(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

What a brutal way to lose a game.

Down three points with a minute left in Sunday’s game against the Chargers, there was one thing St. Louis Rams quarterback Shaun Hill couldn’t afford to do on 2nd & goal from the San Diego 4-yard-line.

Unfortunately for the Rams, he did just that, as San Diego safety Marcus Gilchrist stepped in front of a pass intended for Kenny Britt and picked it off, sealing a 27-24 win for the Chargers and likely ending the Rams’ longshot playoff hopes.

Down 10 points with eight minutes left in the game, the Rams brought the deficit to three with just over two minutes to go, then forced a three and out to get the ball back for one final drive. After a punt return by Tavon Austin got them the ball at the San Diego 40 (he originally ran it to the 5, but offsetting penalties forced it back), Hill led the offense to the Chargers 4, seemingly setting the Rams up for a chip-shot game tying field goal if they couldn’t convert in three plays.

After a Week 11 upset over Denver, a second straight win over a decent AFC West team would have given the Rams impressive momentum at 5-6 and just two games out of the NFC wild card mix with three of their final five opponents consisting of the Raiders, Redskins and Giants.

Instead, it’s an absolutely soul-crushing loss for Jeff Fisher’s group. Even if they could somehow put this loss past them and swing a five-game winning streak to end the year, it’s tough to see a 9-7 team sneaking into the playoffs this season.