The Harbaugh Bowl was anything but friendly while the brothers and their teams were on the field. But it turned out to be a heart-melting occasion after John Harbaugh, the Ravens head coach gave the Chargers head coach, aka his younger brother, a déjà vu. The Ravens won 30-23, but their head coach gained some more respect for his brother.

The brothers had a brief meeting at the end of the game and hugged each other. John said something to Jim, but the audio wasn’t as clear as we would have liked it to be. But it was an iconic moment because the last time the brothers played a regular season game against each other was in 2011. Who knew they would repeat the moment after 13-something years?

The media wanted to know what the Ravens head coach said to his brother when he hugged him. Not to anyone’s surprise, John Harbaugh revealed that he was just showing some brotherly love to Jim and respected him as a coach.

“You’re a great coach and you got a great team and I love you,” John Harbaugh told the media post-game.

Some people might call Andy Reid the best coach in the league, but for John Harbaugh and the Chargers, Jim is family and the energy he brings to the table is off the hook, so that makes him the best. That sentiment was echoed by Ravens Editorial Director Ryan Mink when he tweeted, “John Harbaugh called Jim Harbaugh the best coach in the league.”

With this game, though, John Harbaugh has extended his perfect record to 3-0 and his previous win came in Super Bowl 47, when the Ravens won against the 49ers coached by Jim Harbaugh. However, what’s common between the brothers is the fact that both have an AP Coach of the Year award. John won in 2019 when the Ravens finished 14-2 and Jim won it in 2011 when the Niners finished 13-3 that season. John Harbaugh spoke highly of his brother after the game.

Jim Harbaugh’s ‘conditional’ love for his brother

Everything is great between the brothers. They’d even lay their lives on the line for each other, except when it comes to football. That’s what Jim’s approach to the game was. Yeah, familial love is great, but this is the NFL and competition takes precedence over brotherhood.

“I love my brother. I’d lay down my life for my brother, but I would not let him win a football game. And he would not want it that way, so it just feels cool, we’re ready to have at it,” Jim Harbaugh said in a sideline interview. The older brother absolutely agrees with the younger brother’s sentiments, but for him defeating a great coach with a great football team makes things “complicated.”

This was a special day for another reason. Jim and John’s parents celebrated their 63 anniversary. Unfortunately, they were not there to watch them go at it. Maybe they will see each other in playoffs and their parents will come to witness the duel.