The Eagles (8-4) are traveling to Los Angeles to face the Chargers (8-4) on Monday Night Football.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Eagles edge rushers vs. Chargers backup OTs

The Chargers this year have been hit hard with injuries, especially on the offensive line. They lost Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season in August to a torn patellar tendon and then last month lost promising second-year tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury. In addition to those injuries, their trade-deadline deal to acquire Trevor Penning hasn’t worked and their free agent signing of Mekhi Becton hasn’t really either.

Through 13 weeks, Justin Herbert has been sacked 38 times (fourth in the NFL) and has been pressured more than any other quarterback in the NFL. Herbert leads the NFL in pressures with 196 and has faced a pressure rate of 41.8%. To put that into perspective, Drake Maye is second in the NFL, having been pressured 183 times in one fewer game. The Chargers had yet another OL combination in Week 13 and even though they beat the Raiders 31-14, Herbert was sacked three times and faced seven pressures.

The Eagles’ defensive line hasn’t been consistently getting the type of pressure most would like to see but this could obviously be a week where they are able to break out, even without Jalen Carter, who will miss this game after having a procedure on both his shoulders during the week. Jaelan Phillips got off to a hot start in his first two games with the Eagles but has come back to Earth in the last two losses. Phillips had a sack and four QB hits in wins over the Packers and Lions but had just one QB hit against the Cowboys and none against the Bears. It’s not just on Phillips, though. The Eagles have some talent on their D-line with Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo. This could be an important week for this group.

Eagles run defense vs. Chargers run game

The Chargers this season are a middle-of-the-pack rushing offense. They are 12th in yards and 12th in yards-per-attempt, but they might be getting a talented rookie back for this game. First-round pick Omarion Hampton (ankle) hasn’t played since early October but has a chance to return in this game. He would bolster a rushing attack that has been led by Kimani Vidal, who has 543 yards (4.5) and 3 touchdowns this season. Hampton is a threat in the passing game too.

The Eagles were absolutely gashed against the Bears on the ground on Black Friday. Bears head coach Ben Johnson had an innovative rushing plan and then D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai both went over 100 yards. The Bears ended up with 281 yards on 47 carries. It was one of the worst games the Eagles’ defense has ever had on the ground. That obviously can’t happen again.

Vic Fangio vs. Banged-up Justin Herbert

The Chargers are hoping to have Herbert back in the lineup for this game after he had surgery on Monday to repair his left (non-throwing) hand. The Chargers are considering Herbert day-to-day and are hoping he can play against the Eagles. If not, the Chargers’ backup is Trey Lance.

Despite being under pressure a ton this season, the 27-year-old Herbert has played well. He has completed 66.9% of his passes for 2,842 yards with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, good for a passer rating of 94.9.

Herbert has faced a Fangio five times and has a 2-3 record against Fangio’s Broncos (four games) and Dolphins (one) game. In those five games, Herbert has completed 123 of 184 passes (66.8%) for 1,300 yards (260.0 per game) with 9 TDs and 4 INTs. His passer rating in those games is 94.47. In this game, he’ll be wearing a glove to protect his non-throwing hand and will be in pistol and shotgun all game.

Fred Johnson vs. Tuli Tuipolotu

The Chargers this season have 34 sacks (t-6th) and 137 pressures (t-22nd). Their top edge rusher has been Tuipolotu, who is the younger brother of former Eagles DT Marlon Tuipolotu. Tuipolotu leads the Chargers in sacks with 10 and has 5 in his last 5 games. Tuipolotu rushes from both sides but spends more time on the defensive left, which sets up a battle against the Eagles’ right tackle. The Eagles didn’t put Lane Johnson (foot) on IR so they hope he’ll be back within a four-week span and Fred Johnson has already started two games. But it looks like Fred Johnson will get his third consecutive start this week.

On the other side, 34-year-old Khalil Mack might not be in his prime anymore but he’s still a good player and has 4 1/2 sacks in 8 games this season and shows flashes of his old self. Mack is a nine-time Pro Bowler who had 17 sacks in just a couple years ago in 2023. Tuipuloto leads the Chargers with 43 pressures this season; Mack is second with 18.

Jalen Hurts vs. Chargers secondary

Overall, the Chargers have the No. 3-ranked defense in the NFL and they are powered by their great pass defense. They are second in the NFL in pass defense, giving up just 168.3 yards per game through the air. They haven’t given up 200 passing yards in a game in any of their last five games.

The Chargers top defensive backs are Derwin James, Elijah Molden, Taheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, RJ Mickens and Tony Jefferson. Jackson and Jefferson are tied for the team lead with 3 interceptions apiece. The Chargers don’t blitz very much. In fact, their blitz percentage of 20.8% is the fourth-lowest in the NFL.

Hurts in recent weeks hasn’t played very well and he needs to be better. Sometimes we can caught up in the blame game, trying to figure out who is most responsible for the team’s offensive struggles. There’s more than one answer, but Hurts is one of those answers.

Saquon Barkley vs. Chargers run defense

There was a hope that Barkley would break out against the Bears’ struggling rushing attack on Black Friday but that didn’t really happen. Barkley got off to a good start in that loss but ended up with just 13 carries for 56 yards. After a 2,000-yard season in 2024, Barkley is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry this season and has gone over 100 yards in a game just 1 time in 12 games. It’s obviously not all on Barkley but his numbers are down big.

The Chargers have a middle-of-the-road run defense. They’re 13th in yards (106.9 per game) and 24th in yards-per attempt (4.6). They gave up a season-low 31 yards on the ground in their Week 13 win over the Raiders.