Critical Chargers game picked up by ABC— and the country needs to see it

Los Angeles will host the Baltimore Ravens in primetime for the second year in a row, but this time has more significance

Javon Edmonds | Oct 12, 2024

Nov 26, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) greets Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after defeating the Chargers 20-10 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Chargers

Disney has added six ABC simulcasts to its 2024 Monday Night Football schedule, and one of them impacts the Los Angeles Chargers.

Originally scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN 2, the MNF games for Weeks 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12 have been added to ABC.

In Week 12, the Chargers will host head coach Jim Harbaugh's brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens in primetime for the second year in a row.

Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman spent six years with the Ravens, including four as offensive coordinator. In Week 12, quarterback Justin Herbert will get an in-person look at why the Ravens moved on from Roman.

In Baltimore's first year without Roman, the Ravens earned the AFC's top seed and hosted the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history. In their second year under Todd Monken, Baltimore has the ninth-best passing offense in the NFL, as well as the best-rushing offense.

The Ravens could never dream of such balance and efficiency with Roman at the helm, and they immediately took the next step as a Super Bowl contender once they got rid of him.

When Herbert and the Chargers' 31st-ranked offense watch Baltimore from the sidelines, they'll see an offense that's more complex with route patterns actually designed to get playmakers open in space.

If Los Angeles hasn't gotten its act together by then, the whole country will have a chance to see the difference and ponder why the Chargers brought in Roman to stifle the arm talent of Herbert.

The Chargers have held their franchise quarterback down in 2024, not replacing his top two wide receivers in the offseason and fully giving into a system that has proven to be ineffective in a championship pursuit.

When Week 12 hits and Herbert meets Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson at midfield after the game, he may want to ask about the true Roman experience and maybe push his front office to take a different approach in 2025.

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