After winning two straight games and taking the NFC East crown, the Philadelphia Eagles have their last formidable opponent of the season as they face off against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.
It's an interesting week for the Eagles, as after the San Francisco 49ers beat the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, the Birds can no longer get the number one seed. Currently sitting in third place, they have a chance to earn the number two seed if they win out and the Chicago Bears drop two straight.
While making his weekly appearance on SportsRadio 94 WIP, Sirianni was asked how he would handle the starters and how much he would work injured starters like Jalen Carter, Lane Johnson, and Nakobe Dean. Sirianni didn't go into too many details about the plan, but he did emphasize the importance of this week for the team.
"This is a really important week for us, practice-wise, game-wise, to go and get better," Sirianni said via SportsRadio 94 WIP. "Really important week for us to improve as a football team."
Sirianni didn't say it, but could he be pushing to play the starters in Week 17?
There are two sides to the argument for the Eagles on whether they should go for the number two seed or concede the third spot.
Chicago might end up losing both of their games against teams with a winning record as they play the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions. Philly has an easier path against an inconsistent Bills team and the Washington Commanders, whom they just beat 29-18 in Week 16.
Another thing to consider is that this Eagles team needs momentum going into the postseason. Despite the two-game winning streak, Philly has only beaten teams with losing records, and picking up a win against the Bills would be massive going into the playoffs.
On the other hand, injuries have hurt this team's consistency with Carter and Johnson missing the past month. Putting them and Dean out there in a game that might not matter in the end may not be worth it if more players get hurt.
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Sirianni has some decisions to make, but the assumption will be that he will play the starters. The real decision will be what he does with the injured players.