Week 9 Preview: Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)

Did I miss something?

 

Has everyone forgotten that this Eagles team is bad? Am I supposed to forget that people were calling for Nick Sirianni’s head exactly one week ago? Hell, was I supposed to forget the whole flower thing that happened last week?

 

All of a sudden, after one beatdown of a Detroit Lions team that is, quite frankly, an embarrassment to the sport, Eagles fans are trying to talk themselves into believing this team could get to the playoffs. THE PLAYOFFS? Nick Sirianni just figured out what an inside zone is, and now people are thinking playoffs? Give me a friggin’ break.

 

The national attention is off of whatever bogus line Sirianni could come up with for one week (rightfully so given the week the NFL has had), and now people are thinking that Odell Beckham Jr. is a good fit for the Eagles?

 

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Can we get our focus back, people? I thought this season was about progressing talent and giving the young guys reps to see if they are worth keeping around for the future. In case we’ve all forgotten, Devonta Smith and Jalen Reagor are your last two first round picks, and Quez Watkins has been a young, promising deep threat, no?

 

So why would the Eagles want to take reps and targets away from those guys for a player in Beckham Jr. that would be here on a one-year deal? Not to mention, Beckham Jr. just got cut from his last team because he was complaining about not getting the ball enough. If you think that problem would be solved in Sirianni’s offense with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, I’m not sure what Eagles team you’ve been watching over the past eight weeks.

 

Anyway, the Eagles host the Chargers on Sunday and are somehow only two point underdogs. As aforementioned, the Eagles are coming off of an absolute stomping of a horrendous Lions team. The Chargers, meanwhile, are coming off of back-to-back losses after looking like one of the best teams in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season.

 

Eagles Offense vs. Chargers Defense

 

Congratulations to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni! Only took him eight weeks, but he finally figured out that it is in fact legal to run the football more than 10 times a game. The fact that he figured this out in the first full game Miles Sanders has missed all year is a sick, twisted joke. That dude can’t catch a break.

 

Sirianni should have the same approach this week as he did last week. The Chargers have allowed the second most rushing yards in all of football, sandwiched right between the one-win Texans and the winless Lions. They’ve allowed the most rush yards per attempt in the league. If Sirianni makes Hurts throw the ball 30 or more times, I will give Sirianni the ole citizen’s arrest for malpractice.

 

Also, the people are still looking for rookie running back Kenneth Gainwell. I’m assuming he’s just in the doghouse for some reason, but If anyone knows his whereabouts, please alert Nick Sirianni.

 

 

I’m really, really close to being out on Jalen Hurts. I was, and still am, all for giving Hurts the year to rock out as the starter to see what he can do in a full season. He just doesn’t look like he has it though. No, I’m not talking about the it factor, because the young man certainly has the right mentality. He’s definitely a guy you’d want in your fox hole if the apocalypse began tomorrow.

 

I’m talking about qualities every NFL quarterback should have, and he doesn’t have most of them. He’s inconsistent with his accuracy. He has the minimum level of arm strength required to be a professional quarterback. He struggles when his first read isn’t open.

 

For everything he does so well that is atypical for the quarterback position, like avoiding pressure, extending plays, or just being able to run; it’s the typical quarterback stuff that he lacks. For that reason, I’m about to shut the door on Hurts as the future of the Eagles.

 

Although, this “shut the door” is much less a slam, and much more of the type of door close that your parents would do when you were little, and they would close the door, but not all the way. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that the door is cracked, so that I can hear Hurts if he wakes up and decides to be a quarterback. I hope that analogy made sense for those reading this, because it made a ton of sense in my head.

 

This might not be the week that Hurts convinces Eagles fans he’s capable of being the guy. The Chargers boast the third best defense against the pass in the league, and have allowed just nine passing touchdowns in seven games. For those of you wondering if that’s good, I’m here to confirm that it is indeed good, as that’s the second fewest passing touchdowns allowed across the league.

 

The Eagles may just catch a break, though, as cornerbacks Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. (wow I feel old) have missed practice all week and are reportedly out for Sunday’s game. Chris Harris Jr, the former Broncos star, has played well since returning from injury in week five. The star of the Chargers secondary is safety Derwin James Jr. He’s battled injuries throughout his career, but when on the field, he’s a game-wrecker. Expect him to be all over the field Sunday evening.

 

Their pass defense is also aided by a pass rush that ranks eighth in hurry percentage, meaning that the quarterback is constantly under pressure against the likes of Joey Bosa and company. Unfortunately for the sanity of Eagles fans, that might mean a nauseating amount of unsuccessful screen passes.

 

 

This week, Sirianni needs to once again focus his play-calling around running the football. When Hurts goes to the air, I hope that he has enough sense to target whatever fourth string corner the Chargers send out there. This all makes too much sense though. I’m sure fertilizer man will find a way to make this game as frustrating to watch as possible.

 

Eagles Defense vs. Chargers Offense

 

The Eagles defense had their best performance since week one last Sunday in Detroit. They didn’t allow a touchdown, and dominated at the line of scrimmage as they totaled six sacks. Something tells me they won’t have as much success against a Chargers offensive line that is allowing two sacks per game. Albeit, that’s the league average, I just want to make note of the fact that the Eagles d-line won’t be going against Detroit.

 

In other news…

 

 

Alexa, play “Let’s Groove,” by Earth, Wind & Fire. That’s my celebration song. Absolutely electric vibes all the way throughout the song, easily one of the best musical productions of all-time.

 

In a football sense, Eric Wilson stunk worse than a middle school boys locker room that’s filled with shirts and shorts that haven’t been taken home to be washed all year. He couldn’t tackle. He couldn’t defend the pass. God forbid he was ever asked to blitz, he would have disintegrated into the turf. You guys smell that? It wreaks of Nate Gerry in here.

 

The Chargers have one of, if not the best, young quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert. This team goes as he goes. When the Chargers were 4-1 to start the season, Herbert was playing like an MVP candidate. In their last two games, Herbert has struggled mightily, and both games have resulted in losses.

 

The best way to effect Herbert, like any young quarterback, is to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Both teams did that by bringing more than four guys on a pass rush, also known as a blitz. Sorry I forgot what the term was, I just haven’t seen the Eagles blitz since Jim Johnson (R.I.P.) was on the sideline. Under Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles have the fourth lowest blitz percentage in the league.

 

It’s worth noting that each of the Eagles six sacks from a week ago came from defensive linemen, which is part of the reason I wasn’t as encouraged by the Eagles defensive performance last week. Gannon didn’t change anything. That proves to me that he’s not learning on the job and is incapable of making adjustments, or simply just incapable of admitting that his way of doing things is unsuccessful. I’m not sure which is worse.

 

Herbert has an elite wide receiver core to throw to. Keenan Allen has been one of the best route runners in the league for a few years now, and that hasn’t changed this year. Something that has changed this year has been the production of fifth-year wideout Mike Williams. He has become a legitimate deep threat, but has been tied down the last two weeks with just four total receptions between the two games.

 

Good thing for the Eagles, cornerback Darius Slay has been downright elite so far this season. After having a rough first campaign with the Birds in 2020, Slay’s production has taken off in 2021. He has become exactly what the Eagles thought they were paying for last season.

 

 

My Prediction

 

Despite the large margin of victory a week ago for the Eagles, and the Chargers coming off of back-to-back disappointing losses, I’m still flabbergasted by the fact that the Eagles are just two point underdogs in this game. That tells me that Vegas knows something that I don’t.

 

Therefore, I’m going against my gut feeling of a Chargers blowout, and I’m going to try to convince myself that this will be a close game. Nick Sirianni is going to continue to run the ball with Jordan Howard, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell if anyone is able to find him. Jalen Hurts is going to run the ball effectively and make smart decisions, while getting his best receivers involved in Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.

 

It still isn’t enough. Justin Herbert and the rest of the Chargers offense is able to rebound after a tough couple of weeks and look more like the contender they were in the beginning of the season. Running back Austin Eckler is going to be a monster out of the backfield and will have at least eight receptions because Jonathan Gannon is still rockin’ with the “don’t let anything behind you” approach.

 

Chargers win, 36-26.

 

Also, why the heck is this game being played at 4:05 if the game is in Philly? That’s a regularly scheduled game time for the Chargers! What’s the point of having a west coast team play on the east coast if you don’t make them play at 10 in the morning pacific time? Collusion.

 

If I Were A Betting Man

Chargers -2 is my lock of the century. I hope I’m wrong.

 

Broadcast Information

Time: 4:05 P.M. EDT

TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn)

Radio: 94.1 WIP

Stream: NFL Game Pass

 

 

By Matt Szczypiorski | November 7, 2021
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