Monday’s AFC battle between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens marks the first time in over a decade that Jim and John Harbaugh have faced off as NFL coaches. And ahead of the game, each naturally had plenty of compliments for the other in their respective pregame interviews.
The Harbaugh brothers have faced off as opposing coaches in two games prior, with the most prominent of course coming in Super Bowl XLVII when the Ravens hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after beating the San Francisco 49ers.
While the stakes weren’t as high on Monday, both coaches went in dead set on gaining the upper hand on the other.
As both teams prepared for the start of the game, ESPN sideline reporters Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge each took a Harbaugh aside for a pregame interview, asking them about what getting to coach against one another meant to them.
The Harbaughs are interviewed pregame on ESPN.
Jim Harbaugh: “I’d lay down my life for my brother, but I would not let him win a football game.” 🏈🎙️ #NFL #MNF pic.twitter.com/fr94hrzXVx
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 26, 2024
“There’s all the things that we love about each other,” said John Harbaugh. “And there is all the things we know about each other that we have to overcome in a game like this. He’s a great coach, a great man, a great leader. And he’s got a great football team. So that makes it complicated.
“I love my brother,” said Jim Harbaugh. “I’d lay down my life for my brother. But I would not let him win a football game. And he wouldn’t want it that way. It just feels cool, we’re ready to have at it.”
You can very much tell by looking at the construction of both teams that the Harbaugh brothers coach extremely similarly. So much so that some of the first moves from Jim Harbaugh in his first season in Los Angeles were to bring in former Ravens running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, along with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
The similarities don’t stop there. Both teams currently find themselves inside the AFC playoff picture with seven wins. So on top of the sibling bragging rights that come with a win in this game, the winner of this game will further cement his respective team as a true contender in the AFC.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.