Former Ravens fullback Lorenzo Neal is confident that the Harbaugh brothers will produce a physical battle that fits the stakes on “Monday Night Football.”
Neal played 16 seasons in the NFL, including five with the Chargers and one with the Ravens, and recorded 807 rushing yards on 226 carries. Now, Neal hosts the “Bleav in Chargers” podcast, offering valuable insight into the team.
Neal is excited to see how the Ravens (7-4) and Chargers (7-3) match up in a crucial game for playoff position in the AFC, but he doesn’t think John and Jim Harbaugh will get caught up in facing off against one another.
“I don’t think they’ll get caught up in that. I think that’s the reason why they just stay consistent. Both these two teams are going to be physical. Both these two teams can get after it on defense,” Neal said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 21. “Lamar Jackson, league MVP and the things that he brings to the table, this is just going to be a hard-fought game.”
John and Jim Harbaugh will face each other for a third time. John is 2-0 against his younger brother, including a win in Super Bowl XLVII. Jim has transformed the Los Angeles Chargers since being hired in January, immediately establishing a new culture. The Chargers are second in the AFC West and have the best defense in the league, allowing just 14.5 points a game.
“They’re keeping everything in front of them, they’re playing really solid football and that’s just kind of how they are built. They bend but don’t break,” Neal said of Los Angeles’ defense. “… If the Chargers scored 21 points in all their games this year, their only loss would’ve been last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s how good their defense has played.”
Neal sees Monday night’s showdown as a chance for redemption for the Ravens. After a tough 18-16 loss to the Steelers on Nov. 17, the Ravens will look to bounce back in what promises to be a fiercely competitive primetime battle.
“You think about how they play after letting a Steelers team beat them when they had the Steelers — looked like they should’ve won that game. You are going to see a great competitive game this Monday night,” Neal said.
Facing a former team always carries added significance for NFL players. Monday night offers that opportunity for Chargers running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, Chargers center Bradley Bozeman and Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
This season, Dobbins is on track to have the best season of his career, having run for 726 yards and eight touchdowns on 152 carries. Dobbins signed with the Chargers following a lost 2023 season, and Neal believes the running back will bring an unmatched intensity against the Ravens.
“All these guys want to win because they want to say, ‘Told ya, we beat ya,'” Neal said. “I played on several different teams and I couldn’t wait. With the Cincinnati Bengals, I couldn’t wait to play the Tennessee Titans and find a way to beat them. When I was in Baltimore on the Ravens, I couldn’t wait to play against the Tennessee Titans and we ended up winning that game, knocking them out of the playoffs. So absolutely there’s some little extra added incentives for you to play well in those games.”
Monday night’s matchup between the Ravens and Chargers carries high stakes, with a family rivalry fueling the intensity. As the Harbaugh brothers face off, Neal is confident that the game will be a gritty, hard-fought battle under the bright lights.
“This is a redemption game,” Neal said. “There’s a lot riding on this game — Monday night, brothers going at it, the Harbaugh Bowl. This is going to be a drag-out, sock-’em, going-after-it football game.”
For more from Neal, listen to the full interview here:
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