ravens 28, Chargers 27
- Jordan Mendoza: Ravens 31, Chargers 30
The Ravens are favorites to defeat the Chargers, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week.
- Moneyline: Ravens (-155); Chargers (+130)
- QB Easton Stick (emergency 3rd QB)
McConkey was listed as “questionable” ahead of Monday night’s game vs. Baltimore but was not on the inactives list; that indicates he will be in the lineup.
Cord-cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup can turn to Fubo TV. Fubo TV carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season.
ESPN+, the proprietary streaming service of ESPN, will also carry the game.
This “Harbaugh Bowl” will also feature some interesting subplots. It will be a reunion of sorts for several members of the Chargers organization. L.A. general manager Joe Hortiz served 26 seasons in Baltimore’s front office and five Chargers coaches spent time on the Ravens staff during their coaching careers.
But there’s even more to the matchup, writes USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon.
The Ravens are a tough test for the Chargers’ top-ranked scoring defense. Los Angeles allows a league-low 14.5 points per game, but Baltimore is scoring 30.4 points per game, which is good for second-most in the NFL. The Chargers had trouble slowing Joe Burrow down in the second half last week and allowed a season-high 27 points to the Bengals. Lamar Jackson should be expected to post similarly strong numbers and make this a high-scoring contest.
Of course, Justin Herbert has been playing at a top-tier level for the Chargers recently, so he could turn this game into an offensive showdown. The Ravens have the NFL’s worst passing defense, so Herbert should be able to get Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston open for deep plays.
The Ravens have played in higher-scoring games than the Chargers this season, so one would presume that type of contest would benefit Baltimore. Still, Jim Harbaugh will be motivated to exact revenge upon his brother for his loss in Super Bowl 47. The younger Harbaugh has never beaten his older brother, so that will give the Chargers extra motivation throughout this game.
The Chargers vs. Ravens game is being played under SoFi Stadium’s roof but because the sides of the stadium are open, the weather could have a small impact on the contest.
Temperatures are expected to be around 53 degrees during Monday night’s game, per Weather.com. There will only be 3 mph of wind, so with the partially closed nature of SoFi Stadium, the weather conditions figure to have minimal impact on the game’s result.
- Location: Inglewood, California
The Ravens travel west to take on the Chargers in their building on Monday night.
Yes, the Chargers and Rams both call SoFi Stadium home. Rams owner Stan Kroenke built the stadium as part of the Rams’ move to Los Angeles in 2016 and has rented it to the Chargers since it opened in 2020.
- Steelers (8-3)
- Ravens (7-4)
- Bengals (4-7)
- Browns (3-8)
- Chiefs (10-1)
- Chargers (7-3)
- Broncos (7-5)
- Raiders (2-9)
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