Report: Eagles Resting Starters in Week 18 Most Likely
The NFL regular season finale is upon us, and for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, it is shaping up to be about as exciting as a trip to the DMV. If you spent your hard-earned paycheck on tickets to see Jalen Hurts light up the Washington Commanders this weekend in Philly, you might want to look away. Reports indicate that head coach Nick Sirianni is preparing to put his starters in bubble wrap.
It looks like the Birds are treating Week 18 like a manufactured bye week. While the logic holds up on a spreadsheet, it is a tough pill to swallow for the faithful who wanted to see the team sprint into the postseason rather than limp in on the backs of the second string.
But here we are. The team has clinched a playoff spot. The heavy lifting is done. Now comes the boring part where risk management takes over.
Why the Eagles are choosing rest over seeding
This isn’t exactly a new page in the Nick Sirianni playbook. In four of his five seasons at the helm, he has opted to rest his key guys in the final week. It is becoming a tradition in Philadelphia, right up there with booing Santa Claus and debating the best cheesesteak spot. The philosophy is simple. A healthy roster is more valuable than a slightly better seed.
You can’t really argue with the results, can you? Sirianni sat Saquon Barkley last year when he was chasing rushing records, and the team went on to win the Super Bowl. That buys a coach a lot of leeway. If resting Hurts means he is 100 percent for the Wild Card round, most rational fans will take that trade. But sports fandom isn’t about being rational. It is about wanting to see your team crush a division rival, and fielding a “B-Team” against Washington feels like leaving food on the table.
What this means for DeVonta Smith and player milestones
The cruelest part of this strategy involves the individual accolades. DeVonta Smith is currently sitting less than 50 yards away from breaking 1,000 receiving yards for the season. In a normal world, you let him play a quarter, get his two or three catches, and get him out.
However, Sirianni has shown he is not sentimental about stats. He held Barkley back last year, and he will likely do the same to Smith this year. It sends a clear message to the locker room. The only trophy that matters is the silver one they hand out in February. It is a ruthless approach, but it is the kind of culture that builds championships. Still, you have to feel for Smith if he ends the year just shy of that quadruple-digit benchmark because the coach decided to play it safe.
Tanner McKee gets his audition moment
If there is a silver lining to this glorified preseason game, it is Tanner McKee. The backup quarterback is expected to get the nod, and this is massive for him. McKee played well in relief duty late last season, and this game against Washington is essentially a live audition for the rest of the league.
There are plenty of NFL teams desperate for quarterback help. If McKee goes out there and dissects the Commanders’ defense, his trade value goes through the roof. It gives the front office a nice asset to dangle in the offseason. Plus, the Eagles have a deep roster. Their second unit is better than a lot of teams’ starting lineups, so McKee actually has a decent shot at securing a win, even without the big guns on the field.
The playoff picture for the Philadelphia Eagles
By waving the white flag on Week 18, Philly is effectively conceding the No. 2 seed. They needed a win plus a Bears loss to grab that spot. Now? They are almost certainly locked into the No. 3 seed. I think McKee can beat the Commanders in Week 18, but the Bears probably are going for that two seed after losing to the 49ers.
That creates an interesting, albeit dangerous, path. As the third seed, the Eagles are likely looking at a Wild Card matchup against either the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams. They have owned the Rams recently, winning three straight against them, including a comeback win earlier this year. The 49ers are a different beast entirely. They haven’t played San Francisco in two years, and that team is always a physical nightmare in January.
Sirianni is betting on his guys. He is betting that a rested Eagles squad can beat anyone, regardless of whether the game is at home or on the road. It is a gamble, but scared money doesn’t make money.
