Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was still wrestling with that decision as of Monday, but could reveal his plan ahead of practice on Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA —Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has made a mistake by choosing to sit quarterback Jalen Hurts and the majority of his starters in the season finale against the Washington Commanders.
The head coach, as he is prone to do, rambled on Monday when asked a second time about what he plans to do with his starters since the Eagles are not entirely in control of their seeding situation.
With a win and a Chicago Bears loss or tie at home against the Detroit Lions, the Eagles will jump into the second seed in the NFC. A Bears win and they are the No. 2 seed because of their impressive win at Lincoln Financial Field last month.
Sirianni pointed out how beneficial the bye weeks were when the Eagles played in the Super Bowl in 2022 and 2024. The first bye was a result of the Eagles being the top seed. Last year’s bye came in the season finale and was a coach’s decision because the Eagles had clinched the second seed and couldn’t move up to the No. 1 seed in the final week.
“We don’t know what we’re doing yet,” Sirianni said. “I look back and I guess to say why would we not play? That’s your question. If I look back and how beneficial some of the byes that we’ve had have been, that’s part of the reason why you think through it.
“It’s a marathon of a season. You give your guys some rest, you get some time to think through some different things, even though you’re preparing for an opponent as you go. Both times that I’ve been here that we’ve been to the Super Bowl, we’ve had that opportunity for a bye.”
We told you he rambled. Sirianni also pointed out that the Eagles also took the final week of the season off in 2021 because they were locked into the No. 7 seed. They lost in the first round at Tampa Bay in Tom Brady’s final game that year.
More Sirianni rambling: “You have a bunch of different scenarios, and yes, your seeding’s not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding wise?’ But also, you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you’ve got to think through and go through because I think a lot of guys would say, last year, that that was a big deal of being able to have a bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”
Perhaps, but what happened last year came naturally as did the “self-created” bye in 2021. If the Eagles were locked into the No. 3 seed, the choice would be easier. But history beyond Sirianni’s first four seasons with the Eagles should have made the coach’s job almost as easy.
Consider this: Since the NFL started relying on seedings in 1975, a total of five No. 3 seeds in 50 years have reached the Super Bowl and only three have won the title. The No. 4 seed, with 11 appearances and six wins, has been more successful. The Nos. 5 and 6 seeds have combined for five appearances and four wins.
By comparison, No. 2 seeds have appeared in 24 of the last 50 Super Bowls and won 10 times.
That’s simple analytics, but obviously the potential for at least two home games is more appealing than just one. Sometimes, like last season, you can end up being home for the conference championship if the top seed gets upset.
So, yes, the second seed is worth playing for even at the risk of losing an injured player. As we found out last season when the Eagles lost inside linebacker Nakobe Dean to a knee injury in the Wild Card round, the risk is just as real when the playoffs start as it is in the final week of the season.
What the Eagles proved during their postseason run was that they had the depth needed to withstand that loss.
There’s also another reason besides the No. 2 seed for the Eagles’ starters to play Sunday. It’s a chance for the offense to rebound from their awful second half during their 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills Sunday.
Why not take advantage of Washington’s 31st-ranked defense to feel good about themselves heading into the postseason.
Sirianni should have given his starters a half to put the Commanders away, a challenge they should be able to meet, especially with Josh Johnson starting at quarterback for Washington.
Get a big lead, rest the starters in the second half and watch the scoreboard to see if the Lions have any interest in finishing on a winning note despite their disappointing season.
The Lions, for the record, beat the Bears 52-21 in Week 2 and have won six of the last seven games between the teams.
The second seed is within the Eagles’ reach and it’s a goal worth pursuing. Sirianni has mistakenly decided to let the backups handle the job.
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Category: General Sports
