What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 14 vs. the Chargers

After three consecutive weeks of the Eagles defense trying to compensate for an ineffective offense, the group seemed to hit its breaking point on Black Friday.

The Eagles conceded 425 yards of offense in their 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, bringing their total over the last two weeks to a league-high 898 yards. But Vic Fangio’s defense hasn’t been getting much help from the offense. The Eagles boast the fourth-worst time of possession in the NFL in the last two weeks among 26 teams that have played two games.

» READ MORE: Eagles open as slim favorites over Chargers in Week 14; plus, updated Super Bowl and MVP odds

Can the Eagles stop the bleeding against the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers, who are coming off a 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders? That task might be easier if Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is hindered by his injured nonthrowing hand.

Here is what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles heading into their Week 14 matchup:

Something about the timing of the Bears game just seemed cruel.

The Eagles offense, with all of its talent, had been floundering for weeks entering that contest. The strides taken in wins over the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants before the bye week seemingly were blips within the greater context of a shaky season.

There were the Bears, led by a first-year head coach in Ben Johnson who has been getting the most out of his offensive players. They could establish the run and build a play-action passing game off it with a young, inconsistent quarterback in Caleb Williams and had success with the approach in a way that has evaded the Eagles this season.

Everything the Eagles offense could be this season is what the Bears are right now, and the Eagles should be even greater, considering their personnel. The side-by-side disparity was glaring.

“They played a good game; they coached a good game,” Nick Sirianni said Friday night. “They outcoached us; they outplayed us.”

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni reiterates Eagles are ‘evaluating everything,’ but Kevin Patullo will still call plays

Both admissions were alarming but not surprising. The Eagles, especially on offense, are searching for an identity entering Week 14. Still, Sirianni said in the aftermath of the loss to the Dallas Cowboys that the team always wants to play “tough, detailed, together.”

The Eagles haven’t been living out that mantra lately. Tough? Nakobe Dean pointed to a lack of violence on defense against the Bears’ rushing attack. Detailed? From the Eagles committing the sixth-most pre-snap penalties in the NFL to Jalen Hurts and his receivers not always being on the same page, the offense hasn’t been executing the finer nuances of its responsibilities to the standard of a Super Bowl contender.

Time will tell if the Eagles truly are together as they embark upon the final five games of the regular season, starting Monday night against the Chargers. Otherwise, the Eagles are staring down a 2023-like fate.

As of Tuesday, Herbert was expected to play against the Eagles after fracturing his left hand Sunday against the Raiders.

Herbert, the sixth-year starter, underwent surgery Monday. He managed to play through the injury, which happened when Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn tackled him on a scramble late in the first quarter. Herbert even completed a 10-yard touchdown pass on the following play.

He went 15-of-20 for 151 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. A 108.5 quarterback rating isn’t too shabby for a player with a broken nonthrowing hand.

Still, 20 attempts represent Herbert’s second-lowest total of the season and tied for third lowest in his career. He was limited to handing the ball off with his right hand and didn’t take snaps under center for the rest of the game.

With Herbert limited, the Chargers leaned into the running game, led by running backs Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson. The duo combined for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 36 attempts. Vidal earned the majority of that share (126 yards on 25 carries) and forced a career-high 12 missed tackles along the way, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Raiders might be 2-10, but their defense has given up just 3.8 yards per carry this season, which ranks third in the NFL.

The Eagles should expect to see a continued effort to run the ball from the Chargers, given Herbert’s injury and the Eagles’ porous run defense (281 yards conceded on 47 attempts) against the Bears.

» READ MORE: Can the Eagles still get the No. 1 seed in the NFC? Yes, but it will be difficult.

Plus, Monday night’s game could mark the return of Omarion Hampton, the rookie running back who has been out since Week 5 with an ankle injury. Before going down, Hampton had been averaging 4.8 yards per carry, which would rank in the top 10 in the NFL if it were sustained over 13 weeks. The Eagles ought to fix their running-game woes to avoid D’Andre Swift-Kyle Monangai 2.0.

The Chargers might be extra run-happy, given the state of their pass protection. Herbert has been pressured on 41.8% of his dropbacks this season, which is the third-highest rate in the league. His 38 sacks also rank third.

Herbert hasn’t been getting much help from his offensive line. The Chargers have lost both of their starting tackles, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, to injury this year. In August, Slater suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee in practice, ending his season before it began. Alt had season-ending ankle surgery after getting hurt in early November.

But the tackle spots aren’t the only weaknesses along the Chargers’ offensive line. The interior, namely former Eagles right guard Mekhi Becton, hasn’t fared much better.

After signing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Chargers in free agency, Becton has been lackluster in Los Angeles. He has played a career-low 72% of the offensive snaps this season — primarily because of injury — although Becton told ESPN last week that he was pulled from the Week 11 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars without an explanation.

The Raiders pressured Herbert on 26.9% of his dropbacks, his second-lowest rate of the season, according to Next Gen Stats. The Chargers’ decision to lean into the running game kept the Raiders’ pass rush, namely defensive end Maxx Crosby, at bay.

Still, the Eagles’ pass rush could have a prime opportunity whenever Herbert drops back, especially if the Chargers fall behind and are forced to throw.

The Eagles are coming off a season-low 25% pressure rate against the Bears. Nolan Smith led the way with four pressures on Williams, followed by Jalyx Hunt with three.

The Chargers have statistically one of the best passing defenses in the league, allowing the second-fewest passing yards (2,020) and passing touchdowns (12) in the NFL. However, entering Sunday’s game, the Chargers’ rushing defense was conceding 4.7 yards per carry, which was tied for the sixth-highest average.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s unit tightened up against the run following the bye week. The Chargers limited Raiders No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty to 31 yards on 15 carries (2.1 yards per carry, the sixth-lowest clip by a running back in a game this season with a minimum of 15 carries).

They achieved this by bringing more bodies closer to the line of scrimmage, whether that was inside linebacker Daiyan Henley lining up on the edge or safeties Elijah Molden and Tony Jefferson rotating into the box before the snap.

The Chargers earned the right to rush the passer by stopping the run. The 34-year-old Khalil Mack led the way with six pressures (tied for the second-best performance by a Chargers defender in a game this season). His 46.2% pressure rate was his highest in a game since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.

Surely, the Chargers will look to limit the Eagles’ rushing attack led by Saquon Barkley, who had just 13 carries (4.3 yards per carry) in the loss to Chicago. Run blocking has been an issue for the team all season long, especially in the last two games in the absence of an injured Lane Johnson.