San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, who completed 17 or 23 passes for 270 yards, lets one fly during the Chargers’ 34-14 rout of Baltimore. (Denis Poroy/Associated Press)
SAN DIEGO — Before the opening kickoff Sunday night, the Baltimore Ravens knew that the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets had both lost, meaning that for a franchise-record fourth consecutive year, they were going to the playoffs.
But that’s never what this regular season has been about for these Ravens. Their goal has always been to win the AFC North and get home-field advantage for the playoffs. But thanks to an abysmal performance where the Ravens allowed San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to go down the field with little resistance all night, that goal just got a lot harder to attain.
The humbling 34-14 loss at Snapdragon Stadium before an announced 67,242 conjured all the old concerns, from the Ravens’ inability to deal with a quarterback with a quick release and dangerous receivers, to Joe Flacco’s continued inconsistency to the team’s struggles on the road.
The last one has become perhaps the biggest concern with the Ravens (10-4) now needing help to win the division and get a home playoff game. The Pittsburgh Steelers could take first place of the AFC North outright with a victory Monday night over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chargers, who have won three straight to sit one game back of the Denver Broncos in the AFC West, scored on their first three drives to take a 17-7 halftime lead and then put the game away with two touchdowns in the third quarter.
San Diego scored 27 straight points before Flacco hit rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith on a late 36-yard touchdown pass.
Rivers connected for a 28-yard touchdown pass with Malcom Floyd, who beat rookie Jimmy Smith in the right corner to give the Chargers a 24-7 lead. Smith and fellow cornerback Cary Williams were picked on all night by Rivers.
Flacco followed the Floyd touchdown by throwing his first of two third-quarter interceptions, setting up a three-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews to give San Diego a 31-7 lead.
Rivers, who wasn’t sacked once by the team that leads the league in that category, was 17 for 23 for 270 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers’ 34 points were seven more than Baltimore has given up in a game this season. Flacco was 23 for 34 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
— Baltimore Sun