3 Matchups The Eagles Need To Win vs The Chargers

The Eagles need a win. Not necessarily to save their season. The Cowboys' loss to the Lions on Thursday night took some pressure off the Eagles in the NFC East. But they need a win for the morale of the team and of the city. Because right now, things are bleak.

They have two straight losses, the offense is missing in action, and the defense is showing signs of buckling after carrying the team on its back all season long. They might make the playoffs, but this does not look a team ready to repeat as champions. Right now they look like a team ready to bow out in the 1st round.

But 1 game can change everything. If they go out to LA and beat the Chargers in convincing fashion, things can still be fixed. Time is running out though. There are only 5 games left in the season. Starting with Monday night vs the Chargers.

What do they need to do to get back on track and leave LA with a win? Here are 3 matchups they need to win.

If there is a chance for the Eagles to feast, it is off the Edge. The Chargers have been hit hard by injuries at Tackle. Both RaShawn Slater and Joe Alt are out for the year. Their absence has been noticeable. No QB has been pressured more than Justin Herbert, and only 3 have been sacked more than him.

The Eagles will obvioulsy be without Jalen Carter inside. It will put pressure on Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo to step up in his place. But that also puts more pressure on guys like Jaelan Phillips, Nolan Smith, and Jalyx Hunt to up their game on the Edge.

Phillips has been great for the Eagles since they got him. He had a down week vs the Cowboys, but otherwise has been a consistent, disruptive force. How much of that was Jalen Carter taking attention away from him? We will find out this week. But the Eagles' defense needs to take advantage of this mismatch.

The Chargers have arguably the best pass defense in the league. Only 4 teams have managed to throw for over 200 yards vs them, and no one has topped 300. The last time someone topped 200 was October 19th. This does not feel like the ideal week to get the pass game going.

On the flipside, they are not that special vs the run game. They have had moments, like keeping the Raiders and Vikings to under 40 yards on the ground. But they also just allowed 192 yards on the ground to the Jaguars. If you are going to beat them, it is on the ground.

The problem is that the Eagles have not been a good running team. In fact, you could argue they are a bad one. They are 22nd in Rushing Yards per game. Barkley has only topped 100 yards once. He has more games with under 50 yards (5) than over 75 (3). Whether it is Barkley, the run blocking, or the run scheme, something is not working for the Eagles' run defense.

But if they are going to win this week, they kind of have to figure it out. It is even harder to see the pass game figure it out this week vs an elite secondary. During this whole era of Eagles Football, the run game is the engine that makes the car run. As good as Hurts is in big moments, they have always been at their best when they are a run-first team. They need to get back to that and figure this run game out, or not only will they not win this week, they won't win anything this season.

It is hard to put too much of the Bears game on the Defense. They were on the field for nearly 40 minutes and kept the game within reach for most of the game. But while a lot of that is on the offense not being able to stay on the field, it is also on the defense.

The Bears were 10 of 17 on 3rd Down. The defense struggled to get off the field. In part because they gave up big runs on 1st and 2nd down, leading to easier 3rd down conversions. The Bears had 2 RBs go for over 100 yards. It is going to be hard to win when you allow that. The offense might be the bigger problem, but the defense was still a problem on Black Friday.

The Chargers' run game is not as scary, but it still can't be overlooked. Like their run defense, it is middle of the pack, and getting rookie Omarion Hampton back will make it a bit better. And unfortunately, the Eagles will be without Jalen Carter. An absence that is notable, given what Tim McManus told Unfiltered when he joined them this week.

Opponents average almost an extra yard per rush when Carter is off the field. If the Eagles allow the Chargers over 5 yards per run, it is hard to see the game going well for them. The rest of the defense needs to step up and keep the Chargers run game in check.

If they do that and force the Chargers to throw, that only gives them a better chance at taking advantage of the mismatch we talked about earlier vs the Chargers' Offensive Tackles. But the best way to minimize the pass rush is to run the ball. If they can stop the run and force the Chargers into more pass plays, that only increases the chance the Eagles pass rushers can get to Justin Herbert.