The Harbaugh brothers hug at midfield before facing each other for the third time

The Harbaugh brothers hug at midfield before facing each other for the third time

John and Jim Harbaugh hugged each other during pregame warmups at midfield on Monday night as the Baltimore Ravens took on the Los Angeles Chargers.

It will be the third time the Harbaugh brothers have faced off as NFL coaches, but the first since Super Bowl 47 in 2013, when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in New Orleans.

The other regular season game took place on Thanksgiving evening 2011. The Ravens defeated the Niners in Baltimore 16-6.

Jim Harbaugh left San Francisco after the 2014 season to take the reins at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Harbaugh coached at Michigan for nine seasons and won the national title last season before being hired by the Chargers.

He said last week he was grateful for the chance to have another duel with his brother.

“When I walked off the field in that Super Bowl, I felt like there would be another day. And then there wasn’t a day like that for many years and it looked like I had no chance of another day,” he said. “But by the grace of God I’m back and back on a team that has a chance.”

The brothers chatted and posed for photos for a few minutes before returning to their teams.

“I love my brother. And I would give my life for my brother. But I wouldn’t let him win a football game,” Jim Harbaugh told ESPN during a pregame interview. “He wouldn’t want it that way. It feels cool and we’re ready to give it a try.”

John Harbaugh said before the game that coaching against his brother was complicated because their teams were sometimes mirror images of each other.

“It’s all the things we love about each other and then it’s all the things we know about each other that we have to overcome in a game like this,” he told ESPN. “He is a great coach. He is a great man. He’s a great leader and he has a great football team, so that complicates things.”

Her parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on Monday. They attended the first two games between the brothers, but are spending Thanksgiving week in Bradenton, Florida, at their daughter Joanie’s house.

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