INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Last Sunday, Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe walked off the field feeling like he had played the worst game of his young NFL career.
He didn’t record a single tackle, pressure, or stat.
“I felt like I played my worst game this past game and the news I got even worse,” he admitted.
The Chargers went on to lose 38-24 to the Indianapolis Colts, with the defense managing just five quarterback hits and one sack. It was an ugly performance in all phases.
But the news Eboigbe received after the game was even more devastating.
“Hearing that my grandma, passed away after the game,” Eboigbe said. “At the end of the day it's tough.”
His grandmother meant the world to him, and though it was a short week, he knew he needed to lock in.
“Just knowing the woman that she was,” Eboigbe said. “She wouldn't want me to be down. She would want me to give it all I got. One thing I just kept saying this whole weekend, especially during the game I just want her be with me.”
Eboigbe responded with the best performance of his young career. He recorded two sacks, three tackles, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and four total pressures in their 37-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
biiiiig third-down sack
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 24, 2025
📺 | @nflonprime pic.twitter.com/52vkdVrQKk
He was all over Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz. On the second drive of the game, Wentz dropped back on 3rd-and-11, and Eboigbe split between the center and guard, driving the left guard to the ground before sacking Wentz to force a punt.
His second sack came right before halftime. After Odafe Oweh sacked Wentz to force a 2nd-and-11, Eboigbe pushed the right guard into the center, freeing up Tuli Tuipulotu. Wentz escaped Tuipulotu’s grasp, but the Alabama product cleaned it up for the sack.
“I think I mentioned it earlier, some of our young players are really doing a great job and Justin Eboigbe, how about him?” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Two sacks, Justin Eboigbe, there was another great performance by him.”
It was a dominant showing played with a heavy heart — a performance Eboigbe dedicated to his late grandmother.
The second-year defensive lineman has taken a significant step forward in 2025. Drafted in the fourth round last year, he appeared in just five games as a rookie. That experience fueled him.
“I felt bad last year,” Eboigbe said. “I felt like I didn't help the team, being an inactive guy, but progress must progress. I just feel like, man, you just keep standing up there, getting better each and every day. Don't let the outside noise or external factors out there affect your mindset.”
This season, he’s played in all eight games, recording 18 tackles, four tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, and four sacks — the second most on the team.
Eboigbe said he plans to continue honoring his grandmother and believes the best is yet to come for the Chargers defense.
“Man, it was special,” Mack said of Eboigbe. “But it's a testament to all 11 guys working hard together, man, trying to make plays and dominate a football game.”