Ravens vs. Chargers Preview: Family Matters

The Baltimore Ravens begin the holiday season with a family reunion of sorts.

Nov 26, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws against Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Justin Hollins (58) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The holiday season is the perfect time to connect with family, and what better way to get it rolling than with a good old sibling rivalry?

Monday nights's showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers is notable not just for being a battle of playoff positioning, but for the countless connections between the teams.

Of course, the biggest storyline is the coaching showdown between Baltimore's John Harbaugh and Los Angeles' Jim Harbaugh, with the brothers going head-to-head for the first time since Super Bowl XLVII. Add in the many former Ravens that line the Chargers' roster and coaching staff, and this game is about as close to a mirror match as possible.

"The culture, the way things are done, how [the Chargers] play, certainly, [and] the schemes [are] very similar," John Harbaugh said this week. "The schemes are, in a lot of ways not exactly the same, but in a lot of ways mirror images – the people coaching [and] a lot of the guys playing. But with that, it's two different football teams. It's two teams squaring off in a really important game, and that's what it's really going to be about."

The Chargers aren't the flashiest team offensively, but are playing clean, efficient football. Justin Herbert has thrown for 2,186 yards, 13 touchdowns, and most importantly, just one interception all season. Former Raven J.K. Dobbins leads the charge on the ground, rushing for 726 yards and eight touchdowns to revitalize his career.

With former Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman now running the show in L.A., the Chargers' offense should look very familiar, but not completely identical.

"I think we're fairly familiar with each other and how each other operates," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "I think it'll be a good game. I think it's two like-minded teams – hard-nosed, hardworking and people who just love good results and love results. I think it's going to be a fun game."

Defense is where the Chargers really shine. Led by former Baltimore defensive backs coach Jesse Minter, L.A. has allowed a league-low 14.5 points per game this season. With star edge rusher Khalil Mack reportedly set to return, the Chargers' defense will present a tough challenge for a Ravens offense coming off its sloppiest performance of the season.

"When we're doing things out there on that field, we have to be consistent, and that's what we're chasing," quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "We're not doing a good job of being consistent. We have our moments where we go into the game [and] score on the first drive. Then, there's been a couple of weeks we haven't scored on the first drive, and it's just been taking us a little while to get [into] our groove.

"We have to work on that; that's the biggest thing for us right now, just being consistent and, like I said earlier, just putting points on the board, because that's our job."

These two teams last met almost exactly a year ago at the very same venue, with Baltimore pulling out a 20-10 road victory. The Ravens will look for a similar result on Monday night, although the Chargers are a much different team than they were last season.

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