3:16 PM: The Eagles announced that they will rest several starters against the Commanders in Week 18. Other starters will dress and be limited or not play at all, as the team must meet NFL-mandated roster minimums on gameday.
Philadelphia is currently the NFC’s No. 3 seed and can’t drop any lower, but an Eagles win against the Commanders and a Bears loss to the Lions would give the Birds the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
The Eagles and Bears both play at 4:25 PM, meaning Philadelphia won’t know Chicago’s result before kickoff.
In 2022 and 2024, the last two Super Bowl seasons for the Eagles, Philadelphia rested several starters in the regular-season finale.
“We’ve had different scenarios,” Sirianni said on Monday “… 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.
“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.”