As the Los Angeles Chargers somehow ground out a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on MNF, they still were not able to escape the issues that have plagued them all season on offense. Sloppy offensive line play led to turnovers, and, for much of the night, they struggled to get anything going against a relatively weak Eagles secondary.
Yet, their defense forced five turnovers, including the game-winning interception from Tony Jefferson in overtime, and, in doing so, the team found their lone path to success as they close in on a playoff spot.
Granted, turnovers are volatile, and it's unlikely that we see a performance on that front of this caliber from the Chargers again before the end of the season. Yet, that number was a direct result of how well their defense played: getting pressure on Jalen Hurts, (partly) stuffing the run and maintaining excellent coverage in the secondary.
Therefore, although it is unlikely that the Chargers find serious stability on offense this season, they have the defensive tools to overcome just about any team.
Chargers have finally found their stride on defense, and it could be what leads them to the playoffs
With Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater out for the season, the Chargers' offensive line was almost always doomed to struggle. Yet, these problems have been intensified by the weak performance of their interior players. Even on their second drive of the game, poor reps from Bradley Bozeman and Mekhi Becton (and a false start on Trey Pipkins III) stalled their offense entirely.
As much as Herbert was able to pull out some big plays, his stat line for the game overall was decidedly sub-par. On the night, he was 12/26 with 139 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked seven times, making it nearly impossible for the team to find any offensive flow.
Yet, in spite of this, the Chargers still found a way to come out victorious against an Eagles offense that is now spiraling entering the final stretch of the regular season.
Los Angeles has found success with this formula before. They did so in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, holding their opponent to just 10 points and sacking Aaron Rodgers three times.
Herbert, decidedly, has enough talent to put up 20-ish points on a game-to-game basis even when he's under siege like he was against Philadelphia. It's been the defining aspect of his season, and, if things don't change for the Chargers, it could be the defining quality of his career.
Yet, that recipe only works if your defense is immaculate, and, on Monday night, it absolutely was for the Chargers.