Los Angeles Chargers vs. Philadelphia Eagles Prediction
Los Angeles Chargers (4-3 SU, 4-3 ATS) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5 SU, 4-4 ATS)
Week 9 NFL
Date/Time: Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 4:05PM EST
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: CBS
Point Spread: LAC -3/PHI +3 (GTBets – Offers the ULTIMATE bankroll booster! A 100% REAL CASH bonus on your deposit up to $500! Free loot is GOOD loot!)
Over/Under Total: 50
The Los Angeles Chargers come into the City of Brotherly Love for a week nine faceoff with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chargers find themselves in a bit of a midseason crisis. After a bye-week following a crushing loss to Baltimore, they fell to the Patriots on Sunday at home, 27-24. Falling apart late after taking the lead in a game where a bounce-back was really needed was a setback. The Eagles, meanwhile, were able to reverse a two-game slide on Sunday with a thorough 44-6 win over Detroit. Can their offense show the same kind of life against the Bolts, or will the Chargers be able to rebound in Philly?
Bad Signs for the Chargers This Week
Among the more interesting elements of week eight was the Eagles’ offensive explosion, largely a result of their ground-game exploding. Jalen Hurts was making runs all over the place. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard each had two TDs. And this was without leading back Miles Sanders. But with it coming against Detroit, it doesn’t stand out as something they can count on from here moving forward. Taking what happens against Detroit as gospel can be a misleading route to take.
Still, this is a weird spot for a Chargers’ team that has a lot of players who have never stepped foot in this stadium. It’s an out-of-the-way locale in foreign territory for the Chargers team that went from looking like a team to beat in the AFC to a struggling team looking to right the ship. Even their big win against the Chiefs doesn’t look as good now. They again struggled on Sunday to stop the run, a now-glaring issue on this Chargers’ defense. They are ranked last in the league against the run, and now on the road facing a team that blew up last week in that area, it’s a daunting proposition. The Chargers simply don’t look very good right now.
Not So Fast…
Losing to the Ravens on the road and to a Patriots team that has really had their number the last few seasons doesn’t mean the Chargers are finished. This is a lowered context where some of their assets can resurface. With the Eagles unable to get much of an aerial attack together, this wouldn’t be a get-well spot in that regard against a Chargers’ secondary that has a lot of juice and upside. They’ll be wielding a run-first offense led by Hurts, Boston Scott, Jordan Howard, and Kenneth Gainwell. That might work in sports, but perhaps last week was somewhat of an outlier in terms of what to expect.
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The Chargers have ebbed at a time in the season where one thought they’d take that big step forward. But the Eagles have beaten the Falcons, a slip-sliding Panthers’ bunch, and the wayward Lions. Their other spots feature conclusive losses, impotent offensive showings, and an inability to derive any benefit from playing at home. It’s week nine, and they’ve yet to get a win in their own stadium. After two straight road games, they now return home and look to finally exorcise that demon. The point is that for whatever the Chargers are going through, it’s not any better overall for the Eagles just because they smacked the Lions around last week.
Justified Optimism for the Eagles This Week
It never seems to go according to script when breaking things down this way, but it’s at least promising that the Eagles’ best offensive trait is what the Chargers are worst at, while their good pass-defense pairs well with the Chargers’ best offensive approach. The sheer variety of the Philly ground game and the different looks with the running quarterback can really be hard on a discombobulated defensive front like the Chargers’. With guys like Darius Slay, who had a pick-six last week, the Eagles’ secondary can really be tough. We see the Chargers laboring on offense with the connections to surging Mike Williams coming less frequent in recent games. Herbert is coming off a multi-pick game. It’s not coming as easy for the Bolts. And it’s going to be tough to see it come together on the road in Philly.
What to Expect
There is nothing we’ve seen this season from the Chargers’ defense to say this Eagles’ run-game can’t thrive on Sunday. The flip side of that coin is Chargers’ back Austin Ekeler, a player who could see some abundant production this week against a leaky Eagles’ defensive front, in addition to the kind of short passes that will open things up aerially for Herbert. The exponentially-greater aerial upside for the Chargers looms large this week, even if the Eagles are seldom run over in that category. Still, in recent weeks, Tom Brady and Derek Carr were able to connect at a high rate with their targets against this defense, suggesting that some of their decent defensive stats could be the result of some favorable matchups.
Lay the Points on the Small Road Dog
This is a clear fork-in-the-road moment for a Chargers’ team facing a crisis. Sinking to .500 after their start would be a mini-disaster, while a win here gets them pointed in the right direction at 5-3. Not that Philly won’t be urgent to finally win one at home and continue some good momentum. I just see a little extra edge from a Chargers team that hasn’t flexed their muscles for a while now and are perhaps due. I see some spark from the Bolts’ offense while they do enough on the other side of the ball to get out of town with the win and the cover.
Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Los Angeles Chargers minus 3 points. Bet your Week 9 NFL football predictions for FREE by taking advantage of a 100% REAL CASH bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $300 at MyBookie Sportsbook! (Must sign up through this special link AND use bonus code PREDICT100 to receive the special bonus!)
