The Philadelphia Eagles need help to win the NFC East. Nick Sirianni is thus not committing to playing everyone in Week 18.
Philadelphia lost control of the division when blowing a 15-point halftime lead in Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Along with beating the New York Giants, the Eagles now need the Washington Commanders to defeat the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday.
Per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, Sirianni called resting some starters “a consideration.”
“I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no. I’m saying everything’s discussed,” Sirianni told reporters Monday.
The Eagles are currently positioned to begin the playoffs on the road against the NFC South champion. Dallas opened as a 13.5-point favorite to clinch the NFC East with a Week 18 win over Washington, so there’s a good chance Sirianni’s team receives the No. 5 seed regardless of Sunday’s outcome.
“Obviously, you always want to play at home. You always want to win the division,” Sirianni said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. “Path might be harder but shoot, our goals are ahead of us. We have to get things fixed, and we have to get them fixed fast.”
Sirianni could decide that letting key players recuperate from a long season has more value than going all out for the division. Jalen Hurts dealt with a knee injury earlier this year, and some prominent players are banged up.
DeVonta Smith suffered a mild ankle sprain on Sunday, and cornerback Avonte Maddox appeared to get hurt in his first game back from a torn pectoral muscle.
However, the reeling Eagles may also need more reps to get back on track before the playoffs. They have now followed a 10-1 start by losing four of their last five games.
The Eagles and Cowboys each close the regular season on the road in games starting at 4:25 p.m. ET.