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

Not even he seemed to have expected the bold fourth decision that turned the recent showdown between the Harbaugh siblings in his older brother’s favor.

It was bold enough that John Harbaugh left the Baltimore offense on the field with two minutes left in the first half and the Ravens faced a 4th-and-1 from their own 16-yard line. In more than four years, no NFL team had ever reached fourth inside its own 20 in the first half.

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

Andrews’ risky fourth-and-1 conversion sparked an eight-play, 93-yard drive that culminated in Baltimore scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman. The Ravens didn’t relinquish the lead in the second half, building a two-touchdown cushion midway through the fourth quarter and securing an impressive 30-23 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

When asked why he took the risk of picking up the ball from his own 20-yard line on fourth down, John said he had a gut feeling “that I really believed we could do it.” The elder Harbaugh brother knew the downside was giving the Chargers a wasted chance to take a two-point lead before halftime, but he felt his team was in that position, trailing by three, against a playoff -strengthen Away opponents had to keep possession of the ball.

“I’m not saying we’re always going to try everything in those situations,” John explained, “but the most important thing was who we were playing against.” The idea was that you have to try to hold on to possessions as long as possible because they are so good.”

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

Analytical models show that John increased Baltimore’s win percentage by more than 2% when he scored on 4th-and-1 from his own 16-yard line. Still, he was open to criticism for being so aggressive early in the game and trusting his tight end to get the yardage he needed on a quarterback sneak.

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

The Andrews tush push was a play the Ravens had “been practicing for a while,” according to Hill. They held on until just the right moment came, three minutes later, on the street, in a surprisingly hostile environment at SoFi Stadium.

“Everyone has their own version of it,” Andrews said. “We practiced it and it brought a big success in a big moment.

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

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

That benefited the Chargers again three minutes later when Hill delivered a knockout blow with a 51-yard touchdown run. Safety Alohi Gilman fell too hard around the edge, leaving no defender in position to even lay a hand on Hill as he broke off his run outside left tackle.

For the Chargers, the loss was a disappointment, but not a catastrophe. They’ve only beaten one team with a winning record so far this season, but Jim Harbaugh’s rebuild is still ahead of schedule as his 7-4 team has a good chance of securing a spot in the AFC wild-card playoffs.

For the Ravens (8-4), the win was an ideal rebound after a costly loss to rival Pittsburgh last week. Now they’re just half a game out of first place in the AFC North and are still 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 are more like twins than brothers. Both reflect each other in every way, from their khakis to their coaching staff to 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 that the day was tough for their parents, who watched the game from Florida while celebrating their wedding anniversary.

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