INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In a season marred by inconsistency for the Los Angeles Chargers, their “Monday Night Football” outing appeared headed toward a loss in a similar fashion.

The Chargers’ defense was suffocating, forcing five turnovers from Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, the most in the Super Bowl MVP’s career. But after an opening-drive touchdown, the Chargers’ offense stalled.

This time was different for the Chargers, however. In a thrilling 22-19 overtime win, quarterback Justin Herbert rushed for 66 yards, the third most in his career, just seven days after surgery on a fracture in his left hand. And L.A.’s defense got a stop when it needed it most, as safety Tony Jefferson intercepted Hurts to secure the victory in OT.

It was the biggest win of the season for a Chargers team that appeared to be spiraling out of playoff contention — and it could help propel them into the postseason for the second year in a row.

Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)

What to make of QB performance: Herbert’s injured left hand clearly bothered him throughout the night, but he played without much limitation — taking snaps under center, scrambling for yards and absorbing hits. Herbert’s counting stats weren’t impressive — completing 12 of 26 passes for 139 yards — but some of that can be credited to an Eagles defense that blanketed receivers and consistently pressured him. His performance with the broken hand was an encouraging sign for an offense heading into a four-game stretch that features each opponent vying for a playoff spot or improved seeding (Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Denver).

Hole in the game plan: Pass protection.

The Eagles — missing star defensive tackle Jalen Carter — pressured Herbert on 68.3% of his dropbacks, per NFL Next Gen Stats, and sacked him seven times. One pressure in the second quarter forced an interception after Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips pushed tackle Bobby Hart into Herbert’s throwing arm. Pass protection has been an issue all season, particularly since Joe Alt‘s season-ending right high ankle injury in week 9. Since that injury, Herbert has been sacked 21 times, tied for second most in the NFL (Geno Smith, 30).

Trend to watch: Usage between RBs Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal.

With first-round rookie Hampton back for the first time since Week 5, he and Vidal shined.

On the opening drive, they combined for 78 yards, capped off with a 4-yard receiving touchdown by Hampton. Their workload was similar — Hampton with 13 carries and Vidal with 14 — and the coming weeks will prove whether this should be a shared backfield or if Hampton will go back to being the featured back. — Kris Rhim

Next game: at Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. EST, CBS)

Coming into Monday night’s game on a two-game slide, the Eagles needed Hurts to pull the offense out of its funk and lead the team to a stabilizing win over the Chargers.

Instead, he put forth one of the worst performances of his career, factoring heavily into their 22-19 overtime loss.

Hurts had five turnovers on the night, including an interception in overtime that ended a promising drive near the goal line. He was protecting the football as well as anyone for the bulk of the season, but now he has seven giveaways over the past two games. His receiving corps could have helped him out more — an A.J. Brown drop over the middle in the second half led to a pick — but Hurts held the offense back more than anyone against L.A.

A mediocre outing would have been enough on a night when the defense registered seven sacks and Saquon Barkley rediscovered some of his 2024 magic with a 50-plus-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles remain in a solid position to win the NFC East. But their offensive woes have hit crisis levels, stoking fears in Philadelphia that the defending champs are careering toward a 2023-like collapse.

Most surprising performance: Two unheralded defensive players made big impacts in the game. Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, the subject of much scrutiny amid the team’s quest to identify a CB2 opposite Quinyon Mitchell, had an interception and two passes defensed to continue his improved play. Defensive tackle Byron Young made the most of his increased role in Jalen Carter’s absence with 1.5 sacks, two QB hits and a tackle for loss.

Trend to watch: Kicker Jake Elliott has three missed field goals and a missed extra point over his past three games. He was unable to connect on a 48-yard attempt at the end of the second quarter Monday. With the offense struggling, the margins are too small to absorb an inconsistent kicking game over the long term.

Stat to know: Barkley’s 52-yard TD scamper early in the fourth quarter was his 15th career rushing touchdown of at least 50 yards, including playoffs, tying him with Barry Sanders for the second most in NFL history behind Adrian Peterson‘s 16. Barkley entered Monday’s contest with just one run of 40-plus yards on the season. — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. EST, Fox)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was involved in a wacky play on Monday night after throwing an interception to Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand.

Hand dropped back into coverage on the snap and Hurts threw it to wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was triple-covered. Hand was there to intercept the pass and began to run it up the field. However, he fumbled while trying to take the ball back.

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Hurts picked the ball up and thought he had saved the play for a minute. Instead, the ball was knocked out of his hands. Finally, Chargers linebacker Troy Dye recovered the ball. Hurts committed two turnovers in one play.

The Chargers kicked a field goal on their next drive to take a 10-3 lead.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

The play certainly perplexed NFL fans.

Los Angeles had a 10-6 lead going into halftime, but turnovers were running rampant. Both teams committed three turnovers each before the end of the second quarter.

PHILIP RIVERS, 44-YEAR-OLD WHO RECENTLY BECAME GRANDFATHER, TO VISIT COLTS FOR POTENTIAL NFL RETURN: REPORTS

The lone touchdown was scored when Justin Herbert found rookie running back Omarion Hampton for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Since then, Herbert has had one of his passes picked off and lost a fumble.

The Eagles haven’t had much success on offense.

Hurts is 10-of-19 for 95 yards and has thrown two interceptions.

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Both teams entered the game with an 8-4 record and were in need of a win to bolster their playoff hopes.

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The Indianapolis Colts, desperate at the quarterback position after injuries to both Daniel Jones and backup Riley Leonard, are bringing in a retiree to potentially lead the way in a playoff race.

Philip Rivers, the former Colts and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback who turned 44 years old on Monday, will be hosted by Indianapolis on Tuesday for a visit, according to multiple reports.

Rivers would be considered for a practice squad position, NFL Network reported, as the rookie Leonard, who took over for Jones after he suffered an Achilles injury on Sunday, is considered the team’s starter moving forward.

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However, Leonard is reportedly dealing with a knee injury that could leave Brett Rypien as the team’s only healthy option heading into Week 15 against a tough Seattle Seahawks team on the road. Leonard is being considered week to week, according to reports.

ESPN added that, while the Colts will be evaluating to see if Rivers is in shape enough to play in the league, he is still determining whether he wants to make an NFL comeback. But he’s clearly thinking hard about it with a trip to Indianapolis.

COLTS’ DANIEL JONES SLAMS HELMET IN FRUSTRATION AS HE SUFFERS GRUESOME ACHILLES INJURY

Rivers last appeared in the NFL in 2020 when he started 16 games for the Colts. He was 39 at the time and certainly a serviceable option at the position after passing for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Indianapolis went 11-5 that season before losing to the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs.

Rivers ended up announcing his retirement after that loss to the Bills, though he remained in the rumor mill as someone who could come back. He was open to being the New Orleans Saints quarterback in 2021, and the San Francisco 49ers admitted he was their choice if they made it to Super Bowl LVII when Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson both suffered injuries during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throwing a pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, in Orchard Park, New York. (Adrian Kraus/AP Photo)

But Rivers remained in Alabama, where he coached high school football over the past few years. The Colts clearly came calling, though, after a disastrous Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During the first quarter, Jones, who has been playing on a broken fibula, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury and he was visibly frustrated as he slammed his helmet to the turf.

The Colts have now dropped into the bubble group of AFC teams hoping to get into the playoffs after losing three straight games since coming off their bye week.

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Rivers, who recently became a grandfather, threw for 63,440 passing yards and 421 touchdowns with a 64.9% completion rate across 244 career games in the NFL. He also owns a 5-7 record in the playoffs.

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