Philly Front Office

Everyone is in a tizzy this morning because the Eagles chose to rest their starters yesterday and squandered an opportunity to take the #2 seed over the Chicago Bears. Would anyone be having this argument is the Eagles won the game? Probably not. That was the risk. What does that tell me? That everyone is mad and needs an outlet for that anger. Even with hindsight, this was still probably the right decision. Here’s why…

The One Constant

There are a ton of variables to this equation but only one thing the Eagles could actually control: rest. Hindsight is 20/20, but the only thing the team knew going into this game for sure was that if they chose to rest their starters, they could provide an extra week of rest for the most important members of the team. Playing an NFL game has been compared to getting hit by a truck. If you could choose to not get hit by a truck for a week, would you do it?

The funny thing is, most players would not make that choice! Every player wants to play. There is a reason why independent evaluators are needed for head injuries, players cannot be trusted to do what is in their own best interests. That’s where the coach and the front office steps in and makes the decision that the player won’t. There are several reasons why teams are usually better coming off a bye week. First, a team has an extra week to prepare for a known opponent, which won’t be true here. The other reason though is THAT THEY DIDN’T GET HIT BY A TRUCK THE WEEK BEFORE!

They were one of only 2 teams in the NFC who guaranteed their starters a bye this week, the Eagles and the Packers. Seattle gets one, but they had to brawl with SF to find that out. The 49ers will now be coming into Philadelphia after getting punished in Seattle. Brock Purdy was sacked 3 times and took 8 hits on Saturday, he suffered a shoulder stinger but will play next week. Jalen Hurts didn’t take any hits at all. Tanner McKee was hit 6 times though.

Variable 1: Injuries

Does anyone remember what happened in Week 18 back in 2023 (technically it was in 2024)? AJ Brown got hurt. He then missed the playoff game against the Bucs that we lost. Granted, that season was a dead team walking anyway, but playing without our best receiver didn’t exactly help. Kyle Hamilton of the Ravens suffered a concussion Sunday night. Are these things you want to risk?

Injuries in the NFL are completely random. Sometimes a guy gets the most vicious hit you’ve ever seen and is fine while others are done for the year with no contact at all. These are not things you can predict or try to prevent while still playing. The only way you can stop them from happening is to not play. Obviously, that is not always possible since you actually need to win games, but in a game where you are already in the playoffs and technically only have a 25% chance of getting the #2 seed, taking this risk was simply not worth it.

The other part of this is that we know the Commanders are a dirty team. They take cheap shots after plays and liberties with hits. Hitting Tanner McKee is one thing, but do you believe Frankie Luvu or Deron Payne wouldn’t have launched themselves at Jalen Hurts given the opportunity? Hell, their coach basically said that was the plan 2 weeks ago. Maybe it was an idle threat, but after their display last year, you wouldn’t put it past them. By not playing the starters, we took the wind out of their sails and that variable out of the equation.

Variable 2: Outcome

I said we had a 25% chance of getting the #2 seed. Of the possible outcomes between the Bears and Eagles, only a Bears loss and Eagles win would guarantee that result. Sure, you might skew a few points considering Washington is an easier opponent than Detroit, but essentially, 1 in 4. Why? Because anything can happen in the NFL any given week. The seeding outcome was not in our hands until the final minute of the game.

At that point you have to weigh what is more important, a 25% chance of getting the #2 seed or a 100% chance of getting rest for your starters. In anything else in life, you are not taking that bet. Sure, in hindsight you might wish you bet your rent money on the Eagles but you still don’t know for sure if we would have won.

Oh yeah, what happens if the Eagles played their starters and everyone stayed healthy…BUT WE STILL LOST THE GAME??? Can you imagine that? The city would be burning down right now. It is easy to say that if our backups lost by 7 then our starters would have won, but you don’t know that. What happens if playing makes Washington play a completely different game? What if the offense looked even flatter than usual? Yes, maybe that would have told us all we needed to know going into the playoffs, but the city would also be burning down for completely different reasons right now. I’m sorry, but that really wouldn’t be worth it.

Variable 3: Schedule

The Packers have lost 4 in a row since Micah Parsons went down. They were locked into the 7 seed and chose to rest their starters this week in hopes of getting right and healthy for their inevitable 1st round opponent, either the Eagles of Bears. They are 1.5 point favorites on the road next week. Why? Because the Bears just went out and failed their final playoff test.

Knowing that the Eagles were not playing their starters, the Bears defiantly chose to not do the same in a home game against the rival Lions who had nothing to play for. The Lions dominated most of the game. The score was 16-0 going into the 4th quarter with Caleb Williams going 9-17 for 66 yards and an INT. He caught fire in the 4th quarter, but he also had the ball with a chance to win and stalled badly leading to the Detroit win. That is not what Bears fans wanted to see headed into his first playoff start.

Now the Bears get to face a rested Green Bay Packers team coming off a bye week after playing a Lions team that is notorious for handing teams an L the following week because they play so physical. This year, teams were 6-10 following a Lions game including the gift the Packers gave the Vikings yesterday including a 1-7 stretch to end the year (not counting that Vikings-Packers game). So, while the Eagles will be rested against the 49ers¹, the Bears will be coming off a Lions game against the Packers.

Speaking of which, let’s agree with Vegas and say the Bears do not beat the Packers and the Eagles beat the 49ers. That means the Seahawks would play the Packers and the Eagles would host the next round against either the Rams or Panthers. Other than having to play the 49ers instead of the Packers (which might not even be that bad), there would be no downside.

Still Hating?

Even with hindsight and knowing the Eagles just needed to win to get the #2 seed, I don’t think the decision would be any different. Also, it doesn’t matter. The Eagles are defending Super Bowl champions and about to start their title defense against a team we absolutely loathe. No amount of being salty over a well thought out decision will change any of that. Listening to the radio and getting yourself angry does nothing but give you a conduit to channel your emotions. Unfortunately, they are strategically aiming you at the team you love. They are not doing this for your benefit or for the team. Don’t buy into their crap.

1. For those wondering, teams that faced Seattle were 7-9 the next week but that’s with a 2-0 start. ↩︎