It is not uncommon for me to work a lot longer on games that don’t present a play than those that have an obvious side to pounce. Tonight, when the Los Angeles Chargers host the Philadelphia Eagles, we have one of those games.
Here is the deal. From a year-to-year cycle I had the Los Angeles Chargers as a potential Super Bowl winner this season. It was Jim Harbaugh’s second year with the team and he had a splendid quarterback that had never won a postseason game … oh for two is Justin Herbert in the two times he has guided the Chargers into the postseason since joining the team in 2020. I liked his chances of overcoming that obstacle.
I liked everything about the Chargers. Harbaugh and Herbert have a solid player/coach relationship and Los Angeles has, or should I say, had outstanding talent on both sides of the ball. The “had” in that statement is based on the Chargers projected strength, their offensive line, being crippled by injuries.
It started in the preseason, when early in August All Pro Rashawn Slater was lost for the season to an injury. Fortunately, they had another first round draft choice that moved from the right side to the all-important left tackle spot, Joe Alt. In ninth week action, the Chargers hopes were carted off the field when Alt suffered a season ending ankle injury.
The Chargers also lost their top two runningbacks, first Najee Harris and later Omarion Hampton. Tonight, Hampton returns to action after missing nearly two months of play.
Despite these devastating injuries, the Chargers have hung tough and still have a shot at the division title while coming into this week two games back of the Denver Broncos in the AFC West Division. They need a win tonight to stay within two games given the Broncos got a victory yesterday in Las Vegas.
Sign me up for the Chargers in 2026. When they have their offensive line back and Herbert with one more season of experience without yet claiming a big prize. With that said, you can understand I don’t think Los Angeles is headed anywhere special this year even if they manage to break out of the logjam in line for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC.
Tonight, to keep their hopes alive, they need to beat the defending Super Bowl Champions, and Philadelphia is coming off a loss. Both teams have had a long time to prepare for this Monday Night Football encounter. The Eagles last played a week ago Friday in a home loss to the Chicago Bears. The Chargers were at home following their bye week last Sunday when they beat the Las Vegas Raiders. They haven’t played a road game since mid-November.
The Eagles loss to the Bears threw more red flags on the possibility of this team defending their Super Bowl title. There seems to be a disconnect between players and coaches in the organization and the offensive and defensive lines, the strength of the defending champions in recent years, is down a notch this season. Saquon Barkley rushed for over 2,000 yards last season and the offensive line opened holes with regularity. This year, his average per carry is nearly cut in half and his production is too.
The Eagles appear to still be searching for an offensive identity and seem to be putting together game plans more to satisfy disgruntled players than beating opponents.
Laying points on the road against a quality opponent is not the most secure way to build a bankroll.
Backing the Chargers with a makeshift offensive line versus the still potent Philadelphia Eagles defense doesn’t appear to be compensated by the two-point spread.
What I end up with here is a game that burned more time and effort than any one on the Week 14 schedule and resulted in a final decision that there is no play.