INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) faced their first real test in the AFC against the Baltimore Ravens (8-5), but they failed it after losing 30-23.
After losing to the Steelers, the Ravens came into SoFi Stadium with sense of purpose to show that they could gash you on offense and slow down an opposing offense with their defense.
They allowed Baltimore to convert three fourth downs while also allowing 8-for-15 on third down. Derrick Henry ran 24 times for 140 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Overall, the Ravens ran the ball 36 times for 213 yards and two rushing touchdowns. It was an average of 6.1 yards per carry.
“They ran the ball," Jim Harbaugh said after the game. "They ran the ball real well. We needed better block destruction across the board. But give them credit. They did a heck of a good job.”
Baltimore had five straight scoring drives after coming up with zero points on the first two drives. They went touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown and touchdown.
That is a total of 30 points while holding on to the ball for over 30 minutes.
It has been the same story all season: the Chargers do well offensively in the first half but can’t continue it in the second half. They only managed to score ten points in the second half, with one touchdown coming late.
"I think there are opportunities to go out there and we've shown capable of going out there and scoring in the second half," Chargers quarterback explained. "It’s obviously a tough game and we'd love to score more points. We just got to keep executing and do everything we can. I thought we did a good job moving the ball. We just got to go score points in the red zone."
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers hugs John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens after a game at SoFi Stadium on November 25, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
Justin Herbert was 13-for-18 for 129 yards in the first half but went 8-for-18 passing for 89 yards in the second half. There were numerous drops, and there were not enough touchdowns.
“I thought he was incredible, what he is every single week," Harbaugh said of Herbert. "He’s the most consistently good player I’ve ever been around.”
Greg Roman’s offense got going on the opening drive that featured two Herbert passes to McConkey and Dissly for 35 yards while also running seven times for 35 yards between Herbert, Edwards, and Dobbins. Herbert ran it in for a 5-yard touchdown to put them up 7-0 early.
Two drives later, the Chargers offense went on another long drive thanks to the 19-yard punt return of Derius Davis. JK Dobbins had 30 combined yards, including a 17-yard run. The drive stalled on an incomplete pass to Dobbins on 3rd-and-7 on the Baltimore 24. Cameron Dicker hit a 42-yard field goal to put them up 10-0.
In the Ravens’ first two drives, they ran Derrick Henry only three times. On their third drive, they ran him twice for 30 yards. He did have a touchdown nullified on an illegal formation, but Jackson finished the drive off with a 10-yard run for the touchdown. The drive's key play came on 3rd-and-5 from the Chargers 32 when Jackson found tight end Mark Andrews for a 16-yard connection to keep the drive alive. Chargers still led at this point 10-7.
“The downside is you give them the ball at the 16-yard line –that's the downside – but the upside, or the thought, is I really thought we could 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 – Pat Mekari just coming off the ball way he did, and Daniel Faalele coming off the ball the way they did – I just thought we could get it, and they did, so hats off to them. It led to a 93-yard drive and got us seven points; that was a big turning point in the game,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh explained.
Their next drive stalled again, and they were forced to punt after a holding call took them from 3rd-and-1 to 3rd-and-11, which they couldn’t convert.
The phrase “risk it to get the biscuit” was front stage when John decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 from their 16-yard line. Andrews came in motion, took a direct snap, and got two yards. Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 22-yard catch and run on 3rd down that put them near midfield. In the next two plays, cornerback Kristian Fulton had a pass interference called on him that gave Baltimore a first down. In the following play, Jackson throws a 40-yard pass to Rashod Bateman over Fulton for the touchdown. That gave the Ravens a 14-10 lead.
The Chargers had 24 seconds left before the half, but Jim knew the team needed points because Baltimore would receive in the second half.
Herbert scrambled for 8-yards, taking off only seven seconds. On the next play, He overthrew an open Joshua Palmer that could have given them a huge gain or a walk-in touchdown. The following two completions to Jalen Raegor and Palmer for a combined 28 yards got them in field goal range. Dicker made the 52-yard field goal to put them down 14-13.
The knee injury Dobbins sustained before halftime didn’t do them any favors. Before he went out, he had six carries for 60 yards.
Coming out of the half, Jackson made two big plays on third down. On 3rd-and-9 from their 31, Baltimore had Andrews stay and block Bosa, but once he got past him, the tight end was open over the middle, so Jackson threw him the pass, and got 11 yards on the gain. Next, on 3rd-and-10, Jackson found Flowers going toward the sideline for a 25-yard gain. Two third and longs converted. The next 3rd-and-10 was on the Chargers 33. Jackson found Flowers, but good tackling from Elijah Molden and Fulton stopped the bleeding. Justin Tucker nailed the 45-yard field goal to increase their lead 17-14.
Herbert did have two significant third-down conversions on the drive. He was moving left and found Palmer toward the right sideline for the 11-yard gain. Three plays later, they faced 3rd-and-8 at their 48-yard line when Herbert saw an open McConkey for a 19-yard gain. Their drive stalled, and Dicker made another 52-yard field goal to get them to within one again, 17-16.
The Ravens went on another long drive that ate up 6:36 seconds, with them converting two critical fourth downs. The first one was again on Baltimore’s side of the field at the 39-yard line; Henry followed his blocks for a 27-yard gain. Four plays later, another 4th-and-1 with Henry going for two yards. On 3rd-and-goal from the 6, Jackson found Andrews in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. They failed the two-point conversion, so they put them up 23-16.
Ric Tapia - The Sporting Tribune
Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs with the ball during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at SoFi Stadium on November 25, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
The Chargers faced third-and-6 from their own 34 when Herbert threw a pass to Quentin Johnston on a drag route, but it bounced off his chest. Johnston had green grass ahead of him. They punted to Baltimore.
The Ravens had 3rd-and-1 at their own 37, but Henry picked up five yards to get them the first. Three plays later, Justice Hill took the handoff on 3rd-and-3 toward the left end and didn’t stop until he reached the end zone for a 51-yard gasher. It gave them a 30-16 lead that put the game away.
It got away from them in the second half when the offense attempted a field goal, punt and punt before the last-second touchdown.
This game showed that the Ravens are still among the top three teams in the AFC, and the Chargers still have work to do if they want to contend.
They sit at 7-4 with trips to Atlanta and Kansas City on the horizon. They will need a split to stay afloat in the wild card picture.
“What we're building, what we're capable of, what that means going forward is it bodes well for us," Harbaugh said. "So back to work, regroup, refit and get ready for the Atlanta Falcons.”