Malik Harrison gave the Ravens exactly what they needed

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Malik Harrison wasn’t always where he was supposed to be Monday night. A tackle was missed in the flat, a long run bounced outside his hole, a completion where the ball whistled past his head. But the versatile linebacker’s missteps could be brushed aside and perhaps even excused entirely, because where the Ravens needed Harrison at SoFi Stadium was pretty much everywhere.

The Ravens needed strength to maintain the lead against the heavy personnel looks of the Los Angeles Chargers, so Harrison played outside linebacker. The Ravens needed stability over the middle, where All-Pro Roquan Smith was missing, so Harrison played inside linebacker. The Ravens needed reliable execution from their special teams units, so Harrison played special teams as well.

What they needed most of all was a tone setter on defense, so Harrison started hitting the Chargers players so hard that teammates could hear his tone – tree – even if they couldn’t see it.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” coach John Harbaugh said after Harrison finished with a career-high 12 tackles, including one for loss. in a 30-23 win over the Chargersearning him a game ball for his breakout performance. “I think in many ways he epitomizes tonight’s victory.”

Harrison wasn’t the main Raven in the NFL’s latest “HarBowl” — that was quarterback Lamar Jackson (192 total yards, three total touchdowns), or perhaps running back Derrick Henry (24 carries for 140 yards). Harrison also didn’t have the defense’s most important stop — that was likely outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, whose sack of quarterback Justin Herbert in the fourth quarter ended the Chargers’ hopes of a quick response to the Ravens’ 30-16 lead to decrease. . But Harrison was by far the busiest Ravens, finishing with a team-high 69 snaps (46 on defense and 23 on special teams, according to TruMedia) on an all-hands-on-deck night.

Harrison knew he would be needed more than usual. With a hamstring injury keeping Smith out of practice last week, and finally Monday’s gameRavens defensive coordinator Zach Orr set out to recreate the team’s best inside linebacker overall.

Fellow starter Trenton Simpson played 28 defensive snaps, most of which came on early downs. Reserve Chris Board got 30 defensive snaps, most of which came in clear passing situations. Even Kristian Welch, recently signed off the practice squad, was on the field for eight defensive snaps.

But no linebacker found the field or the ball as often as Harrison, who had “prepared all week” for this opportunity. Eight of his 12 tackles were considered “successful” stops for the defense, according to TruMedia, a testament to his production in the right place and at the right time. (For comparison, both Smith and Simpson have a success rate of less than 50% this season.)

The Ravens defense seemed to embody Harrison’s blue-collar approach. The Chargers finished with fewer than 300 yards of total offense for the first time since their Week 5 bye, and after the first quarter they averaged just 3.9 yards per play. Herbert completed 58.3% of his passes, his second-worst mark this season, and did not make a single throw at least 20 yards downfield, another first since the farewell game.

“What I appreciate about Malik is that he is a very balanced guy, but also a confident person,” Harbaugh said. “And they go there the first drive, and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on and how we’re going to play these different things, and (we) talked through it, and he didn’t back down for a second. . He just stepped up and got into those run plays and made some tackles.

He added: “He’s already made a name for himself, but he’s made an even bigger name for himself, and he did that tonight.”

Harrison’s role changed from low to low. On the Chargers’ first play after the scrimmage, he lined up as an outside linebacker and dropped former Ravens teammate JK Dobbins before the running back could get past the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Harrison lined up next to Simpson at inside linebacker and laid out wide receiver Quentin Johnston while running a crossing route. At one point late in the first quarter, Harrison made three tackles in a row: the first on a punt return, the second on a short pass and the third on a short run.

“I can handle it,” Harrison said. “I’ve been doing it for the last three years, so whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it.”

Harrison has struggled in space at times this season; according to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 119 yards when targeted in coverage of the Ravens’ first five games. But the former third-round pick has always been most effective as a downhill thumper, not a sleek chess piece. On Monday, after his uneven start, Harrison began lining up Chargers and taking them down with a controlled fury, as if he’d heard all the criticism and wanted to let his pads do the talking.

There was a pop in the second quarter from Dobbins, his former Ohio State teammate. There was a pop in the third quarter from Tucker Fisk, whose legs nearly buckled on contact. Two minutes later, a head-on collision occurred with running back Hassan Haskins at the line of scrimmage

Safety Kyle Hamilton, one of the Ravens’ hardest hitters, estimated he could hear “his hits” from about 20 yards away. “It didn’t matter how big the person he hit was or whoever it was. He brought it all game, but we all know that this is ‘Leek’, and that’s what he’s going to do, regardless of position. … Whether that’s special teams, or whether he starts at Mike (middle) linebacker, (he’s a) great football player, and just happy he got his opportunity today.”

“He’s always been a big hitter,” said defensive lineman Broderick Washington, who arrived in Baltimore with Harrison four years ago. “Every time he hits someone, you’ll feel it, see it and hear it. But his development and his skills are insane, because you could put him on the D-side. He can rush the passer. He can be physical and stop the run. And what he did tonight, man, I think he just took advantage of the opportunity. He has been preparing all the time.”

Harrison’s lead role in Los Angeles could return to a part-time gig in Baltimore. Harbaugh declined to say how close Smith was to being cleared for Monday’s game, but his lengthy pre-game workout indicated he could be ready for Sunday’s showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. That could force Harrison to return to the dirty jobs he has long embraced, to the small gigs he has made a career of.

But for one night, the Ravens wanted him to be everywhere. And Harrison usually found his way there.

“It feels good,” Harrison said. “A lot of people had doubts about me getting into this competition, so I’m glad I was able to excel and show them that I can play in this competition and play at a high level.”