Eagles vs. Chargers Week 9 game preview and predictions

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to beat the Los Angeles Chargers.

One might say that’s a bold way to start this article after beginning last week’s prediction post with: “The Philadelphia Eagles are going to lose to the Detroit Lions.”

It was hard to feel good about this team last week, though. They didn’t really deserve the benefit of the doubt. The onus was on them to prove the doubters wrong and, to their credit, they did.

Now, does last week’s win mean the Eagles actually turned a corner? Was it a harbinger of things to come?

There’s an argument it could be. Nick Sirianni finally ran the ball in Detroit and it worked wonders. And now the Eagles are facing the NFL’s worst run defense. The Eagles should be able to take advantage of that mismatch.

The Chargers, then, should be looking to deviate from their normal pass defense priority to selling out to stop the run. Brandon Staley would be wise to put this game on Jalen Hurts’ arm. Then again, the Bolts will be without two of their starting cornerbacks in Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr.

When it comes to the Eagles’ defense, Jonathan Gannon impressed by making some adjustments last week. The DC didn’t just sit back in Cover 2 all game. He showed more single-high looks and blitzed at his highest rate this season. Will those adjustments carry over to this week or are we going to see more of a vanilla look again?

If it’s the latter, there’s serious concern that Justin Herbert is going to be able to have a day against this defense. Though he’s struggled lately, Herbert is still a very talented player with the capability of getting red hot. The Eagles need to take advantage of the weakened right side of the Chargers’ offensive line and get pressure on him.

This game has the makings of a close one. The Chargers really need a win after dropping their last two. The Eagles are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.

I can’t say I suddenly feel amazing about the Birds because of last week’s win but I do think they’re going to pull this off. Between the matchups and the spite factor (read: me previously hyping up Staley and Herbert), it feels like the Birds are in store for an overdue win at the Linc.

For more, check out BGN’s weekly NFL game predictions. For the latest odds, check out our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: 27 to 24, Eagles win.

Bold prediction: Jalen Hurts rushes for 200 yards, setting a new NFL record.

Your predictions:

Leave your own score predictions in the comments.