Six weeks ago, the Eagles were a bullet train headed for another deep playoff run. They enter the final week of the regular season looking like a 1989 Civic with dented panels, three bald tires and no heat.
The offense looks vanilla and predictable. The defense looks scared and disorganized. Overall, the team looks dog-tired. They’re banged up. But there is more football to be played, and miles to go before they rest.
The bye week that comes with the number-1 seed in the conference, very much in sight six weeks back, is unreachable. But Nick Sirianni can still give his team the respite that they seem to desperately need.
The best course of action for this team right now is a reset. Not blowing up the team, we’re not quite there yet. They need to treat Sunday’s regular season finale against the 5-11 Giants as a preseason game, a tune-up for the next game that truly matters. Resting players and avoiding injury is a much bigger priority over the best-case scenario if everyone plays.
Treating this game like an exhibition will help in a lot of ways. Many of the players will get some rest, especially the defense. Since Week 11, the D has been on the field for 487 plays, 22 more than any other team over that span.
Sending the Eagles starters to play on a cold, wet afternoon on the MetLife Stadium turf – a surface that has claimed several victims already this season – against a Giants team with nothing to lose would be nothing short of malpractice.
It’s a decision that wasn’t ruled out completely by Nick Sirianni when asked about it earlier this week. “We’ll think through everything on that,” Sirianni said. “We are preparing right now to play the Giants, and that’s been our big conversation so far. Later this [week], we’ll discuss more about playing and who is up and who is down, so we’ll see.”
Consider how much another week will help the health of ailing players such as Zach Cunningham, Jordan Davis, and cornerbacks Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox. You think that could help the defense?
While it’s true that the Eagles could still win the NFC East, the odds of that happening are very long. Not only do they have to beat the Giants – there are no guarantees with this team right now – but the Cowboys also need to lose to the 4-12 Commanders. Six weeks ago, in the first matchup between those two teams, Dallas beat Washington 45-10.
Barring a miracle at FedExField, Nick Sirianni’s squad will finish as the 5-seed in the NFC playoffs, and face the NFC South champion, which could be the Saints, Buccaneers, or Falcons. A loss to the Giants changes nothing with regard to playoff positioning.
That’s next week. The best gameplan for this week is to get rested, get healthier, and get ready for a road playoff game.
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