In this series, we count down the top 10 impact plays for the San Diego Chargers that helped shape the 2014 season.

Situation: Fourth-and-2 from the San Diego's 40-yard line.

Score: Chargers trail the Arizona Cardinals 18-17

Time: 1:53 remaining in regulation.

Williams' take: The Chargers had plenty of time left and one of the best quarterbacks in the business running San Diego's two-minute offense. Philip Rivers only needed to get his team into field-goal position for a season-opening win over the Cardinals. However, the Chargers failed three times to get two yards for a first down from the team's own 40-yard line, turning it over on downs. On the final play, Rivers tried to find Keenan Allen on a shallow crossing route. However, the ball was tipped by Arizona linebacker Larry Foote, and Allen, covered by Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, couldn't bring the ball in to move the chains. Rivers said he got the same blitz all three times during the final three plays but still could not convert. You could also point to another impact play the previous drive in which the Chargers were in field-goal position leading 17-12 with 6:58 left. However, on third-and-8 from Arizona's 29-yard line, Rivers fumbled the shotgun snap and took a 14-yard loss, putting San Diego out of field-goal position and forcing the Chargers to punt. The Cardinals scored the winning touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Check out the play at the end of this highlight reel.

Season impact: The bottom line is the Chargers would have made the playoffs for a second straight season under Mike McCoy had they won this game. They also would not have needed a win in the team's final regular-season game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. This game was the first hint of what would be San Diego's season-long struggles running the football, as they totaled just 52 yards on the ground with a healthy Ryan Mathews. "It's the little things in the crucial times that we didn't do," Rivers said after the game. "And I didn't play winning quarterback football."

Quote: "We left some plays on the field that could have really helped us win this game -- a game you have to have on the road on a big stage." – Linebacker Jarret Johnson.