For the first time since the infamous ‘Har-Bowl,’ Jim and John Harbaugh faced off against each other as the head coaches of opposing teams. Much like that Super Bowl, it was a spectacle but the stakes this time were much lower. But how does it feel to be standing opposite your own brother on the field?
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Jason Kelce knows something about that. He took to the Rich Eisen Show to articulate the mixed emotions one feels when they’re playing against your own family. Calling it a “weird” experience, Jason said,
“It’s different; it feels weird playing your brother. Because you know you have your football family, and that’s the team that you’re on…Obviously, they are all going to want to win very, very badly, and both families are going to want to win. But there’s a little bit added to it when you’re going up against a family member.”
Jason has taken the field against his brother Travis five times, but the most memorable one has to be when the two competed for the Super Bowl LVII against each other, where Travis came out victorious. Speaking of that particular experience, Jason said,
“Every time you know your brother makes a play, you’re kind of also happy for him a little bit, but you’re also kind of upset. So it’s a weird feeling where you’ve got multiple emotions going on, and you ‘re trying to figure out how you feel.”
Jason and Travis had famously hugged each other after the grueling game that had tested their relationship. While the loss weighed heavy on Jason, he was also happy to celebrate his younger brother’s win.
However, things were a little different for Jim and John during the Super Bowl XLVII in 2013. After John’s Ravens had beat Jim’s 49ers, the younger brother had dismissed his brother’s attempts at a hug with, “there will be no hug.”
Maybe it is something about getting beat by your older brother that stings a little more. Jim also apparently didn’t speak to John for five days after the Super Bowl.
Jim Harbaugh suffers another loss at the hands of his brother
Monday did not go much better for Jim, as he lost yet another game —his fourth— to John. The Ravens beat the Chargers in their home ground 30-23. They fell behind 10 points early but then overwhelmed the Los Angeles Chargers the rest of the game.
However, Jim is just getting started. He has already turned around the Chargers in his first season back in the big leagues. And he’s only likely to take them higher. Despite the loss, they’re 7-4 in the season and likely to bag a playoff spot. Who knows, maybe Jim will get another chance to beat his older brother this season itself.
