For a full recap of tonight’s game, check it out below.
The Chargers won the toss and chose to defer. Philadelphia was up first on offense.
The Eagles managed a single first down on their opening drive via a 10-yard pass on third-and-nine. After that, the Bolts defense put their foot down, recording a sack on third down from Odafe Oweh.
Both Kimani Vidal and Omarion Hampton combined to record all 80 yards of offense on the Chargers’ opening drive. Vidal took a short checkdown pass from Herbert and ran into open grass for a huge 60-yard gain. Several plays later, Hampton caught a four-yard touchdown pass to give the Bolts an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense found a bit more of a groove on their second drive via Saquon Barkley’s running. Barkley took his first carry of the drive for 19 yards and then tacked on another 10 with his second tote. For the second time in as many drives, tight end Dallas Goedert caught a pass on third-and-long to move the chains, as well. Jesse Minter began to load up defenders on the line of scrimmage and his third-down pressure plan worked to force a quick throw that would be halted well short of the sticks. The Eagles chose to kick a field goal on fourth down which made the score 7-3 with a little over three minutes remaining in the period.
The second offensive drive of the game for the Chargers was quite the opposite of their first.
Herbert escaped a would-be sack to find Hampton for a gain of seven. On the very next play, defensive tackle Jordan Davis evaded Bradley Bozeman’s block and tackled Hampton for a loss. Then, right tackle Trey Pipkins was called for a false start to back the Chargers up even further.
The Eagles then jumped early which gave the Chargers a free play in which Herbert launched a deep pass over the middle towards Ladd McConkey but it was picked by Cooper DeJean. Luckily, however, it did not count. On the shorter third down attempt, Herbert was pressured immediately by linebacker Nakobe Dean who ran right up the middle into the quarterback’s face. Herbert was forced to dirt the ball and the Bolts would punt it away.
R.J. Mickens looked to have come down with his third interception of the season off a Hurts overthrow but the replay showed the ball hit the ground and it was ruled an incompletion. Still, it led to another Eagles punt.
Derius caught the kick with decent field position but he attempted to cut all the way across the field to try and make a big play happen but he was tripped up after losing a good bit of yardage. That was not the ideal start for the Chargers on their third drive and it was only made worse thanks to a holding call on left tackle Jamaree Salyer. Herbert and Co. could not overcome the first-and-20 and ultimately punted back after going three-and-out.
Derwin James got the defensive stand started with a tackle for loss on Barkley. The next play looked like another great stop with Daiyan Henley blitzing into Hurts’ face to force an overthrow, but cornerback Cam Hart was called for illegal contact on Brown and it gave the Eagles an automatic first down. The Eagles got big plays through the air to Goedert (16 yards) and Brown (22 yards) to help move them down the field into field goal range, but a wild and wacky tragedy struck Philly on third-and-one.
Hurts dropped back and fired towards a receiver over the middle but the pass was picked by defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand who faked a rush before dropping into coverage. Hand ran around 10 yards before an Eagles player punched the ball loose. That fumble bounced right into the arms of Hurts who only had it for a moment before it was punched out again. Ultimately the ball bounced further in the favor of the Chargers before linebacker Troy Dye recovered it again for Los Angeles.
Herbert made one of his most impressive throws of the season on a third-and-two when he drifted left out of the pocket but threw back to his right with pressure bearing down on him. The pass barely made it past the fingers of a defender and into the arms of rookie wideout Tre’ Harris. Unfortunately Herbert would be sacked on the upcoming third down and the Bolts were forced to turn to Cameron Dicker. Number 11 was good from 45 yards out to increase their lead to 10-3.
Hurts threw his second interception to Donte Jackson on the Eagles’ side of the field after the latter undercut a pass intended for wideout DeVonta Smith. Unfortunately the Chargers only had it for one play. Linebacker Nakobe Dean blitzed right up the middle, blew up Hampton in pass protection, and stripped the ball out of Herbert’s hand with defensive lineman Byron Young making the recovery.
The Eagles moved the ball down the field fast but stalled once they got inside the 10-yard line. Left tackle Jordan Mailata was called for a hold to make it second-and-goal from the 12 and the Bolts kept bringing the heat to force another Jake Elliott field goal.
With 48 seconds on the clock, the Bolts still led 10-6.
The Chargers tried to get into field goal range quickly to score points before they received the second half kickoff. That hope lasted only a few moments, however, as Eagles pass rusher Jaelen Phillips got a hand on Herbert’s throwing arm on a pass attempt and it resulted in an interception for cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
Due to an unnecessary roughness penalty by Vidal after the interception, the Eagles got the ball immediately within field goal range. Elliott lined up to attempt a kick from 48 yards but he was wide left and the score remained 10-6 as both teams headed to the locker room.
The Chargers received the opening kickoff and took nearly nine and a half minutes off the clock with a lenghty 16-play drive. Los Angeles only moved the ball 51 yards, but big plays from Herbert kept extending. the drive further and further. Philly’s defense stepped up on multiple occasions as well and the Bolts only got three more points at the end of it all.
The next drive for the Eagles was quite the contrast to the Chargers. They went just 28 yards in five plays to counter with their own field goal from 54 yards outs, taking only two minutes and 10 seconds off the clock.
Los Angeles could only go backwards on their next drive. A long run by Vidal was called back due to a holding call on tight end Will Dissly. Herbert was sacked on a second-and-13 and the Chargers chose to run a draw up the middle to steal some room before punting away.
Facing a third-and-one as the quarter began, the Eagles broke the huddle fast in a look that normally means they’re trying to get off the tush push before the defense was ready. As the Chargers rushed to plug up the middle, Hurts took the handoff and pitched it outside to Barkley who split a few defenders and raced 52 yards for a touchdown. The score put the Eagles up for the first time in this game and the Chargers now faced a 16-13 deficit.
The Chargers moved the ball just 23 yards on five plays before being forced to punt back to the Eagles. With all the momentum behind Philly, this one was not looking good with most of the fourth quarter remaining.
Cornerback Cam Hart did his best help flip the script on the Eagles by intercepting a pass that went through the hands of A.J. Brown and returning it 28 yards the other way. This marked Jalen Hurts’ first three-interception game since the 2023 season.
Herbert could only lead the Chargers on a seven-play, 22-yard drive that ended in yet another Dicker field goal from 31 yards out. With 7:26 remaining in regulation, the game was knotted at 16-16.
Both the Eagles and Chargers traded three-and-outs over the next two drives. When the Eagles got the ball again, they leaned on Brown to help bring them down the field with gains of 15 and 19 through the air. Luckily the Bolts were able to stiffen up and limit the Eagles to just a field goal. With 2:11 on the clock, the Chargers were down 19-16.
The Chargers looked like their attempt at a comeback drive was going to fall short early on but a pass interference call on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell gave LA an automatic first down. In all, the Bolts went 43 yards in 11 plays before Dicker banged home a 46-yard field goal to tie the game at 19-19 with eight seconds left on the clock.
Philly knelt out the final seconds and sent this game into overtime.