Ravens return to the playoffs with win plus Chiefs victory over Chargers

Chase Daniel became an unlikely hero in Baltimore.

By leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 19-7 win over the San Diego Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens are headed to the postseason. Of course, the Ravens did their part by beating the Browns 20-10 on Sunday afternoon. But the Ravens also needed a win over the Chargers, which was clouded in doubt once quarterback Alex Smith was ruled out with a lacerated spleen.

But Daniel proved the skeptics wrong, by stepping into a game-manager role on offense. He only completed 16 of 27 passes for 157 yards but didn't throw an interception or lose a fumble. The Chiefs defense did the rest, forcing three turnovers (two interceptions) and sacking quarterback Philip Rivers seven times.

The Chiefs won't be rewarded for their efforts. With Kansas City and Baltimore winning, the Ravens go to the postseason. The Chiefs needed losses from both the Ravens and Texans to get in. Houston ended up beating Jacksonville 23-17 anyway, so Kansas City would have stayed home regardless.

For folks in Baltimore, thank any friends of yours that are Chiefs fans. Because of Kansas City's upset, the Ravens are postseason bound.

The Ravens are the No. 6 seed but will await to find out which team they play in the first round after the outcomes of the Broncos-Raiders and Bengals-Steelers games.