BALTIMORE — Asked to assess the importance of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers supplied an answer that should stand for the rest of the season.

“It’s kind of what you’d expect this time of year, with the two teams fighting for a (playoff) spot,” Rivers noted. “So, it’ll be exciting and a heck of a challenge for us.”

This will be the first of five straight games for San Diego (7-4) against teams with winning records and postseason aspirations. The Chargers have defeated just one team with a winning record, Seattle in Week 2.

San Diego certainly can’t afford to look past this game, but coach Mike McCoy and his players are well aware that New England, Denver, San Francisco and Kansas City loom in December.

“We’ve got five teams coming up that are, shoot, as good as they get,” free safety Eric Weddle said…