PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stood by resting many of his starters in the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, even though the decision negatively affected his team’s seeding.
The Eagles needed a win over Washington on Sunday, plus a Chicago Bears loss to the Detroit Lions, to move from the No. 3 to the No. 2 seed. The Lions held up their end with a 19-16 road win, but the Eagles lost 24-17, locking them into the No. 3 slot and a matchup against the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
“No,” Sirianni said when asked if he regretted not playing all his starters. “You go through your process, you make what you think is the best decision for the football team and that’s what we did. I knew that this was [a possible] outcome, that these things can happen.
“One thing I could guarantee was giving them rest. I couldn’t guarantee anything else. And us being healthy and going into the playoffs healthy is a big deal for us.”
Tanner McKee got the start for Jalen Hurts at quarterback and was 21-of-40 for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception. McKee was playing with mostly backups. One notable exception early was receiver DeVonta Smith, who entered the game 44 yards shy of 1,000. Smith (3 catches, 52 yards) reached the benchmark in the latter stages of the first quarter and sat the rest of the game.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s important, but just had a talk with Coach Nick and he allowed me the opportunity to go out there and do it,” said Smith, who reached the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his career. “I’m grateful that he allowed me to do it.”
Several starters played on defense, including linemen Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt. But the bulk of the regulars did not see action, a decision the players supported in the locker room afterward.
“We can play the what-if game,” safety Reed Blankenship said. “When the Lions win, when you’re on the sideline, you’re like, ‘Man, I wish I would have played,’ but you’re not going to know that. I’d rather have a week of rest and let my body recover than go out there and be in a dogfight and then feel bad going into a playoff game.”
Attention quickly turned to the upcoming matchup with the 49ers. San Francisco’s offense had been on a roll, averaging 36 points over its six-game win streak before a 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
“We’ve got to stop their run, Christian McCaffrey,” defensive end Brandon Graham said of what comes to mind when thinking about the 49ers. “Then on top of that, [Brock] Purdy has been doing a great job since he’s been back.
“We’ve just got to be us and bring the energy and play fast on defense and put the offense in a great position.”
