Ravens win and qualify for playoffs after Chargers lose

The Baltimore Ravens couldn't help watching the scoreboard in the midst of a game they had to win to reach the playoffs.

Host Baltimore earned a wild-card card berth Sunday by defeating the Cleveland Browns 20-10 and getting an assist halfway across the country.

To enter the postseason for the sixth time in seven years, the Ravens (10-6) needed to beat the Browns (7-9) and have San Diego lose in Kansas City.

A 17-point fourth quarter took care of the initial segment of that scenario, and the Chiefs did their part with a 19-7 win over the Chargers.

The Ravens trailed 10-3 in the fourth quarter. But a field and a pair of touchdown passes from Joe Flacco brought the Ravens back. Flacco went 8 for 9 for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He finished 22 for 36 for 312 yards, and the two TD passes gave him a career-high 27 for the season.

Justin Forsett had 119 yards rushing for the Ravens, who will play at Pittsburgh on Saturday night

Meanwhile, inside Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, it was only after the Chiefs (9-7) beat the Chargers, 19-7, that they learned just how close they were to hitting on a three-team parlay -- Baltimore getting beat by Cleveland and Houston losing to Jacksonville -- that would have gotten them into the playoffs.

Justin Houston had four sacks for the Chiefs to break Derrick Thomas' franchise record with 22 in the season.

The Chiefs' only touchdown came when wide receiver Dwayne Bowe fumbled inches shy of the goal line early in the second quarter. Tight end Travis Kelce recovered in the end zone, not only giving Kansas City a 10-0 lead, but keeping a dubious streak intact: No Chiefs wide receiver caught a TD pass all season, the first time in at least 50 years that has happened.

The Chargers (9-7) sawPhilip Rivers finish with 291 yards passing to go over 4,000 in a season for the sixth time, but he also threw two interceptions. -- AP