The errant pass from quarterback Joe Flacco on third down skidded across the ground late in the fourth quarter Sunday as the Ravens squandered another prime red-zone opportunity.

When kicker Justin Tucker connected on a 31-yard field goal to briefly boost the lead to six points, it repeated a costly pattern for the Ravens during their eventual 34-33 loss to the San Diego Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Ravens settled for field goals instead of the touchdowns they needed to keep pace with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who answered the field goal by manufacturing a game-winning touchdown drive. On Sunday, the Ravens went 3-for-7 in the red zone -- the area between the 20-yard line and the end zone.

Whether it was their inability to pound the football into the end zone, Flacco holding it too long in the pocket and receivers not getting open or the blockers not creating enough push, the Ravens' red-zone failures were a major reason why they lost a crucial AFC game that held major playoff implications.

"That was huge," wide receiver Torrey Smith said. "It was the difference in the game. We wouldn't have had to worry about them scoring at the end of the game. The defense wouldn't have been under pressure like they were, and we have to take responsibility for that."

The setback left the Ravens shaking their heads afterward and taking inventory of what happened. Entering Sunday, the Ravens ranked 15th in red-zone offense with 22 touchdowns on 41 red-zone scoring opportunities.

Their defensive line, they came off the ball very well and they made it very tough in the red zone and on the goal line for us to get a lot of push, Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. Those are things we stress and things we have to do better. I think it was a key factor, us not scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

I was talking to some of the guys and its a weird feeling because it felt like we were in control of the game the whole time. We were moving the ball. For us not to win this game at the end, its a weird feeling. For us to get better, we know what we have to do. We have to score more touchdowns.

That was a problem the Ravens never solved on a consistent basis. Despite facing a team that entered Sunday ranked 26th in red-zone defense, having allowed 20 touchdowns to opponents in 31 red-zone possessions, the Ravens' offense was stonewalled throughout the game.

The problems started in the first quarter when the Ravens failed to capitalize on an interception by middle linebacker Daryl Smith. The Ravens only came up with two yards on a completion to wide receiver Steve Smith on 3rd-and-3 at the Chargers' 12-yard line, ultimately settling for a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

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Red zone became a dead zone for Ravens in loss to Chargers