KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few thoughts on the San Diego Chargers' 19-7 loss Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season finale at Arrowhead Stadium:
What it means: The Chargers needed a win in order to punch the team's postseason ticket for a second straight season. Instead, San Diego put forth a lackluster effort against a team led by a backup quarterback in Kansas City's Chase Daniel. With a win over the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens earned the final AFC wild-card seed by finishing 10-6.
Rivers limps to finish: Impressive most of the year, Philip Rivers struggled in his final regular-season game of 2014. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Rivers was just 4-of-7 with an interception and three sacks in the opening half -- his lowest completion total in the first half of a game since Week 10 of 2011 (a 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders). In all, Rivers was sacked seven times, finishing 20-of-34 for 291 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Rivers also lost a fumble.
Stock watch: Down: Chargers coach Mike McCoy. The Chargers, who trailed by 21 points against the San Francisco 49ers last week, fell behind again by double digits at halftime. This time, it was to a Kansas City team playing with a backup quarterback. Along with conservative and sometimes head-scratching play calls offensively, San Diego failed to play with the urgency needed to reach the postseason. That falls on the coach.
Gates makes mark: Antonio Gates became the fourth tight end in NFL history with 10,000 receiving yards, joining Tony Gonzalez (15,127), Jason Witten (10,453) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060). Gates finished with four catches for 67 yards, and now has 10,014 in his career.
Game ball: While Rivers was not at his best Sunday, he certainly was the team MVP this season. Rivers topped 4,000 yards passing for the sixth time in his career (4,286). Since 2006, Rivers is 17-3 on the road as a starter in December and January, the best road winning percentage over that time frame. And in season finales on the road, Rivers is 8-1. Rivers finished with 31 touchdowns on the season, three shy of a career high of 34 established in 2008.
What's next: The Chargers finish 2014 with a 9-7 record, good enough for third place in the AFC West.
