Two Key Questions As Eagles Prepare For Chargers On Monday Night Football

PHILADELPHIA – It’s a question being asked on both coasts: Will Justin Herbert play Monday night when the Eagles visit SoFi Stadium in Week 14?

The Chargers quarterback had surgery on his non-throwing hand on Monday, so fans of the team on the west coast are interested to see if he can keep their team on track to make the playoffs for a second straight season under coach Jim Harbaugh. Obviously, it’s a big deal in Philly, where the hometown teams is trying to snap a two-game losing streak and strengthen their lead in the NFC East over the fast-closing Cowboys.

Herbert said on Wednesday he is planning to play.

"Yeah, that's the plan,” he told reporters, “to prepare as if I'm going to play. We'll see how the next couple of days go. I'll do everything I can to be out there for the team and for the guys out there.”

With the game being on Monday, and not Sunday, the extra day to heal helps. Though it’s the quarterback’s left hand, it remains to be seen how under-center snaps will impact him as well as his role in the Chargers’ run game.

That leads to another question: Can the Eagles run defense improve from its horrid showing a week ago?

Chargers Ground Attack Will Challenge Eagles

Cooper DeJea — Nov 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) avoids a tackle by Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown (21) during the fourth quarter of the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Chargers’ run game with Herbert is ranked 12th overall in the league, averaging 122 yards per game. The quarterback has had to scramble more this year with Los Angeles’ offensive line missing both tackles, and he has been effective with his legs.

If he cannot play, Trey Lance would make his first start, and his legs can be just as effective as Herbert’s.

“At the end of the day, you have to put that elbow grease in,” said Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who had a career-high nine tackles against the Bears. “It’s going to take a little bit of faith and lot of elbow grease. I have faith in this team.”

The Eagles’ run defense was a disaster against the Bears on Black Friday, allowing 281 yards rushing. Vic Fangio didn’t get into any details about why his run game defense was shredded, but if the defensive coordinator doesn’t get whatever was broken fixed by Monday, it could be another long night.

“The biggest issues were, one, they run the ball very well,” said Fangio about Chicago’s ground attack last week. “I didn't do a good enough job of preparing our squad for the quality and the diversity of their run game. We didn't play the run and the blocks the way we had been playing.”

The Chargers’ running back stable includes second-year pro Kimani Vidal, who has 543 yards rushing, a 4.5 yards per carry average, three touchdowns, and two games with 100-plus rushing yards.

Rookie Omarion Hampton, just 22, has 314 yards, a 4.8 yards per carry average, two touchdowns, and one game over yards, which is the same number Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has this year.

“It comes down to everybody just being technically sound,” said linebacker Nakobe Davis, who made 12 tackles against the Bears. “You wanna try to have the best footwork, the best reads every play, but that’s not the case with everybody every game. It happens. We know we have to play better.”

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