The Philadelphia Eagles are still deciding if they’re going to play their starters against the Washington Commanders in Week 18 or rest them ahead of the postseason.
There’s a case to be made for both.
The Eagles (11-5) can’t go any lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC but have a straightforward path to the No. 2 seed. If the Eagles beat the Commanders (4-12) and the Chicago Bears (11-5) lose to the Detroit Lions (8-8) on Sunday, Philadelphia will get the No. 2 seed.
The Eagles-Commanders and Bears-Lions games will both kick off at 4:25 p.m., so Nick Sirianni will have to make his start/sit decision with the No. 2 seed still up for grabs.
With the No. 2 seed, the Eagles would guarantee a home game in the NFC Wild Card round, a home game in the Divisional round and possibly a home game in the NFC Championship game. The No. 3 seed would guarantee only one home game at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles would face the Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) in the Wild Card round as the No. 2 seed. As the No. 3, they’d host the Los Angeles Rams (11-5) or San Francisco 49ers (12-4).
There’s an argument, though, that the Eagles could use a built-in bye week before the playoffs. On Monday, Sirianni called the season a “marathon” — a marathon the Eagles won last year thanks in part to a bye in Week 18.
“Every season’s a little bit different. Every team’s a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is the best for the team, and we’re still thinking through that,” Sirianni said. “… I know there will be debate about whatever it is that we do.”
Let’s present both sides of the argument.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby runs for a touchdown during an NFL game against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.(AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
WHY THE EAGLES SHOULD REST THEIR STARTERS
Opponent: The Commanders are bad. Really, really bad. Jayden Daniels is shut down for the season, and they’ve lost 10 of their last 11 games. They have the second-worst run defense in the NFL (145.7 yards per game) and the fifth-worst pass defense (243.4 yards per game). Backup running back Tank Bigsby, who is averaging six yards per carry, and quarterback Tanner McKee, who led the Eagles to a Week 18 win over the Giants in 2024, could beat Washington without putting Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley at risk.
Rest: The defense could use a break. Vic Fangio’s unit has logged 1,017 defensive snaps, the sixth-most in the NFL through Week 17. The Eagles’ offense, meanwhile, has a league-leading three-and-out rate, which has put a constant strain on a stellar defense to carry the load. And the offense is littered with nagging injuries up front (Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, etc.).
History: Sirianni knows what it’s like to chase a better seed and have it bite them. In 2023, they didn’t get the help they needed elsewhere to move from the No. 5 seed to the No. 2 seed. But it didn’t matter. Hurts and A.J. Brown got injured in a Week 18 loss to the Giants, and the Eagles lost in the first round to the Buccaneers without an injured Brown.
Sirianni also pointed out that the two times the Eagles made the Super Bowl in his tenure they had a bye in the final week of the regular season. They earned it with the No. 1 seed in 2022, and they created one with the No. 2 seed locked up in 2024.
“A lot of guys would say that last year it was a big deal to have a built-in bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year,” Sirianni said.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) APAP
WHY THE EAGLES SHOULD PLAY THEIR STARTERS
Opponent: Looking beyond Week 18, there’s a pretty stark difference in the teams the Eagles could play in the Wild Card round. The Packers have lost three straight with Jordan Love in concussion protocol, and two of their best players — edge rusher Micah Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft — are out for the year. The Rams, the Super Bowl favorites entering Week 17, have arguably the best offense in football with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nakua and Davante Adams. Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers are firing on all cylinders with six straight wins. The Eagles would be better off playing the Packers than the Rams or 49ers.
Rest: While the defense could use some well-earned time off, the offense needs all the work it can get. After hanging 60 combined points on the Commanders and Raiders, Kevin Patullo’s unit took a step back on Sunday against the Bills. The Eagles punted five times with four three-and-outs in the second half, gaining only 16 yards on 18 plays. Is that how the Eagles want to go into the playoffs? They could run it up on Washington and get their mojo back.
History: It’s true that the Eagles made the Super Bowl thanks in part to a Week 18 bye in 2022 and 2024. But the Eagles also had a top-two seed both times and played all five NFC playoff games in that span at the Linc. There’s value playing in front of the south Philly faithful. That will be on Sirianni’s mind this week — along with a bunch of other factors.