Chargers vs. Eagles prediction: Can slumping Philadelphia get back on track against banged-up Justin Herbert?

The Los Angeles Chargers are hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in the Week 14 edition of "Monday Night Football," with Los Angeles coming off a dominating victory over the division rival Las Vegas Raiders last week, during which it improved to 8-4 on the season. The Chargers are getting healthier here with the return of running back Omarion Hampton, but they'll have to navigate the injury to Justin Herbert. They're looking to keep pace in the AFC wild card race and stay within potential striking distance of the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.

Philadelphia has lost back-to-back games to drop its record to 8-4 and looks like it is in a bad way at the moment. The coaching staff and the players are increasingly coming under fire despite the fact that the Eagles look to be in full control of the division and on their way to a playoff spot. There's a lot of angst in Philadelphia right now, and a win in this game would go a long way toward alleviating it.

Will the Chargers deal the Eagles their third loss in a row, or will Philadelphia break the streak? We'll find out soon enough. But before we clue you into some key storylines for this matchup, here's a look at how you can watch the game.

Where to watch Chargers vs. Eagles live

• Date: Monday, Dec. 8 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
• TV: ESPN/ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free) 
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Odds: Eagles -1.5, O/U 41.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook

Bet Chargers vs. Eagles at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $200 in bonus bets if their first bet of at least $5 wins.

Key Storylines

• Justin Herbert's injury. Herbert broke a bone in his hand last week against the Raiders. He briefly left the game and was replaced by Trey Lance, but he later returned wearing a padded glove. He had surgery on the hand last week and was limited in practices throughout the week. It'll be interesting to see how he handles snaps from under center, or whether the Chargers go exclusively shotgun throughout the game to protect his hand. How he handles the Eagles pass rush is also worth monitoring, given that he probably doesn't want to take very many hits and risk injuring the hand any further. 
• Eagles offensive struggles. Philadelphia has not scored more than 21 points since its Week 9 bye. The Eagles have struggled to run the ball and they have struggled to throw the ball with any degree of consistency, and they've also turned the ball over five times in their four post-bye games. The Chargers have an excellent defense that is fresh off holding the Raiders to an anemic 156 total yards and 31 rushing yards, so it could be some tough sledding if the Eagles can't get back to doing the things they used to do well. Nick Sirianni reportedly had a greater hand in the offensive game plan this week, so we'll see how he and OC Kevin Patullo decide to attack L.A.'s defense.
• Omarion Hampton's return. Hampton has been out since Week 5, when he suffered a fracture in his ankle. He was off to a terrific start to his rookie season before going down, but he's also been out for more than two full months. He's expected to split carries with Kimani Vidal in some form or fashion, but we don't yet know how that split will look. Vidal had some really good games in Hampton's absence, but was also somewhat inconsistent, seemingly going off every other week. Still, he should provide a nice one-two punch with Hampton and keep the latter fresh as he works his way back into the lineup.
• Playoff picture. The Chargers are currently 8-4 and in sixth place in the AFC. They're a half-game behind the Bills for the No. 5 seed. With a win, they would jump ahead of Buffalo and take over that fifth slot. With a loss, they'd drop to 8-5 and move behind the Colts and Texans, out of the field entirely. Philadelphia is also 8-4 and owns the No. 3 seed in the NFC thanks to its control of the NFC East. The Eagles can't move up or drop down in the NFC standings based on the result of this game, but they could extend their division lead over the Cowboys and keep pace with the 9-3-1 Packers for the No. 2 seed if they come away with a win. 

Chargers vs. Eagles prediction, pick

The Justin Herbert hand surgery has me off the Chargers in this game. Even if they get Omarion Hampton back, I don't know how effective we can expect the offense to be -- even against a defense that has struggled the last two weeks. We know the type of ceiling Vic Fangio's unit can reach. Do I trust the Eagles' offense at all here? Nope. But I'll back the team whose quarterback at least is not injured. 

Pick: Eagles 21, Chargers 17 | (Philadelphia -1.5, Under 41.5)