The Eagles are still alive for the number two seed in the NFC. They need to win on Sunday and have the Bears lose their finale to the Lions. Getting the two seed would be great. It is easy to forget the Birds were the two seed last year. As hot as they were, the Lions were the top dogs heading into the playoffs. The ability to get to the second seed means Nick Sirianni should play his starters, right?
Maybe.
There is a real argument for resting key guys. Part of the Eagles secret sauce in 2022 and 2024 was getting to January healthy. They were even able to sit some key guys in Week 18 last year. Every bit of rest can help. The NFL season is a physical grind. As players get worn down, it can affect their performance. One week of rest may not seem like a big deal, but it can make a difference.
The OL has been a disappointment this season. A big part of that is how worn down they got from last season. The Eagles played in 21 games and ran the ball more than 700 times. That is a lot of wear and tear on the big guys doing the blocking. It took a physical toll. A week off won’t get Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens back to 2024 level, but it would help them be fresh for the playoffs.
Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith have both dealt with injuries this year. They are tough, physical players. If the Eagles have any hope at a Super Bowl run, they need Carter and Smith to play like they did last January. A week off wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to help them.
Resting key guys takes away the chance of injury. Older fans may remember the 2003 team. They got off to a slow start, but then were playing their best football down the stretch. We thought that might be Andy Reid’s Super Bowl team. And then Brian Westbrook got hurt in the season finale and missed the playoffs. The Eagles lost the NFC title game 14-3 to the Panthers in a miserable showing.
There is risk in this. You really do want the two seed if possible. Tanner McKee and the role players could beat the Commanders on Sunday and stay in the running for the number two spot. It sounds like Washington will have Josh Johnson at QB. That team has been a mess this year.
If the Eagles controlled the path to the two seed I think this would be more of a no-brainer to play everyone. But you need the Bears to lose. They will be hosting the Lions. How do you predict that game? The Lions have been wildly erratic this year. DVOA rankings have them #3 in the league, but they have an 8-8 record and are out of the playoffs. Dan Campbell might have his guys sky high on Sunday. They can easily beat the Bears. I just wouldn’t count on it.
Nick Sirianni has to make decisions based on what his best for the Eagles in the postseason. If he thinks a week of rest is a legitimate factor in another Super Bowl run, rest your guys. You want to win and want the chance at the two seed, but this is a topsy turvy season. We saw the juggernaut Rams lose to the Falcons on Monday night. LA has lost two games in a row. SF doesn’t have a pass rush. Seatte has Sam Darnold. The NFC South is a mess. The Packers are not peaking as we head to the playoffs.
The NFC is wide open. Heck, the whole NFL feels wide open right now. There is no juggernaut. If there is a year when going on the road in the NFC title game shouldn’t be as much of a factor, this is it. The more I think about it, resting guys seems like the way to go.
Winning in Buffalo isn’t easy. It is even harder when your offense gains 16 yards in the second half. But the Eagles did win. Vic Fangio’s defense played a great game that allowed the Eagles to escape with a 13-12 victory. I sure did not see that coming.
The Bills came into the game as the #1 running offense and #3 scoring offense. The Eagles held them to a season low in points. You have to go back to September of 2024 to find a lower total when the Ravens held them to 10 points. The Eagles sacked Josh Allen 5 times, came up with a takeaway, had a goal line stand and limited the Buffalo ground game.
Nick Sirianni praised the defense for their “relentless effort” after the game. They chased Allen all over the field. They flew to the ball and tackled well. They made Buffalo earn every single yard. This wasn’t one guy. The whole unit played lights out. Jalen Carter had a sack, a pass deflection and a crucial blocked extra point in his return to action. You can see what a special player he is.
Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell combined for 13 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery. Those guys were all over the field, making plays in coverage and against the run. They were a big reason Allen was held to 7-27 on the ground. Baun tripped up Allen just shy of the goal line on the series where they held the Bills out. Marcus Epps might have played his best NFL game. He led the team with 9 tackles and had a TFL near the goal line.
Weather was a factor for both teams. It rained for most of the game. This wasn’t misting. It was a legitimate downpour. Tom Brady said during the broadcast that he felt the receivers for both teams were wearing the wrong set of gloves (plastic vs leather).
The Eagles offense put up 174 yards and 13 points in the first half. Jalen Hurts made some really impressive throws. Saquon Barkley had room to run and the offense was very promising. Then halftime came. And the offense disappeared.
They went 5 & out on the first drive. The next four drives were all 3 & outs. The offense ran 18 plays for 16 yards in the second half. That does include a kneel-down, but you still get the point. That’s awful. The offense went run heavy.
4 of the Eagles’ 5 second half drives began run-run on the first two plays.
That makes total sense when you have Saquon Barkley and the other team is 29th in run defense. But give the Bills credit. They were very aggressive in the second half and shut down the run. Once it got to third down they blitzed and the Eagles stalled. The play-calling needs to be better. When the run isn’t working, you have to adjust.
Execution wasn’t great in the run game or pass game. The Eagles also had bad field position. One drive started at their own 16. Another started at the half-yard line. Not ideal.
I know some people will talk about officiating. Buffalo got away with a clear PI that would have put the Eagles inside the 10-yard line in the first half. The officials overturned a catch by DeVonta in the second half that made no sense. There was nothing clear or obvious about that. The Eagles offense must be able to overcome tough circumstances if they are going to get back to the Super Bowl. Things don’t go smoothly in January.
At least the team knows the defense is playing at an elite level. That should give them a chance in every game. The win keeps the team in the hunt for the second seed in the NFC. As much as you may hate it, pull for SF to beat the Bears.
The Eagles won a tough game in a tough place. That is to be celebrated, even if the offense opened up a bunch of frustrating questions. The Eagles are 11-5, NFC East champs and overall pretty healthy. Life is pretty good.