Had the Chicago Bears bested the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles would have had no reason to play their starters against the Washington Commanders in Week 18.
But, since the Bears lost to the Niners, the Eagles are still in play for the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which provides them with a major motivator when it comes to playing key contributors in the season finale.
Eagles are still in play for No. 2 seed in NFC
In order for the Eagles to secure the second seed, they need to beat the Commanders in Week 18 and they need the Bears to lose to the Detroit Lions. If both of those things happen, the Eagles will claim the No. 2 seed in the conference for a second consecutive season.
Securing the No. 2 seed would mean that the Eagles would have a home game in the Wild Card round and then another home game in the Divisional Round, should they advance past the first round. It would also mean that they’d have the inside track to homefield advantage in the NFC Championship game should the top seed in the conference lose in the Divisional Round.
The Eagles are excellent at home in the postseason. They went 3-0 at home en route to a Super Bowl victory last season. So securing an additional home game in the playoffs is certainly something worth fighting for.
There’s obviously an argument to be made for resting key guys too, as it could help to avoid injury and keep them fresh(er) for the start of postseason play when you already have a spot locked up. Losing a key cog in the final week of the season would be a gut punch.
Ultimately, the coaching staff will have to decide which is more important – rest or a shot at another home game. So far, Nick Sirianni has been noncommittal regarding his plans.
Again, an argument could be made either way, but if they want to, the Eagles absolutely have a legitimate reason to play their starters in the final game of the regular season.
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