While the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers are both 8-4 heading into Week 14's edition of Monday Night Football, the two teams find themselves with very different playoff positioning.
Despite struggling through a pair of two-game losing streaks, including one they are still in the midst of, the Eagles are still sitting pretty with a 1.5-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East and could see that rise to 2.5 if they secure a win on MNF. They still have the Buffalo Bills on their schedule in December, which is a tough battle with or without Darius Slay, but their other three games are fairly easy, including a contest against the Las Vegas Raiders and two more against the 3-9 Washington Commanders.
And as for the Chargers? Well, they have one of the toughest schedules left in the NFL, going from hosting the Eagles to the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys on the road, to welcoming the Houston Texans at SoFi before closing out the regular season against their division rival Denver Broncos, who sit pretty with the second-best record in the AFC.
If the Chargers win out, they too are playoff-bound, as they own the first wildcard spot thanks to tiebreakers over the Indianapolis Colts and Bills. But if they lose to the Eagles and drop a game to the Chiefs the following week, there's a good chance they will no longer control their destiny and have to fight for the playoffs with no guarantee of getting in.
For an Eagles team that has struggled mightily over the past two weeks, this game could be a major springboard for a final month of regular season football, but for the Chargers, this game is borderline must-win, as if they start losing now, they could be eliminated from the playoffs by Christmas.
The Eagles actually run the ball for over 100 yards
One of the biggest talking points all week in Eagles land has been the team's inability to run the ball consistently, specifically when it comes to starting quarterback Jalen Hurts.
One of the most prolific runners in the game when nothing's available from the pocket, Hurts recorded as many touchdowns in four games as they have in the eight games since, with his attempts per game going from 10.25 in September to just 5.375 since. Without his threat as a runner, the Eagles' running game has borderline disappeared, with opposing rushers going all-in on Barkley on RPOs, and relatively easy third downs going unconverted because Hurts opted to throw instead of scrambling for an easy first down.
Could the Eagles continue to struggle on the ground in Week 14? History says yes, but with Nick Sirianni spending extra time in the offensive meetings room this week, it sure sounds like Philadelphia might return to their old ways, which included years of consistently pounding the ground, running RPOs, and hitting deep throws down the field when the box gets overly stacked.
Now, in games where the Chargers have allowed at least 100 yards on the ground, they have struggled to secure the win, going 2-3 with a point differential of -58. Teams like the Giants and the Jaguars have used their strong run games to dominate the time of possession on their way to victories, and if the Eagles can hold the ball for 10 more minutes than the Chargers, it will be hard for Jim Harbaugh's squad to secure the W in a shootout, what with their offense potentially in a really bad spot in Week 14.
Justin Herbert's Chargers struggle to field a consistent offense
As things presently stand, Justin Herbert is questionable to play for the Chargers in Week 14, having just had surgery on his non-throwing hand to “stabilize it.” Because he was limited at practice on Saturday, he could start on Monday Night Football and play the entire game, play a few drives to test out his hand, or even split time with backup Trey Lance, allowing the North Dakota State product to take the shotgun snaps while Herbert handles under center.
And yet, no matter what the Chargers have planned under center, that quarterback will have to play behind an offensive line that created this problem in the first place since Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt went on IR, with the tackle combination of Jamaree Salyer and Trey Pipkins III struggling to hold things down at the tackle spots.
Through 12 games, the Chargers have allowed 40 sacks and counting, the sixth-highest mark in the NFL.
While the Eagles aren't a prolific pass-rushing team by any means, having amassed just 24 sacks on the season so far, they do have the personnel to attack a susceptible backfield, as Jared Goff learned first-hand back in Week 11. Even with Halen Carter out, the combination of Jaelan Phillips, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, and Jalyx Hunt should still have enough pop to make life difficult for the Chargers regardless of who is in the pocket.
The Eagles end their losing streak against the Chargers
If the Chargers were at full strength, they would almost certainly be the favorites to come out of this game with a win. Their offense is far more prolific, their defense is solid against the run and the pass, and they have to keep winning to get into the playoffs, with their margin for error much lower than the Eagles.
And yet, the Chargers aren't at full strength, with their offense a massive question mark based on Herbert and the strength of their offensive line. While the Eagles may be hot and cold on offense, if they get things going, they can still hang with some of the very best teams in the NFL.
If the Chargers have a pensive Herbert under center, or worse, have to roll with Lance under center behind that offensive line, Greg Roman will have to call an absolute gem of a game if his team is going to leave Monday Night Football with a win, which, all things considered, feels fairly unlikely. No, this feels like the kind of game where the Eagles get back on track, and the Chargers have to suffer through in a season filled with unfortunate injury setbacks.
