INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The stunned look on Jim Harbaugh’s face told the story of Monday night’s Harbowl.

Even he didn’t seem to have anticipated the bold fourth-down decision that swung the final showdown between the Harbaugh siblings in his older brother’s favor.

It was daring enough that John Harbaugh left Baltimore’s offense on the field with two minutes left in the first half and Ravens facing fourth-and-1 from their own 16-yard line. No NFL team had gone for a fourth-place first-half finish within their own 20 in over four years.

Even riskier, John chose not to give the ball to one of his feared short-yardage playmakers, light-footed quarterback Lamar Jackson or bulldozing running back Derrick Henry. John instead called for a tush-push style play, with tight end Mark Andrews making a direct charge while Henry and fullback Patrick Ricard pushed him from behind.

The risky fourth-and-1 conversion by Andrews led to an eight-play, 93-yard drive that culminated with Baltimore scoring the go-ahead score on a 40-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman. The Ravens never relinquished the lead in the second half, opening a cushion with two touchdowns midway through the fourth quarter and holding on for an impressive 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

When asked why he took the risk of going fourth down from his own 20-yard line, John said he felt “like I really thought we could make it.” Harbaugh’s older brother knew the downside was that the Chargers had a chance to take a two-score lead before halftime, but he felt his team needed to maintain possession in that position, trailing by three against an opponent from play- off-caliber on the road.

“I’m not saying we’ll always go for it in those situations,” John explained, “but the most important thing was who we were playing against. The idea was that you should try to hold on to assets as long as possible because they are so good.”

John’s aggressiveness was the story of the first meeting between the Harbaugh brothers since the Ravens defeated Jim’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens also went for it twice on 4th and 1 on their first touchdown drive of the second half, with Henry converting both to set up a 6-yard reception from Andrews in the back of the end zone.

Analytics models say John increased Baltimore’s winning percentage by more than 2% when he went for 4th-and-1 from his own 16-yard line. Still, he certainly left himself open to criticism by being so aggressive early in the game and by entrusting his tight end to gain the necessary yardage on a quarterback sneak.

“It means the world to us that Coach Harbaugh has so much confidence in us,” Ravens running back Justice Hill said. “We know as an offense we can get a yard at any time. When we get into situations like that, we still want him to call them out, so we have to carry them out. I think we played 3-on-3 tonight. I think this should give him the confidence to call more of these people in the future.”

The Andrews tush-push was a play that Hill said the Ravens had “been practicing for a while.” They held it until just the right moment, three down the stretch, in a surprisingly hostile SoFi Stadium environment.

“Everyone has their different versions of it,” Andrews said. “We practiced it and it came into its own in a big moment.

Hill added with a laugh, “I’m glad it worked as well as we practiced.”

The Chargers were still within one score early in the fourth quarter when sophomore receiver Quentin Johnston broke free on a crossing route but dropped a perfect third-down pass to quarterback Justin Herbert. Instead of the Chargers securing another set of downs at midfield, they had to punt and give the Ravens a chance to open a two-score lead.

That came back to bite the Chargers three minutes later when Hill delivered a knockout blow in the form of a 51-yard touchdown run. Safety Alohi Gilman crashed too hard around the edge, leaving no defender in position to even lay a hand on Hill as he broke his run outside the left tackle.

For the Chargers, the loss was a disappointment but not a disaster. They’ve beaten just one team with a winning record so far this season, but Jim Harbaugh’s rebuild is still ahead of schedule, with his 7-4 team well-positioned to make an AFC wild-card playoff to earn a berth.

For the Ravens (8-4), the victory was an ideal rebound after last week’s costly loss to rival Pittsburgh. Now they’re just a half-game out of first place in the AFC North and still firmly among the top contenders for Kansas City’s AFC throne.

The Harbaughs’ third meeting as NFL head coaches was once again sentimental for two men who look more like twins than brothers. They both mirror each other in every way, from their khaki pants to their coaching staff and their football philosophies.

When ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge asked Jim Harbaugh before Monday’s game what it meant to coach against his brother again, he said, “I love my brother. I would give my life for my brother. But I wouldn’t let him win a football game. And he wouldn’t want it that way.”

After John improved to 3-0 against his younger brother, the two Harbaughs briefly shook hands and exchanged kind words. John later called Jim the “best coach in the National Football League” and admitted the day had been tough for their parents, who watched the game from Florida while celebrating their wedding anniversary.

John summed up the evening for his parents: “I know they are 100% happy and 100% disappointed at the same time.”