The Harbaugh Bowl takes centre stage on Monday Night Football as the Baltimore Ravens battle the Los Angeles Chargers.
The pregame narrative: It’s the first time Jim and John Harbaugh have squared off since Super Bowl XLVII. Baltimore enters this contest following a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A date with Los Angeles doesn’t offer much reprieve as the Chargers are playing excellent football. I’m betting on Justin Herbert to lead L.A. to a crucial AFC victory in prime time.
Check out my Ravens vs. Chargers best bets for Monday Night Football on Nov. 25.
Ravens vs. Chargers best bets
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Best Bet: Herbert over 259.5 passing yards (-107)
This has really been a tale of two seasons for Los Angeles.
The Chargers started the year off as a run-first football team. A combination of John Harbaugh’s desire to pound the rock and Justin Herbert’s ankle injury held the quarterback under 200 yards in all four games before the team’s bye.
But the week off gave Herbert’s ankle time to heal and Harbaugh some time to realize what he really has under centre with No. 10.
Herbert is showing that he’s on the shortlist of great NFL QBs. Here are his season splits before and after the bye:
| Timeframe | Yards/game | Yards/attempt | Attempts/game |
| Pre-bye | 144.5 | 6.4 | 22.8 |
| Post-bye | 268.0 | 8.7 | 31.0 |
Herbert is averaging more than what this line entails over his last six games and there’s good reason to believe he’ll have another above-average performance.
He battles a Baltimore defence that has been dreadful at stopping the pass. The Ravens rank 26th in opponent yards per pass attempt (7.2) and are surrendering the most passing yards per game to opposing QBs (304.5), according to Yahoo Fantasy.
Bet on a signature performance from Herbert as he looks to keep his Chargers in contention for an AFC West title.
Key stat: Herbert has thrown for 260-plus yards in four of his last five games.
Quick pick
Chargers moneyline (+130): I’ll happily take the plus-money odds with the home team in this contest.
L.A. is playing excellently on both sides of the ball. The team is tied for fifth in points per game (29.3) over its last three games while ceding the sixth-fewest points (18.0) in the same stretch.
Baltimore’s offence is magnificent, ranking second in the NFL in points per game (30.4), but its defence is downright brutal. The Ravens are 24th in points against per game (24.6).
I expect these squads to go shot for shot, which means one of these defences will have to step up with a timely stop at some point.
The Ravens haven’t proven they can get one in crucial moments and the unit could be without Roquan Smith, who hasn’t practiced all week. That tips the scales in favour of the Chargers.
Picks made at 3:37 p.m. ET 11/23/2024.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.