Monday Night Football features a matchup between two teams that are trying to keep pace in the NFL Playoff Picture when the 8-4 Philadelphia Eagles hit the road to take on the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers. Though LA is the sixth seed in the AFC, the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts are right on their tail, so they'll need a win tonight to maintain their current position. Meanwhile, Philly has dropped two games in a row but still leads the NFC East.

The biggest story heading into this game has to do with the health of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who underwent surgery last week for a broken bone in his left hand and is listed as questionable to play tonight. Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh said he's "still optimistic" that Herbert plays.

“[He] looked good out there. He’s looked good,” Harbaugh said after Herbert returned to practice. “He's taken seven-on-seven. He's been in 11-on-11 as well.”

Herbert had the procedure done on his wrist one week ago today after suffering the injury in the Chargers' 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on November 30th.

“I heard it went well,” Herbert told reporters on December 3rd. “I think it's been only a couple days, so it's not much of an update... The doctors were happy with how he performed, so I guess that's always a good thing. It's just the next couple days of seeing how the swelling handles and what goes on from there.”

After being questioned multiple times about his team's health, Jim Harbaugh lit up like a Christmas tree when asked about going up against his former defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, for the first time in his head coaching career. Harbaugh said that Philadelphia's ninth-ranked scoring defense will be a tough test for the Chargers.

“I mean the utmost respect. [He’s] one of my favorite coaches I've ever worked with. And now it's the challenge of it,” Harbaugh said of the Eagles' defensive coordinator. “He's great. He's a great coach. Proof’s in the pudding. Every defense that he ever rolls out there, they're always good. Same sideline for so long, and now, [he’s] the competition.”

The Chargers are going to have to be diligent when defending the run. That starts with containing Philly running back Saquon Barkley, who is still on pace for 1,000 rushing yards this season despite having a down year. LA will also have to track quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns with eight on the season.

“Saquon’s one of the best in the league, man. At any moment, he could pop a big run. And so, you’ve got to be on your Ps and Qs throughout the whole game,” explained LA's nine-time Pro Bowl defensive end, Khalil Mack. “Just understanding the intangibles they have, and the offensive line [they have] accumulated with him in the backfield and Jalen in the backfield. His ability to run the QB runs and just their scheme in general. It's going to be a challenge for us.”

Things have taken a turn for the worse in Philadelphia as the defending Super Bowl Champions find themselves in the middle of a two-game slump following back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. With the offense struggling to get things going, over the last few weeks, head coach Nick Sirianni is planning to make some changes.

"I've been told by multiple team sources that head coach Nick Sirianni has increased his involvement with the offense this week, heading into Monday night's game against the Chargers," ESPN's Tim McManus said on Sunday. "The offense has had a tough time getting going this year. 15.5 points per game over the last four games. They've dropped two straight. They're down in most major statistical categories, and they need a jolt."

McManus added that first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will still be calling plays on that side of the ball, much to the chagrin of Eagles fans. Philly's higher-ups "remain confident" in Patullo's abilities as the team's OC.

“It isn't just one person. It's the ultimate team game. And so - like I said - we're working through everything,” Sirianni said on December 1st. “I have a lot of faith in all the players. I have a lot of faith in all the coaches. We’ve just got to execute it better, and we’ve got to scheme it better. It all can be true… It's my job to do whatever I need to do to help get it fixed, and that's what we're working on right now."

Normally, teams facing the Los Angeles Chargers have to worry about Justin Herbert. After the operation on his hand, though, it could be Herbert or backup quarterback Trey Lance starting tonight for LA.

"You always have to go through every situation that could possibly happen," Sirianni said on Saturday. "We'll prepare for both."

The Eagles will be dealing with their own injuries in this matchup. Not only will offensive lineman Lane Johnson be missing his third game in a row, but defensive tackle Jalen Carter was also ruled out of tonight's game.

"Now, I'm not going to get into too much of all that, as far as what changes,” Sirianni said. “[I’ve] got a lot of faith, though, in the guys that will be able to be in. We'll see how it is today, and we'll go from there. But [I’ve] got a lot of faith in the guys, that defensive line group, and we'll see what happens.”

Following the Black Friday loss to the Bears, Philly had ten days to prepare for this game. While one would think that the vibe in the building would be different after a disappointing performance like that, Sirianni said that it has been business as usual for the Eagles.

“These guys are so committed to our process and to each other that it hasn't felt any different,” he explained. “A lot of energy. I think that's stood out: a lot of energy. And that's what you want. You want to be able to get back up after you get knocked down, and I believe that we've done that.”

Prediction for Philadelphia Eagles (-2) @ Los Angeles Chargers

In all likelihood, Justin Herbert will start, which will undoubtedly make this a close game. Though Herbert is playing, Los Angeles will probably want to lean on the run game since their starting quarterback had surgery just a week ago. It also doesn't hurt that the Chargers have a top-flight rushing attack averaging 137.4 yards per game over their last five contests. Considering the Eagles will be missing one of their most important run stoppers, and they just let up 281 rushing yards last week, that feeds perfectly into LA's game plan. Unfortunately for the Chargers, Saquon Barkley had 302 scrimmage yards the last time he played at SoFi Stadium. LA also has concerns along the offensive line, which has allowed 18 sacks over the last five games. Even if Justin Herbert plays tonight, Philly will still win this matchup.

Prediction: Eagles 25 - 24 Chargers

How to watch Philadelphia Eagles (-2) @ Los Angeles Chargers

Eagles @ Chargers starts at 8:15 p.m. EDT at SoFi Stadium. You can watch it on ESPN or ABC, or stream it via the ESPN app, Hulu, or YouTube TV.

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