Tony Jefferson intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in overtime to lift the Los Angeles Chargers to a 22-19 victory over Philadelphia on Monday in a thrilling game between NFL playoff contenders.
Justin Herbert, who came on the field a week after surgery on a fracture in his left (non-throwing) hand, held up a career-high seven sacks for 139 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers.
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Cameron Dicker kicked five field goals, including the 54-yard game-winner in overtime.
The Chargers defense forced Hurts to four interceptions and forced a career-worst five turnovers, and the Eagles fell to 8-5 and suffered their third straight loss.
“The defense played unbelievable. They came up with a lot of big plays,” Herbert said. “I’m proud to play for these guys.
“Not the way we designed it, but these guys have a lot of fun fighting. They never give up. It’s fun to be a part of. We have to keep getting better and keep moving forward.”
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Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley ran 52 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 16-13 lead nine seconds into the fourth quarter.
Dicker kicked a 31-yard field goal and Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott returned a 44-yarder, but Dicker kicked a 46-yard field goal with 8 seconds left in regulation to tie the score to 19-19 in overtime.
After Dicke kicked the game-winning field goal 3:36 into overtime, the Eagles faced a must-score drive that was ultimately saved by a fourth-down free throw by the Chargers.
Philadelphia drove to the Los Angeles 17-yard line, but Hurts’ pass was blocked by Los Angeles’ Cam Hart and Jefferson recovered the eighth and final fumble of the game to end the game.
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“Just keep going, every yard matters, every play matters,” Jefferson said.
“It was a team effort. We did what we had to do to stop it.”
Jefferson praised Herbert, who wore the No. 10 jersey, for his perseverance in coming back during the game.
“We either fight for 10th or we die for it,” Jefferson said.
“He’s truly the strongest, most determined quarterback I’ve ever seen. Nothing is too big for him. Broken hand. Surgery. Just keep working out the next few days. Lots of respect.”
“I feel good,” Herbert said after the game.
-“To sting”-
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The defending champion Eagles’ lead over Dallas in the NFC East fell to 1.5 games despite Barkley running 20 times for 122 yards and a touchdown.
“We knew we had to get better,” Barkley said. “We continued to beat ourselves. We didn’t do the little things right, we didn’t pay attention to the details.
“Last year was last year. That was a good team. We have to keep going. This team is going to sting.”
The Indianapolis Colts suffered a major blow to their AFC playoff contention when Daniel Jones was confirmed to have torn his right Achilles tendon on Monday.
The quarterback will undergo season-ending surgery later this week.
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