The Harbaugh Bowl is just a few blinks away and the Baltimore Ravens should be concerned right now. This is more than a brotherly competition and every little bit of help counts. The Ravens’ defense might have a tough time dealing with Jim Harbaugh’s run game on Monday as they deal with a couple of inactive players on the roster.

John Harbaugh’s Ravens released an inactive list ahead of the week 12 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Interestingly, there are 6 Ravens who won’t be participating. Out of all these inactive players, Roquan Smith sticks out like a sore thumb.

The linebacker is out due to a hamstring injury and if anything, it makes Justin Herbert’s job a bit easier. Apart from Smith, Arthur Maulet (CB), Rasheen Ali (RB), Sanoussi Kane (SS), Nick Samac (C), and David Ojabo (OLB) will also be absent from the game.

The Ravens might face issues stopping the Chargers from scoring early. That’s just because their crucial defensive players are missing from the game. With Smith, the Ravens’ defense ranked 26 in the league and his presence might be highly missed. Smith, who leads the Ravens with 110 tackles was injured in the game against the Steelers. With Smith missing, Malik Harrison might get some more reps.

Arthur Maulet on the other hand, was ruled out on Saturday due to a calf injury. So was Sanoussi Kane who had some issues with his ankle. But coming back to Roquan Smith, this is the first time he’s been sidelined since he was with the Bears at the end of the 2023 season. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr had a few things to say about Smith missing the game.

“Not one person is going to replace Roquan,” Orr said last week. “Roquan’s an every-down linebacker [and] a top linebacker in this league [and] All-Pro for a reason. We like our guys that we have in the room. They got to step up, and we got to step up collectively as a defense. And that linebacker room [has] to step up collectively as a group.”

On that note, let’s talk about the Bolts players who are inactive in the game.

John Harbaugh might still have an upper hand over the Chargers

There are more Chargers that didn’t suit up against the Ravens, 7 to be exact. Starting with Cam Hart, the cornerback, who won’t be suiting up due to his concussion/ankle issues. Unfortunately, the Chargers’ defense might face more problems. They will also miss their linebacker Denzel Perryman due to his groin issues. These are the only inactives as far as the defense is concerned.

However, there are some offensive injuries to look out for as well. Wide receiver DJ Clark, running back Kimani Vidal, linemen Jordan McFadden and Brenden Jaimes will also be missing the game, along with QB Easton Stick (backup).

Fun fact: The last time the Harbaugh brothers played a regular season game against each other was in 2011. And it was their parents’ anniversary that day. Turns out, 13 years later, their parents are celebrating their 63 anniversary as they watch their boys Jim and John Harbaugh duel it out at the SoFi Stadium.