The Philadelphia Eagles are coming toward the end of the season and that usually means a chance to rest their starters and get healthy for a playoff run. Under head coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles have usually faced losing teams and have taken the chance to manage their stars’ workloads in the final weeks of the regular season but this year brings a different scenario as the Eagles travel to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.
With the Eagles almost locked into the third seed in the NFC, it would be easy for Sirianni to pump the brakes and prioritize a playoff run. But according to The Athletic’s Zach Berman, the Eagles will play their starters in Sunday’s showdown, bucking a trend in Sirianni’s tenure and sending a clear message for one of the marquee games in this week’s slate.
“You go through a lot of different processes, and you do what you think is best for your football team,” Sirianni said. “We think playing our guys is best for the football team.”
Eagles Going All In By Playing Their Starters vs. Bills
The Eagles come into Sunday’s game with a dark horse’s chance of earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. A Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears virtually sealed Philadelphia’s fate as the Bears can win the NFC North and clinch the second seed with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night or the Detroit Lions in Week 18 as they have the head-to-head tiebreaker. But Philly could also leap them if Chicago loses its final two games and the Eagles win out.
With the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers guaranteed to have a worse record no matter who wins the NFC South, the Eagles could be locked into their playoff spot and that usually means Sirianni has decided to give his starters a rest.
But the matchup with the Bills has brought this different approach. The Bills are one of the true contenders in the AFC and a team the Eagles could run into if they’re fortunate enough to make the Super Bowl in February. With a season that has had its ups and downs a win in Buffalo could be a statement win that inspires confidence for the playoff push and, in Sirianni’s eyes, give them confidence for the postseason run.
“I think anytime you step onto the football field, there’s an opportunity to get better,” Sirianni said via Berman. “I don’t care who you’re playing, what their record is. Everybody in the NFL is capable of beating anybody in the NFL. And that’s what makes a league so great. And so this is a really good football team, no question. But you know, I think it’s a huge deal every time you get up, go to the game, any time you’re in practice, meetings, etc. So this is an opportunity for us. This is a week that we have to get better. Next week we have to get better. So we’re trying to play our best football by the end of the season.”
The last part of that quote may be the message Sirianni is trying to send. Many believe the Eagles haven’t played their best football and while part of the decision is to grab the No. 2 seed, it’s a litmus test they can use going forward. For a team intent on defending its crown, Sunday’s game in Buffalo is a big one that can relay Sirianni’s intent to the rest of the NFL.