Desperate For A West Coast Win: Eagles-Chargers Week 14 Preview
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 07: Quarterback Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at Lincoln Financial Field on November 07, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The 2025 NFL season is nearing an end, and the Philadelphia Eagles are running out of time if they want to get things rolling before the postseason. With just five games remaining on their schedule, the Eagles are nearly locks to get back to the postseason with a 95% chance. However, the NFC is still a gauntlet, and nothing is guaranteed, and if the Eagles want to secure a playoff spot, they have to earn it.
This week’s game doesn’t get any easier as the Eagles travel out west for a Monday Night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers, like the Eagles, are well into the thick of the playoff race on the AFC side of the league and need a win just as much as Philadelphia does.
Two desperate 8-4 teams that are struggling down the stretch. Unless there is a tie, one team will gain the momentum they need to end the last quarter of the season, while the other will continue to spiral.
Will The Bunny Bring Back The Vibes?
From flowers that haven’t bloomed to shaving his head, Nick Sirianni has found many interesting ways to rally his team together. The newest one, however, may take the cake for the craziest one yet. The Eagles have added an inflatable Easter Bunny to the locker room.
They’re calling it the “positivity rabbit,” and it’s there to help keep positivity in the locker room over the final few weeks. It’s no secret that the vibes with the Eagles this season have not been great. Inconsistent and predictable offense, a defense that can never put consecutive good games together, and stars who complain about not being involved enough.
However, despite all of that, the team continues to say that things are alright in the locker room and that adding things inflatable will only keep the positivity around the rest of the year.
If it works, it works, whatever it takes to get this team back on the same page. If this bunny gets the Eagles to start winning again, then the entirety of Philadelphia will be putting up an inflatable rabbit for the rest of the season.
A Banged Up Justin Herbert
While the bunny is big news, the biggest story going into this game doesn’t come from the Eagles; it comes from the Chargers, and more specifically, it comes from Justin Herbert
Last week, Herbert suffered a fracture in his left non-throwing hand, which caused him to have surgery on it this week. Because of this, he was expected to miss some time due to the injury, but all week long, Herbert has stated that he expects to play Monday night, just one week removed from surgery. Yes, that’s right, he had surgery a week ago and is still likely to play in the game.
It’s an incredible feat of resilience, as many players and quarterbacks would not play a week removed from surgery, but Herbert is no normal quarterback, and he’s likely going to suit up and play. If the Eagles want to win this week, they have to take advantage of this injury.
We don’t know what Herbert is going to be able to do during the game, but what they can’t let him do is get locked in and throw dots across the field against the Eagles’ defense. The pass rush has to get to Herbert, and that shouldn’t be a problem, as every team has gotten to Herbert this year.
Herbert has been sacked 16 times in the Chargers’ last four games and 38 times all year. Starting tackles to start the season, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, both are out for the year, and they have both clearly been missed. The Eagles’ pass rush has been stellar since acquiring Jaelan Phillips at the trade deadline and will likely be the key to victory for Philadelphia. Sack Herbert enough the less pressure the offense will have.
Saquon Returns To Sofi
While 2025 hasn’t been a great year for the Eagles’ offense overall, one player in particular has seen a clear drop-off in production from the season prior, and that’s running back Saquon Barkley.
Last season, Barkley posted over 2,000 rushing yards, becoming only the ninth player in NFL history to accomplish that feat, and went on to win the league’s Offensive Player of the Year honors. This year, Barkley has rushed for just 740 yards, and there’s a chance he doesn’t even make 1,000 rushing yards if his struggles continue.
What’s the cause of this rapid decline in production? A worse offensive line, a change in playcaller, teams game-planning better ways to stop him. I feel like it’s a mix of both, but one thing may be able to help Barkley break this rut: a primetime game at Sofi Stadium.
Barkley’s stellar 2024 campaign really started picking up steam last season when the Eagles went on the road to Los Angeles to take on the Rams, and he rushed for a career-high 255 yards. After that game, Barkley began getting the MVP and OPOTY hype he rightfully deserved, and he rode that great performance to an all-time season and a Super Bowl victory.
So can another game at Sofi help salvage Barkley’s season, or will it just be another down week for the former All-Pro back?
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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