Los Angeles Chargers fullback Derek Watt, left, congratulates running back Melvin Gordon for his touchdown run as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey sits in the end zone during Sunday's AFC wild-card playoff game in Baltimore.BALTIMORE - The Los Angeles Chargers kept Lamar Jackson grounded, and by the time the rookie got the passing game going, it was too late for the Baltimore Ravens.
Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, and the L.A. defense harassed and hounded Jackson as the Chargers beat the Ravens 23-17 in an AFC wild-card playoff game Sunday.
The Chargers advance to face the second-seeded New England Patriots next Sunday. The Chargers most recently won two playoff games in the 2007 postseason, when the franchise was in San Diego.
Of course, going deep in the playoffs is old hat for the Patriots, who will enjoy home-field advantage for at least one weekend.
"Yeah, I mean, gosh, we know the run they've had," Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. "It seems like forever. They're always in these games and games beyond."
Rivers was 22-for-32 passing for 160 yards against the Ravens, providing just enough offense to help the Chargers get even for a 22-10 loss to Baltimore just two weeks ago in California.
Badgley set a franchise record for most field goals in a playoff game by connecting from 21, 53, 40, 34 and 47 yards.
The Chargers built a 23-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Jackson threw two touchdown passes to make it close. Given one final chance to complete the comeback, the 21-year-old looked every bit like the youngest quarterback to start an NFL playoff game when he lost the ball on his third fumble of the game.
Jackson finished 14-for-29 for 194 yards with an interception. He was sacked seven times.
"I wasn't playing my game today. I'm ticked off about that, definitely," Jackson said.
The AFC North champion Ravens were making their first playoff appearance since 2014 after Jackson led the team on a 6-1 run to end the regular season after an injury to longtime starter Joe Flacco.
This past week, Jackson - the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville - was lauded for the job he did to get Baltimore into the postseason. With him behind center, the Ravens had gone on a tear by combining a time-consuming ground game with the league's top-ranked defense.
Jackson rushed for 54 yards Sunday, but he was booed by many in the crowd of 70,432 after the Ravens fell behind by 20 points.
"They were looking for better in us," Jackson said. "We didn't perform well. It happens sometimes."
Jackson threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree to make it 23-10 with 6:33 remaining and tossed a 7-yarder to Crabtree with 1:59 left, but Baltimore's last chance ended when Jackson fumbled after being hit by Uchenna Nwosu.
The Ravens rushed for 90 yards after averaging 229.6 per game with Jackson as the starter in the regular season.
"We did a good job of staying in the rush lanes and containing him," Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. "The more times you see that offense, the better you're going to do against it."
The game was not without controversy.
Los Angeles used a 1-yard touchdown run by Melvin Gordon to take a 20-3 lead with 14:44 left. The score came one play after Gordon lost control of the ball at the goal line and the Ravens took it the other way for a touchdown. Gordon was called down by contact, though, and a replay confirmed the call.
"He had control of the football as he hit the ground," said Al Riveron, the NFL's senior vice president of officiating.
That pretty much ended any hope the Ravens had of winning their first home playoff game since the 2012 season. Baltimore had won five straight in the wild-card round under coach John Harbaugh.
At halftime, Jackson was 2-for-8 for 17 yards with an interception for a 0.0 quarterback rating. Los Angeles led 12-0 at the break, marking the first time in franchise history the Ravens were blanked in the first half of a playoff game.
The Ravens fumbled three times during their first eight offensive plays, losing the last one by Kenneth Dixon on a tackle by Melvin Ingram at the Baltimore 15 to set up Badgley's first field goal.