GAME PLAN: Gary Kubiak got production and points out of a ball-control philosophy heavy on runs byJustin Forsett. Kubiak mixed that with a balanced, controlled passing game that succeeded on numerous short and intermediate throws and came up relatively empty on deep shots. The Ravens ran the football 32 times for 125 yards and threw it 31 times for 225 yards. Torrey Smith was targeted eight times and 10 receivers were targeted overall. Dean Pees was hamstrung by an ultra-vulnerable secondary that was repeatedly exposed by strong-armed San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. Repeated attempts to bring pressure off the edge with outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil didn't do much to slow down the Chargers' passing game as penalties, poor pass-rushing angles and Rivers' quick release contributed heavily to the Ravens' loss.
PERSONNEL: The Ravens went with a three-safety alignment to start the game. Will Hill played every snap and special-teams ace Jeromy Miles played all but two snaps. Benched 2013 first-round NFL draft pick Matt Elam played 56 snaps and started the game at nickel back. Rookie inside linebacker C.J. Mosley played every snap, as did cornerback Lardarius Webb. Middle linebacker Daryl Smith missed just one snap. Suggs and Dumervil played 59 and 52 snaps, respectively. Because the Chargers didn't run much, nose tackle Brandon Williams played an uncharacteristically-low dozen snaps. Cornerbacks Danny Gorrer and Anthony Levine played 46 and 41 snaps. Strong safety Darian Stewart, benched after a rough game against the New Orleans Saints, played three snaps. Owen Daniels and Crockett Gillmore divided the workload at tight end with 65 and 35 snaps each. With injuries at wide receiver, Jacoby Jones went up to 15 snaps on offense. Kamar Aiken played 28 snaps at wide receiver. Marlon Brown suffered a concussion when he landed hard on his head while catching a high pass from Joe Flacco and left the game after just seven snaps.
WHAT WENT RIGHT ON OFFENSE: Torrey Smith took advantage of being featured in the offense, catching six passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. That included a great one-handed catch for a score and a catch that displayed chemistry with Flacco on a slant for another touchdown. He also drew a pass interference penalty that led to a touchdown. Flacco was sharp, completing 13 of 18 passes when the Chargers didn't bring pressure for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Forsett surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time, running for 109 yards — his third consecutive 100-yard game. Forsett displayed elusiveness and vision, but got stonewalled in the red zone. Jones provided a 72-yard kickoff return and also caught two passes for 35 yards in a rare offensive appearance. Offensive guards Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele and right tackle Rick Wagner delivered some punishing downfield blocks.
WHAT WENT WRONG ON OFFENSE: Flacco completed just 1 of 4 deep passes for 24 yards. Steve Smith had arguably his worst game since joining the team, catching one pass for two yards on four targets. His body language after plays told a story. He was visibly angry when Flacco missed him when he was open and didn't look nearly as into the game as he did the previous week against the Saints when he got involved right away in the offense. The five-time Pro Bowl selection also dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone that would have been a difficult catch. He was covered well by Brandon Flowers on that play. Smith was also flagged for an illegal shift. Flacco had success early throwing to Daniels, but didn't go back to him. The Ravens tried to run a fake field goal, but the Chargers figured it out and the Ravens had to burn a timeout. Aiken dropped a key pass. The Ravens couldn't run the football into the end zone on a regular basis and lacked creativity generally in the red zone, converting just 3 of 7 prime scoring opportunities. No one got open on a key third-and-4 and Flacco was forced to throw the ball away. That led to kicker Justin Tucker's fourth field goal, and left the Chargers with enough time to manufacture their game-winning drive.
WHAT WENT RIGHT ON DEFENSE: Daryl Smith alertly intercepted a first-quarter pass and had eight tackles, helping limit Ryan Mathews to 38 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Dumervil, who disrupted Rivers' throw on the turnover, had two quarterback hits and three hurries. Suggs and Timmy Jernigan each recorded sacks. Miles recovered a fumble inadvertently forced by Chargers offensive tackle D.J. Fluker. Miles covered well, too. Levine had 10 tackles.
WHAT WENT WRONG ON DEFENSE: Dumervil had three offside penalties, with one nullifying what would have been a sack, as he lined up in the neutral zone. Suggs and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee committed one offside infraction apiece. Their pass-rush angles were a bit off, too. The secondary was absolutely helpless to stop Rivers as he peppered them with throws to the sideline and over the middle. Levine allowed Rivers to complete 9 of 10 passes for 75 yards and committed one pass interference penalty. That was the only play where he didn't allow a completion. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had a quiet game with two tackles, one for a loss. Mosley, Hill and Brynden Trawick struggled against tight end Antonio Gates, who caught seven passes for 83 yards and also exploited a mismatch against outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw. Keenan Allen befuddled Webb and Gorrer, beating them regularly with quick moves to catch 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets. Elam grabs receivers more than he covers them downfield and needs to upgrade his coverage techniques. Despite the Chargers being down to their fourth center when Chris Watt left the game with an injury and was replaced by Trevor Robinson, the Ravens failed to exploit the mismatch with inside pressure on blitzes through the A gap.
KEY PLAY: During a play that infuriated coach John Harbaugh, Levine was flagged for defensive pass interference as he jostled for position with Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd. Both players made contact with each other in the end zone and Floyd appeared to prevent Levine from jumping for the football. The call directly led to Rivers' game-winning touchdown pass to Eddie Royal.
BEST HIT: Suggs crushed Mathews in the first quarter, tackling him in the Chargers' backfield after slipping past a block.
GAME BALLS: 1. Torrey Smith (2 touchdowns); 2. Flacco (225 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions, 104.9 quarterback rating); 3. Yanda excelled at in-line blocking and in space; 4. Forsett (106 rushing yards, averaged 4.4 yards per carry).
INTANGIBLES: The Ravens didn't lack for intensity in a game that had major playoff implications, but their concentration and attention to detail were clearly off with an inefficient red-zone offense. They also committed a season-high 14 penalties for 98 yards.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Miami Dolphins have a stout run defense, one of the top pass rushers in the game in DeMatha Catholic graduate Cameron Wake and proven veteran cornerback Brent Grimes. They run a variation of the spread offense. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is athletic with a big arm. He has solid downfield weapons in wide receivers Mike Wallace and Jarvis Landry.