Monday Night Football plays host to the ‘Harbowl’.
The Los Angeles Chargers welcome the Baltimore Ravens to SoFi Stadium on Monday night, as former teammates, coaches and siblings go head-to-head.
Bolts head coach Jim Harbaugh and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh face off for the first time in a decade.
It is the third meeting between the brothers. They remain the only siblings to face off as head coaches in NFL history.
John has come out on top in the previous two meetings, back when brother Jim was head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
The most recent of which was the unforgettable Super Bowl XLVII, as the Ravens beat the Niners 34-31 back in February 2013.
Nowadays, Jim is head coach of the Chargers. The Bolts have been transformed into a team to be reckoned with in a matter of months.
They are still not a team many people are predicting to reach the Super Bowl – this year at least. That being said, the Chargers have won four straight games and are 7-3 going into Week 12.
‘Baltimore lite’
While the Harbaughs will draw a lot of attention, the familiar faces go far deeper than just the head coaches.
Chargers general manager Joe Horitz spent 25 years with the Ravens organisation between 1998-2023. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman held the same role in Baltimore from 2019 to 2022.
Even the Bolts’ defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, spent time in Baltimore – assisting the defense between 2017-2020.
Things are exactly the same on the field.
Chargers running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were both on the Ravens roster in 2023. Tight end Hayden Hurst – admittedly ruled out of Monday’s game – was a first round pick by the Ravens back in 2018.
And the offensive line has a hint of Ravens, with centres Bradley Bozeman and Sam Mustipher both having previously played for Baltimore.
Playoff picture in focus
Baltimore also go into Monday Night Football on seven wins, sitting at 7-4 having lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
The result will have implications for the AFC West, AFC North and the whole conference’s playoff race. Chargers start the day as the fifth seeds, one spot ahead of the Ravens.
The chasing pack are led by the 5-6 Miami Dolphins. Monday night’s victors will move three wins clear with just five regular season games to play. Even the Chargers would struggle to miss the playoffs from that position!
No pressure then.
