Quietly, the Los Angeles Chargers have won three of four games and are right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture. If you have talked to a fellow Chargers fan lately, though, you might think the sky is falling. It depends on the day, really.
But, the reality is, Los Angeles is still in a good spot as it stands. They are, however, heading into a difficult stretch all while their quarterback is banded up. That last tidbit is an evergreen thought about Justin Herbert, but tha'ts a story for another day.
This isn't about Herbert's hand injury, though. As a matter of fact, this is about a huge advantage the Chargers just received ahead of their Week 14 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Eagles star defensive lineman Jalen Carter is officially out for the Monday Night Football matchup after undergoing a procedure on both of his shoulders.
Jalen Carter's absence comes at the perfect time for Omarion Hampton and the Chargers
For those who might have seen last week's Black Friday game between Philadelphia and Chicago, you know the Bears ran all over the Eagles defense. Now, it's going to be easy for Eagles fans to say 'well, clearly Jalen Carter wasn't right.'
And, sure, they have a right to that take, to an extent. But, it wasn't just Carter who was pushed around. Philly proved they are beatable on the ground, it's just a matter of the Bears having a better offensive line.
Now, in L.A., it's a different story. The offensive line is far from being a strength at this point, so the Chargers will happily take the advantage of not having to face Carter.
They'll also have the advantage of running back Omarion Hampton coming back from injury, finally, just in time for a real-difficult stretch of games. It begins with this matchup against the Eagles, but continues the following week with a divisional contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a game against the surging Dallas Cowboys.
And from there, the Chargers still have to play Houston and Denver.
But, right now, the focus is on Philadelphia. Carter is, at times, the best player on the field for that Eagles defense. And, the fact that he is going to miss this game is a monumental advantage for the Chargers.
They'll take any and every advantage at this point in the season, and this one is big.