BALTIMORE — When San Diego’s defense came up with a big stop on a third-and-4 from its own 13-yard line against Baltimore late in the fourth quarter, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers looked down the sideline and said, “Let’s go win the game.”

And that’s exactly what they did.

Rivers threw a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown to wide receiver Eddie Royal with 38 seconds left and the Chargers got a boost to their playoff hopes with a 34-33 victory over the Ravens on Sunday.

San Diego and Baltimore entered the game at 7-4, and the Chargers’ victory means they own the tiebreaker if the teams finish tied for a wild-card spot. San Diego overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to pull out the win.

“To come into this atmosphere and win means so much to our confidence,” Rivers said. “This was an awesome victory for us, especially the way we won. The game was back-and-forth all afternoon and we kept our confidence and won.”

Rivers completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Wide receiver Keenan Allen had 11 catches for 121 yards with two touchdowns.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 19 of 31 passes for 225 yards with a pair of touchdowns to wide receiver Torrey Smith. Baltimore running back Justin Forsett had 106 yards on 24 carries, and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his seven-year career.

Justin Tucker converted all four of his field-goal attempts for the Ravens.

San Diego cut the deficit to 30-27 on a 23-yard pass from Rivers to Allen with 3:37 left. Jacoby Jones then returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards, setting up a 31-yard Ravens field goal by Tucker with 2:22 left.

However, poor clock management by the Ravens gave the Chargers the ball with over two minutes left, and Rivers made the Ravens pay with an eight-play, 80-yard game-winning drive.

What the Chargers said:

“You can throw records out in my mind. The NFL is so good. The parity is so good. There’s not a lot that separates a lot of teams. Now, there’s some teams better than others, without a doubt, but if you don’t play your best, you’re gonna get beat, regardless of who you are playing.” — Coach Mike McCoy said.

What the Ravens said:

“Obviously, a disappointing loss. Give credit to the Chargers, and especially Philip Rivers. I thought he did a good job. He’s a great quarterback, and in the end, that was the difference.” — Coach John Harbaugh said.

What we learned about the Chargers:

1. Quarterback Philip Rivers started his 140th straight game, the second longest streak in the NFL behind Eli Manning (163). Rivers took a hard shot to the ribs by Ravens rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley in the first quarter and he hesitated to get back up. However, he shook it off and led the Chargers to the victory. Much of San Diego’s success this season can be tied to River’s durability and toughness to finish games. He completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Rivers has now thrown two or more touchdown passes in eight of the past 11 games. “To come into this atmosphere and win means so much to our confidence,” Rivers said. “This was an awesome victory for us, especially the way we won. The game was back and forth all afternoon and we kept our confidence and won.”

2. San Diego put itself in the driver’s seat to clinch a playoff spot at 8-4. However, the schedule does not get any easier for the Chargers moving forward. San Diego still must play New England, Denver, at San Francisco and at Kansas City over the next month. Each of those teams is also making a playoff push. The Chargers know they control their own destiny and the victory against Baltimore was a huge confidence boost. San Diego showed it can win in a hostile atmosphere. “To fly five hours and come over here to Baltimore and get a win…that was huge,” Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd said.

–RB Ryan Mathews injured his shoulder in Week 12 against the Rams but was able to play against Baltimore. He finished with just 38 yards on 13 carries, but had a key 14-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Mathews has been limited to five games this season because of an injured MCL. “We’re just having fun, enjoying the game,” Mathews said. “That’s what has been helping us out.”

–TE Antonio Gates had seven catches for 83 yards. “Any time you come into a hostile environment like this, you have to match the intensity,” Gates said. He needs one more touchdown for the fourth double-digit TD season of his career. He would become the first tight end in NFL history with four seasons of 10 or more touchdowns. With four more TD receptions, he will become the ninth player in NFL history with 100.

–LB Jarret Johnson was a fourth-round pick by the Ravens in 2003 and played nine seasons with the team. Johnson joined the Chargers in 2012 as a free agent. He returned to Baltimore for the first time and was limited to one tackle. “This was a playoff atmosphere with a playoff-caliber team,” Johnson said. “It was awesome.”

–DE Tenny Palepoi was active Sunday after his older brother, Francis, died unexpectedly late last week. Palepoi met family in Salt Lake City before joining the team in Baltimore on Saturday. He finished with three combined tackles.

–WR Malcom Floyd created matchup problems for the Ravens’ secondary all afternoon. He caught three passes for 85 yards. Floyd also passed Vincent Jackson for eighth place for the Chargers’ all-time receiving yards.

What we learned about the Ravens:

1. Baltimore has increased its blitz schemes to help take some pressure off the team’s beleaguered secondary, which has struggled much of the season. However, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was still able to take advantage with some big throws despite taking some hard shots by Baltimore’s linebackers. Rivers completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Baltimore’s defensive frustration eventually led to some key penalties that extended drives. “It’s extremely frustrating,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said about the penalties. “Us, as the Baltimore Ravens, we never want to leave it in the hands of the refs. It was just an all-around bad day.” Baltimore ended the game with a season-high 14 penalties for 98 yards. The Ravens did force two turnovers, which led to six points. Nonetheless, Baltimore will have to play out the season with essentially the same personnel, and that means defensive coordinator Dean Pees will have to be creative with his game plan to mask some of the deficiencies.

2. Despite the tough loss to the Chargers, the Ravens still can manage to make the playoffs if they can avoid any further slip-ups. Baltimore did not lose much ground in the AFC North because Pittsburgh and Cleveland also lost and all three teams are 7-5. The Bengals beat Tampa Bay and lead the division at 8-3-1. Baltimore, however, did fall to the eighth spot in the six-team playoff race in the AFC. The Ravens now must focus on an away game against the Dolphins, who are now three spots behind them in the playoff hunt. “We’ve got a big game on the road,” Ravens running back Justin Forsett said. “Our mindset is on Miami.” Baltimore has two games at home and two on the road to make up some ground.

–QB Joe Flacco has played much better since the bye week and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak simplified the offense. While Flacco did not have any turnovers, he still struggled with reading some of the Chargers’ coverages and simply held the ball too long. However, Flacco was engaged with Kubiak on the sideline after several possessions, which at least shows the two are being proactive in correcting some of the problems. Flacco completed 19 of 31 passes for 225 yards with a pair of touchdowns to wide receiver Torrey Smith. However, the Ravens were just 3 of 7 in the red zone. “They played their defenses and we probably would have liked to run the ball a little better than we did in those situations so we could have got some chunks and turned them into touchdowns,” Flacco said.

–WR Torrey Smith caught six passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. He has tied a career high with eight touchdowns on the season. Still, he would have rather walked away with a victory. “Offensively, we played a good game,” Smith said. “We played hard. There is no other way to put it, but we have to get back to work. We’re in a little bit of a tough spot, but at the end of the day, all we can work on is what we can control.”

–RB Justin Forsett had 106 yards on 24 carries, and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first time in his seven-year career. He now has three straight 100-yard games. “That’s been my goal every year since I’ve been in the NFL,” Forsett said about the 1,000 yards. “It’s a big accomplishment and I just have to keep pushing.”

–G Marshall Yanda once again anchored the offensive line, which has allowed the fourth fewest sacks in the NFL. The Ravens did not allow a sack against the Chargers, and quarterback Joe Flacco was able to manage the game with no turnovers because of the decreased pressure. The Chargers, however, still got the victory with a touchdown in the closing seconds. “We just need to get our heads straight and prepare for next week,” Yanda said.

–DT Timmy Jernigan got his second sack of the season. The rookie out of Florida State continues to make an impact for the Ravens’ pass rush this season. Baltimore also held San Diego to just 64 yards on the ground.