SAN DIEGO — The start of the final five ended on a thrilling and upbeat note.

“Any time you go into Baltimore and get a win, it is big,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. “It was a big win for us.”

The Chargers rallied for a 34-33 victory on Sunday that slaps a pair of jumper cables on their sprint toward the playoffs.

San Diego erased a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes and won on its last possession. The Chargers (8-4) are a game off the AFC West pace, behind the Denver Broncos (9-3).

“There was no panic,” McCoy said in reconstructing Sunday’s comeback. “Everyone just kept on playing through the good and bad, the ups and downs. Whatever it was everyone just stuck together as football team and we gave ourselves an opportunity at the end to win it.”

Behind quarterback Philip Rivers’ sensational performance, they did just that.

“We just kept on fighting,” McCoy said.

McCoy and his players know the tussle has really just begun.

Next up are the visiting New England Patriots and Broncos, and then tricky road trips to San Francisco and Kansas City.

It’s a stretch of games not for the faint of heart — although the rousing victory Sunday would make anyone’s knees wobble.

“I think our approach here is: As long as there is time left on the clock, we’ve got a chance,” McCoy said.

Their playoff chances certainly got a boost going into a challenging stretch run.

But the Chargers, under McCoy, love this time of the year. Last season, they sat at 5-7 before winning their last four to make the playoffs. This team could be primed for a similar run, but it won’t be easy.

NOTES: WR Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. “It was a great team win for us,” he said. “It was much needed. I think we have a lot of confidence rolling into the next one. It is definitely a must-win concept. Our preparation last week and the week before that was great. Just try to be 1-0 every week.” … C Chris Watt suffered a calf injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. His status will be updated during the week, but it’s not believed serious. C Trevor Robinson would start if Watt’s calf injury is serious. Robinson became the fifth Charger to play center this season.

REPORT CARD VS. RAVENS

–PASSING OFFENSE: A — Philip Rivers was fantastic, orchestrating one of his most memorable NFL victories. He passed for three scores and 383 yards, with his final heave the game-winner in the closing minute. The receivers were keen as four had at least 80 receiving yards — a franchise first. The pass protection was solid enough for Rivers to post such numbers, but he did take a few blows early in the game.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus — Ryan Mathews had a 14-yard scoring run, but the ground game was a tough go. The Chargers didn’t crack 65 yards rushing as Mathews had but 26 yards on his 11 other carries. The Chargers also had Trevor Robinson, their fifth center of the season, calling blocking assignments.

–PASS DEFENSE: D — Joe Flacco was seldom in harm’s way as the Chargers continue to fail in generating a pass rush. Flacco was able to pick on the secondary, in part, because he calmly went through his reads. A roughing penalty by safety Eric Weddle kept alive a scoring drive. Brandon Flowers played well the few times Flacco went his way and iced the game with the final tackle.

–RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus — The Ravens showed good push here, a regular occurrence of late in the Chargers’ run defense. Justin Forsett rushed for 106 yards and the Ravens finished with 125. Defensive end Corey Liuget was the only one from the front seven who showed flashes. It seemed like the Ravens wanted to run the ball and could, and that’s never a good sign.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: D-minus — It’s still hard to figure the Chargers’ kick coverage mindset as they stayed away from returner Jacoby Jones with squib efforts, which consistently gave the Ravens good field position. Then with the game on the line, they kicked to Jones and he returned it 72 yards to nearly seal the win for the Ravens. Nick Novak was 2 of 2 on field goals, including one from 52 yards.

–COACHING: A — It was no small feat beating the Ravens at home as the Chargers became the first West Coast team to do so. Mike McCoy was wise enough to shift from a muddling running game to leaning on the team’s best player, Philip Rivers. Coordinator John Pagano never could dial up any heat, which had his secondary challenged for most of the game. But his defense persevered in the red zone, holding the Ravens to field goals and keeping the Chargers in the game. The team believed it could rally, which trickles down from the coaches.