Chargers vs. Ravens: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

The Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens each drew a brutal hand entering Sunday's Wild Card Round clash.

While the 12-4 Kansas City Chiefs enjoy a break as the AFC's top seed, the 12-4 Chargers—who vanquished their AFC West foe in Week 15—must travel to the East Coast for an early-afternoon game. They will have to again face the Ravens, who bested them in Week 16 before seizing the AFC North crown.

The red-hot Ravens, who have won six of seven games since turning to quarterback Lamar Jackson, boast the head-to-head advantage. They still, however, must commence the postseason against an elite team that matched the New Orleans Saints for an NFL-best 7-1 record on the road.

Although not given a marquee time slot, this rematch represents the opening round's top matchup. According to Football Outsiders, the Chargers and Ravens respectively finished the season third and sixth in defensive-adjusted value over average (DVOA).

Whichever club advances could inflict considerable damage in the AFC. The Chargers have already knocked out the No. 1 seed in their own house. The Ravens couldn't match Los Angeles' upset at Arrowhead Stadium, but they proved a worthy adversary in an overtime loss. They also fell one point shy of knocking off the Saints in Week 7.

Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens

When: Sunday, January 6, at 1:05 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Tickets: StubHub

Odds (per OddsShark): Baltimore (-3)   

Preview

Harry How/Getty Images

Career arcs don't vary much more than those of Philip Rivers and Lamar Jackson. The former is a 37-year-old embarking on what could be his last chance to secure a Super Bowl title.

Sixteen years younger, the latter is just getting started:

Only Dan Marino has accrued more career passing yards and touchdowns than Rivers without earning a ring. After matching a personal-best single-season quarterback rating (105.5), the future Hall of Famer will make his first playoff appearance in five years.

Per The Ringer's Robert Mays, Rivers acknowledged that he might not receive many more opportunities to engineer a title push. 

"You don't know how many more you're going to get," Rivers said. "From a team standpoint, I can say that because there's no guarantee that you're going to be in it from year to year. And from an individual standpoint, just knowing the truth is, I don't have that many years left."

The 15-year-pro faces a daunting challenge Sunday. The Ravens restricted him to 183 passing yards and two picks in his only 2018 game without a touchdown pass. They concluded the 2018 campaign fifth in pass defense while sporting the NFL's lowest completion percentage (58.4) and second-best opposing quarterback rating (80.6).

Given their stinginess, Rivers must avoid any turnovers. He had surrendered just six interceptions in 13 games before coughing up two in each of his past three contests. Baltimore's defense, meanwhile, dominated despite snatching a meager 17 takeaways.

The Chargers will relive Week 16's 22-10 loss if they again cede multiple giveaways. And they have no chance if Jackson mounts another efficient passing outing:

The rookie produced much of his success with his legs, recording 486 rushing yards and four touchdowns in seven starts. Prorated over 16 games, he would have outpaced all but five running backs on the ground.

While onlookers will debate the long-term stability of his run-heavy offense, Jackson's teammates are buying into his fruitful arrival.

"He exceeded [expectations] and excelled, and he made us believers," linebacker C.J. Mosley told ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley. "When you're on the sidelines seeing him make the plays he makes, extending plays, running the ball, making the whole offensive team better, you don't see that a lot from a rookie quarterback. He took it in stride, and he ran with it. He got us to where we are now."

Through the air, Jackson mustered a middling 7.1 yards per pass attempt. Yet he went an economical 12-of-22 for 204 yards and a passing touchdown against the Chargers' ninth-ranked pass defense. That would be more than enough to guide a flourishing ground game and powerhouse defense to victory.

From the most celebrated position to the least, Chargers fans won't feel comfortable if the game boils down to a late kick. While Baltimore's Justin Tucker holds the NFL record for career field-goal percentage (90.1), the Bolts have been besieged by costly misfires from a revolving door of kickers.

The weakest unit among both squads, the Chargers' special teams placed 25th in DVOA. Yet they received some stability after dumping Caleb Sturgis for Michael Badgley, who converted all but one (a 52-yard miss) of his 16 field-goal attempts.

Per The Athletic's Sam Fortier, running back Melvin Gordon credited the rookie as a notable component to their title aspirations:

Kickers typically don't get noticed until after they bungle a game-changing opportunity. All four of the Chargers' kickers—who combined to miss 10 field goals and five extra points—were highly noticeable in 2017.

Besides the Chargers, only the Indianapolis Colts (10th in each) notched a top-10 placement in offensive and defensive DVOA. Clearing the uprights could be the difference between Rivers reaching his first Super Bowl or at least handling a formidable foe in the first round.