Ravens Win Pivotal Fourth Down Battle vs Chargers

The Baltimore Ravens went for it three times on fourth down in their win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh reacts against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In a game that could very well decide seeding in the AFC when the playoffs roll around, it was the Baltimore Ravens' aggression that ultimately proved to be the difference.

The Ravens went for it on fourth down three times in their 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Baltimore converted on all three occasions and went on to score two touchdowns because of its conversions on fourth down.

No fourth down conversion was bigger than the Ravens' first, which came at the two-minute warning with them trailing the Chargers 10-7. The decision to go for it was dicey, to say the least with Baltimore on its 16-yard-line. The Ravens had tight end Mark Andrews run a sneak and he converted.

Five plays later, Baltimore took its first lead on a 40-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman. The Ravens didn't trail for the rest of the game.

"The downside is you give them the ball at the 16-yard line. It's a downside, but the upside, or the thought, is that I really thought we'd get it. I thought Mark [Andrews could get it with the quarterback sneak. And I just thought he and Tyler [Linderbaum] and our interior offensive line, Patrick Mekari just coming off the ball the way he did and Daniel Faalele coming off the ball the way they did, I thought we could get it and they did, so hats off to them. [It] led to a [93-yard] drive and got seven points. That was a big turning point in the game."

Baltimore also went for it on fourth down twice on the same drive that spanned from the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. On fourth and one at the Ravens' 39-yard line with 2:38 left in the third quarter, running back Derrick Henry got the carry and ran for 27 yards. Four plays later, Baltimore was in the same situation at the Chargers' 25-yard line and Henry converted once more with a two-yard run.

The Ravens capped off that drive with a six-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Andrews to extend their lead to seven.

For the season, Baltimore has gone 7-8 on its fourth down attempts this season, with the lone time it didn't work coming in its 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

The line between being aggressive and being dumb is a thin one. Harbaugh walked that tight rope to perfection for the Ravens (8-4) against the Chargers (7-4) and it went a long way toward being the difference in the clash between AFC contenders.

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