The Ravens overcame a 10-0 halftime deficit to take down the Chargers 16-13 in OT. Baltimore (9-2) now has eyes on the postseason while San Diego has a team with no will to win.
Neither team could move the ball in the first quarter as both offenses appeared hung over from too much tryptophan from Thanksgiving turkey.
Early in the second quarter, QB Philip Rivers got the Chargers (4-7) out of first gear and capped off a 78-yard drive with a 21-yard touchdown strike to WR Malcom Floyd.
K Nick Novak added a 47-yard field goal to end the Bolts' next possession.
The defense held Ravens QB Joe Flacco to just 8-of-16 passing for 59 yards through the first two quarters and each of the Ravens' six first-half drives ended in a punt.
The Chargers took a 10-0 lead into the half, but Rivers would not describe his team’s performance as dominating. “Dominate is a strong word,” Rivers said. “We didn’t go up and down the field by any means. We had one (touchdown) drive and then we had a field goal.”
The Chargers have struggled to play a complete game all season, and Sunday was no different. San Diego scored just one more field goal in the second half. Meanwhile, the defense had several opportunities to make one play to secure the win but came up short every time.
Flacco found WR Torrey Smith for a 54-yard gain on a third-and-7 to start the third quarter. The long completion set up a 43-yard field goal by K Justin Tucker to get the Ravens on the board.
Novak extended the Chargers' lead to 13-3 with a 30-yard field goal with 7:51 remaining in the game.
Flacco completed a 24-yard pass to TE Denis Pitta on a third-and-6 on the Ravens' next possession. Flacco found Pitta again six plays later for a 4-yard TD pass.
The Chargers still led 13-10 with 4:19 remaining and could have won the game with a few first downs, but the offense went three and out.
San Diego appeared to have the game in their hands when OLB Antwan Barnes knocked the ball out of Flacco’s hand. The fumble was recovered by OT Michael Oher -- but Baltimore was facing fourth-and-29. Flacco found RB Ray Rice on a short pass. The Chargers defense converged, but Rice made several defenders miss before being tackled near the first down marker. The officials originally gave Rice the first down, but the ball was moved back after a review. The chains then confirmed the first down by inches.
Rivers was furious about the spot. “He didn’t get the first down,” Rivers said. “You can’t help it if you don’t have a view to overturn it, you can’t overturn it. I don’t think anybody thinks he got it. I don’t think anyone in the stadium thinks he got it. I don’t think Ray Rice thinks he got it.”
Rice disagreed. “After I looked at it, clearly my momentum was going forward,” Rice said. “I was hoping for a good spot. I knew I was right on it.”
The run gave Baltimore a first down on the Chargers' 34-yard line. Tucker tied the game with a 38-yard field goal as the clock expired.
San Diego won the toss and had two possessions in OT but was unable to score.
Flacco completed two third-and-longs during the final drive before Tucker won the game with a 38-yard field goal with 1:12 remaining in OT.
When the game turned: The 30-yard run by Ray Rice stole the game.
Highlight moment: RB Jackie Battle converted a fourth-and-1 in the second quarter that led to the Chargers' touchdown.
Top-shelf performances:
- Ravens QB Joe Flacco -- Completed 30 of 51 attempts for 335 yards and one TD with no INTs.
- Ravens RB Ray Rice -- Had 164 combined yards including 97 on the ground with 22 carries.
- Ravens WR Torrey Smith -- Caught seven passes for 144 yards.
Head scratcher: John Harbaugh elected to go for a fourth-and-1 on the Chargers' 14-yard line late in the third quarter. A 32-yard field goal would have brought the Ravens to within one score, but they turned the ball over on downs.
What they said:
- Chargers OLB Jarret Johnson on losing another halftime lead -- “It’s kind of the way the season is playing out. We are in just about every game, but it’s not consistent enough to win. I wish I had the answer. It’s just really frustrating.”
- Referee Gene Steratore on sport for Rice’s 30-yard run -- “We go back to the line feed shot and then we take that action and know that when that knee is down somewhere not as far as the 33-yard line -- something short of that -- and you take that and you have a spot that you put into that area.”
- Smith on his 54-yard reception -- “Joe threw a great ball. I just turned around and made the play. There wasn’t any science behind it. It was just man to man.”
Injury update: Chargers -- WR Danario Alexander (thigh), OLB Barnes (hand), Atari Bigby (groin), ILB Donald Butler (groin), RG Jeromey Clary (thigh), DE Corey Liuget (tibia), NT Antonio Garay (thigh), S Darrell Stuckey (hamstring) and FS Eric Weddle (concussion) suffered injuries for the Chargers. An injury update will be provided later in the week.
Going forward: Chargers -- They'll host the Bengals (6-5) next Sunday. Ravens -- They'll host the Steelers (6-5) in a game that could virtually lock up the AFC North for Baltimore.
Follow Chargers reporter Dan McLellan on Twitter @CBSChargers and @sandiegosports
Follow Ravens reporter Jason Butt on Twitter: @CBSRavens and @JasonButtCBS.