By Zach Berman, Brooks Kubena and Nicki Jhabvala

The Philadelphia Eagles needed to beat the Washington Commanders in Week 18 and get some out-of-town help to clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs for a second year in a row.

But they were foiled Sunday in the regular-season finale by the most unlikely character: third-string Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson — a 39-year-old journeyman who hadn’t won an NFL start since 2018.

Washington’s 24-17 road win left the Eagles as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Philadelphia (11-6) will face the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers (12-5) in the opening round. It will be a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game, a 31-7 Eagles win.

Because the Detroit Lions upset the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the Eagles would have been the No. 2 seed had they beaten the Commanders (5-12).

But with the NFC East title already assured, the Eagles made it clear that wasn’t their priority. They started backup quarterback Tanner McKee and rested starting QB Jalen Hurts, tight end Dallas Goedert, wide receiver A.J. Brown, running back Saquon Barkley and a host of other mainstays on both sides of the ball. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith exited early after reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the season. The Commanders sat left tackle Laremy Tunsil and started Johnson for a second consecutive game after injuries to Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.

McKee finished 21-for-40 passing for 241 yards and a touchdown, and he was sacked three times and threw an interception. The Eagles’ three fourth-quarter drives ended in a punt and two turnovers on downs.

Johnson, meanwhile, brought the Commanders back from a 17-10 fourth-quarter deficit with two touchdown drives, scoring the decisive touchdown on a third-and-goal scramble from the 1-yard line with 2:32 left.

49ers up next

The Eagles spoiled an opportunity to secure the No. 2 seed, and they’re now preparing to host the 49ers. Had the Eagles jumped to the No. 2 seed, they would have hosted the Green Bay Packers, who have four in a row. The Eagles did not play the 49ers this season. They last played in the 2023 regular season, when the 49ers’ 42-19 victory avenged their loss in the NFC Championship Game months earlier. If the Eagles beat the 49ers and the Bears beat the Packers, the Eagles would travel to Chicago in the divisional round. With the No. 2 seed, the Eagles would instead have hosted the Bears. The Eagles could still host a divisional-round game with a win and a Bears loss. The Eagles knew the stakes entering the game and favored rest — what they viewed as a manufactured bye — entering the postseason. — Zach Berman, Eagles beat writer

Eagles backups can’t hold

An Eagles defense that fielded mostly backups could not deny the Commanders from scoring touchdowns on two consecutive goal-to-go scenarios to finish the game. When Johnson scrambled for that 1-yard touchdown to set the final score, the only Eagles regulars were involved along the defensive line. Jalyx Hunt, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Nolan Smith started. Hunt capped a second season in which he substantially improved by jumping a Johnson pass for his third interception of the season. Hunt led the Eagles in both interceptions and sacks (6.5) in 2025.

The performance of the Eagles’ secondary once again revealed its lack of depth. Apart from his interception, Johnson was 14-for-22 passing for 131 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders converted six of 11 third downs, converted their only fourth-down situation and scored three touchdowns on their four red-zone trips. Backup defensive backs Jakorian Bennett, Mac McWilliams and Kelee Ringo were each flagged for pass interference. (Bennett was flagged twice.) The Eagles are far more formidable under Vic Fangio when playing at full strength. The playoffs will reveal how beneficial it was for the starters to receive a rest. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer

McKee’s uneven day

McKee had an uneven audition for the rest of the NFL and couldn’t deliver the Eagles a victory as he did in the season finale last year. McKee, the Eagles’ third-year backup quarterback, has been a subject of intrigue in Philadelphia throughout his Eagles career. The interception was especially costly, coming at the Commanders’ 20-yard line with a chance to score. He also couldn’t lead the Eagles on a game-tying drive late in the game. The caveat is McKee, in his only start of the year, played with reserves against the Commanders’ starting defense, so his performance might have looked different had he played with the Eagles’ starters. McKee excelled in relief last season and followed it up with a sterling outing in the preseason, prompting curiosity about his future with the team. McKee has one year left on his contract and there could be outside interest from teams seeking a potential starting quarterback. But that case would have been stronger with a win and gaudier statistics. — Berman

Washington will pick seventh

Washington finally got a win, but it came at a cost: The Commanders fell to No. 7 in the draft order after entering the game at No. 6 (courtesy of the Cleveland Browns’ earlier win over the Cincinnati Bengals in addition to other results). — Nicki Jhabvala, Commanders beat writer

Johnson’s moment

Sunday was for Johnson. He threw his first touchdown since 2021 and scored his first rushing touchdown since 2018. — Jhabvala

Washington’s mistakes persist

Washington’s defense needs so much work. The Commanders continue to miss routine tackles, continue to give up easy yards in the middle of the field, continue to struggle with covering tight ends and continue to make backup quarterbacks look like seasoned veterans. Unlike last season, when they seemingly mastered situational ball, the Commanders often appeared sloppy and inattentive this season. And safety Quan Martin’s rough season was capped by losing the start to Jeremy Reaves. Martin was benched twice earlier for mistakes in games. This was the first time he was benched as a starter. Martin entered this game with an average of 18.7 yards allowed per catch, the highest average among safeties with at least 500 coverage snaps. He had allowed a 151.8 passer rating when targeted in coverage. — Jhabvala