The Philadelphia Eagles have a shot at securing the No. 2 seed in the NFC in Week 18, but theteam is reportedly going to prioritize restover putting its best players on the field. The Eagles are expected to rest Jalen Hurts and other key starters when the team takes on the Washington Commanders on Sunday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
If Hurts is held out of the contest, it's presumed backup Tanner McKee will get the start against the Commanders in Week 18. McKee has appeared in three games this season, throwing just three passes.
While Hurts was the only player specifically mentioned in the report, other key offensive starters like A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith, among others, could also miss the contest.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni previously hinted at the possibility the team could rest its starters in Week 18. When asked about it Monday,Sirianni mentioned the benefits of having a "bye" weekheading into the playoffs. He noted that the two most recent times the team rested its starters in Week 18 — 2022 and 2024 — it reached the Super Bowl.
While that's a solid reason for once again employing the strategy, it could raise some eyebrows among Eagles fans. Philadelphia enters Week 18 with a shot at the No. 2 seed in the NFC. If the Eagles beat the Commanders and the Chicago Bears lose to the Detroit Lions, the Eagles would jump up to the No. 2 seed in the NFC. That would ensure the Eagles host home games throughout the playoffs unless they have to play the No. 1 seed — which hasn't been determined, but will be one of the Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers. As it stands, the Eagles will enter Week 18 as the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
With the Eagles resting their starters, the Commanders presumably have a better chance of winning the contest. But after a strong 2024, Washington has fallen back to earth following multiple injuries to quarterback Jayden Daniels, who the team shut down with a few weeks left in the regular season. Daniels' backup, Marcus Mariota, is also injured, which could lead to the Commanders once again turning to third-string quarterback Josh Johnson. That could lead to the game being much closer than expected despite the Eagles reportedly writing it off as a "bye" week.
Despite another strong season, the Eagles face plenty of questions entering the playoffs. The team's offense, which ranked seventh in points per game last season, hasn't found its rhythm this year. The Eagles rank 19th in points per game this season, the team's first under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
While the Eagles could use Week 18 as an opportunity to right the ship — something the Los Angeles Rams will look to do after head coach Sean McVay said theteam needed to improve— Philadelphia will instead hope a week of rest has everyone feeling good ahead of the playoffs.
There's no definitive evidence that supports either approach. The Eagles have shown in recent seasons that rest can work. McVay's Rams have shown, at times, that rest in Week 18 can lead to a team coming out flat in the playoffs.
Despite the fact there's no right answer, that won't stop Eagles fans from ripping Sirianni and the team if it suffers a disappointing loss in the first week of the playoffs after taking it easy in Week 18.
