Now that the Philadelphia Eagles have passed the tough part of beating the Buffalo Bills 13-12 in Week 17, head coach Nick Sirianni is faced with one final decision to make before the postseason begins.
With one game to go in the regular season, the Eagles will be facing off against the Washington Commanders in Week 18 with a chance to move up from the number three seed to the number two seed in the NFC playoffs. Sirianni was asked whether he would go for the number-two seed and play the starters, or rest them for the final game to prepare for the playoffs.
"There's still things up in the air as far as seeding goes," Sirianni said via PHLY's E.J. Smith. "We'll end up doing what we think is best for the team, and we're still thinking through that."
Sirianni still mulling over whether to play or rest the starters in Week 18
Typically, in the past, Sirianni has been very quick about putting the starters on the bench in the final week so they don't get hurt in a meaningless game. The last two weeks, he did it with seeding being settled in Week 18, so it wasn't as big a deal, except for last year when Saquon Barkley was going to miss on getting the rushing yards record in a season because Sirianni rested Barkley with the rest of the starters.
This season is so different as the seeding is a big deal. If the Eagles win and the Chicago Bears lose, Philly takes the number-two seed and would face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card for the second straight season. For the Eagles, if they lose, they stay at number three and would have to face potentially one of the three NFC West teams, as they would be the number six seed.
Eagles fans would prefer to face the Packers, since they are banged up going into the playoffs. Plus, the Eagles have already beaten Green Bay, so that's a significant advantage for them.
While Philly beat the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the season, facing the Rams, Seattle Seahawks, or San Francisco 49ers would be a nightmare open-round game.
Read more: Nick Sirianni tried convincing Eagles fans they didn't let up in Week 17 win
Sirianni does have to consider the risk of injury, but the Eagles should try to take the easiest path to the playoffs. Who knows what Sirianni is going to do, though.