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BALTIMORE - Asked to assess the importance of Sundays game against the Baltimore Ravens, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers supplied an answer that should stand for the rest of the season.Its kind of what youd expect this time of year, with the two teams fighting for a (playoff) spot, Rivers noted. So, itll 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 post-season aspirations. The Chargers have defeated just one team with a winning record, Seattle in Week 2.San Diego certainly cant 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.Weve got five teams coming up that are, shoot, as good as they get, free safety Eric Weddle said. Were either going to win a bunch and get in or we dont. I think the team is focused, were ready. We showed it last week (in a 27-24 win over St. Louis).Weve got to get this next one. Its the only one that matters.Because San Diego and Baltimore own identical records, the winner will have the tiebreaker if the teams finish tied for a wild-card spot.Every game right now is like a playoff game for us, Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith said. Its really going to be about who wants it more. We have to be at our best right now, and we understand that.Some things to know about the Chargers-Ravens matchup:INDESTRUCTABLE QBs: Rivers has started every game since the beginning of the 2006 season, and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco hasnt missed a start since taking the job as a rookie in the 2008 season opener.Flacco expressed his respect for Rivers by saying: Its pretty cool. Thats what football is all about. Its not the fact that hes not missed a game, its the fact that he has been hurt in certain instances and has played through it.Since taking over as coach in Baltimore in 2008, Harbaugh has never had anyone but Flacco as his starter.Durability is every bit as important as ability, Harbaugh said. You can be the most talented guy in the world, but if youre not there to do the job it really doesnt matter.GATES ENDURES: Chargers tight end Antonio Gates has been catching touchdown passes since 2003 with no sign of letting up. With four more TD receptions, he will become the ninth player in NFL history with 100.You look at the tape, and youre hoping that hes going to age out at some point, Harbaugh said, grinning. We all do at some point, but he hasnt yet. He continues to adjust his game. He really does a great job of bodying up and making plays as a receiver. Hes still a downfield threat. Hes a go-to guy for Philip Rivers.NEAR 1,000: Ravens running back Justin Forsett needs 97 yards rushing to reach 1,000 for the first time in his seven-year career. He is coming off two straight 100-yard games and scored two TDs in each of those contests.Our offensive line, it starts with those guys, Flacco said. Theyre doing a lot of things really well right now.Stopping Forsett is a priority for the Chargers, whose rushing defence ranks 15th in the NFL.MR. SMITH GOES TO BALTIMORE: Steve Smith ended up in Baltimore after being released by Carolina, but the Chargers also coveted the veteran wide receiver.McCoy, a former assistant at Carolina, dialed up Smith after the Panthers cut him.It was more just a conversation to see where he was at and what his plans were, McCoy said. Obviously, he made a great decision for him and his family, and hes having a great year.Smith leads the Ravens with 53 catches for 817 yards and has scored five touchdowns.HE LIKES ME: Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who surpassed 100 career sacks last week in a win over New Orleans, usually doesnt speak well of opposing quarterbacks. He made an exception this week when asked about Rivers.I dont like many quarterbacks in this league, Suggs said. Andy Dalton is one, hes another, and theres a few more. But thats about it.Rivers has no desire to talk about it Sunday.I hope not to have too much interaction with him. That means hes either laying on top of me or getting back there a lot, Rivers said.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Adidas Ultra Boost Sale Deutschland . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Adidas Nmd Grosshandel Deutschland . Salah, who scored against Chelsea in two Champions League group matches this season, is Jose Mourinhos third significant recruit in the January transfer window after Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore. http://www.nmdschuhesale.de/eqt-schuhe-deutschland.html . And fellow Leaf, Jake Gardiner, hiking in Whistler. Ultra Boost 4.0 Weiß Damen . LOUIS -- Julius Randle had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Aaron Harrison finished with 18 points and No. Adidas Nmd Cs2 Damen . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League.MELBOURNE, Australia - Serena Williams claims to suffer from nerves and jitters before her first-round matches at the Grand Slams.She certainly didnt show it, winning her first set in 21 minutes on Tuesday night on the way to a 6-0, 6-4 win over Alison Van Uytvanck at the Australian Open.The 18-time major winner has only once lost in the opening round at a Grand Slam tournament, and this is her 58th. One more Grand Slam title and shell pass Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list of champions.If I could get to 19 in Australia that would be amazing, said the top-ranked Williams, who won the last of her five Australian titles in 2010.Four-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic returned to Rod Laver Arena for the first time as a husband and father, shrugging off the effects of a cold to beat No. 116-ranked Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in his first-round match.Djokovic won the first of his seven major titles at the 2008 Australian Open, then won here in three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. His 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park ended in a quarterfinal loss last year to Stan Wawrinka, who went on to win the title.Wawrinka began the defence of a major crown for the first time with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 100-ranked Marsel Ilhan, taking less than 1 1/2 hours to breeze through the first round.Its great, bringing me a lot of memories from last year, Wawrinka said of his return. It was great to come back here feeling happy, happy with my game.Top-ranked Djokovic had the subsequent match on centre court and appeared to be tired and still recovering from illness after his match, saying hed had a rough two weeks health-wise but Im getting up there.His mood changed suddenly when a court-side interview turned to reflections of 2014, when he won Wimbledon for the second time, married his long-time partner, Jelena, and the couple had a son, Stefan.Well those two events are the two most beautiful events I experienced in my life, he said.dddddddddddd Stefan, hes a blessing we received ... now I have even more motivation.Two other men widely considered to be in the next generation of major winners advanced in straight sets, with No. 5 Kei Nishikori beating Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-2 and No. 8 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., firing 30 aces in a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win against qualifier Illya Marchenko.No. 9 David Ferrer beat Thomaz Bellucci 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-0, 6-3, No. 12 Feliciano Lopez struggled past American wild-card entry Denis Kudla 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 10-8, while No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 18 Gilles Simon -4 and No. 19 John Isner also advanced.No. 16 Fabio Fognini lost in four sets to Alejando Gonzalez.Nishikori is playing at his first major since his run to the U.S. Open, when he became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final. Hes determined to go one better and win a major.Yeah for sure that was one of my best results in my career that gave me a lot of confidence, the Japanese star said. I beat a lot of top 10 players.Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska needed only 63 minutes for their straight-sets wins over Richel Hogenkamp and Kurumi Nara, and No. 18 Venus Williams beat Maria Teresa Torro 6-2, 6-2. No. 12 Flavia Pennetta, No. 13 Andrea Petkovic and No. 15 Jelena Jankovic were all eliminated, joining the eight seeded players in the womens draw who were beaten on day one.Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback from a foot injury with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Sloane Stephens — her third in three years at the Australian Open — and will next have to play U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki, who beat 18-year-old American Taylor Townsend 7-6 (1), 6-2.No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova, a finalist here last year, opened with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 comeback win against Kirsten Flipkens, while 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur also advanced. ' ' '