The big question with the Philadelphia Eagles this week is if they’re going to rest starters or not in their Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders.
There appears to be increasing sentiment that the Eagles will indeed prioritize rest despite the fact that the Eagles must do their part to win to have a chance at the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
First, there’s this from NFL insider Mike Garafolo (bold emphasis mine):
“Now, you could [beat Washington] potentially, with some starters resting. I think you saw DeVonta Smith there [in the B-roll footage] just now, he’s on the verge of 1,000 yards, so maybe you get him that accolade. A.J. Brown could chill out. Even Jalen Hurts could rest because of the legend of Tanner McKee. So, I do believe the Eagles are going to rest some starters here while still thinking that they can come out with a victory AND potentially that No. 2 seed if they get the result that they want from the Chicago-Detroit game.”
There’s also this from SportsRadio 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks:
I do think it’s possible that the Eagles could rest their starters against Washington and still win. It’s looking like the Commanders will be down to third-string quarterback Josh Johnson once again.
It’s also possible the Eagles don’t get the help they need from the Lions even if they did play their starters.
But if the Eagles don’t play their starters and lose to the Commanders (who might be extra motivated to win after how their Week 16 loss to Philly ended PLUS the bulletin board material of the Eagles thinking their backups can beat the Commanders’ starters) … and the Bears lose … I think that’ll be a tough pill to swallow knowing you could’ve tried to get the No. 2 seed but didn’t due to a lack of trying. Of course, that would be a pretty fitting outcome given the hubris/lack of aggression we’ve seen from Nick Sirianni all too often this season.
Or, hey, maybe the Eagles can truly get the best of both worlds and rest their starters while the Bears also lose. That would be the optimal outcome.
Ultimately, it’s not a no-brainer. But the team seems to be leaning against how the majority of Eagles fans polled here at Bleeding Green Nation would handle the decision.
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