The irony is thick enough to cut with a bubble screen. Less than a year removed from hosting the NFC Championship Game against Washington, the Philadelphia Eagles will treat Sundayâs regular-season finale against the Commanders like a pre-season dress rehearsal. The same stadium, same opponent, but entirely different stakes.
SCENE SET
What: Eagles (11-5, 5-2) vs Commanders (4-12, 2-6 Away)
Where: Lincoln Financial Field  Philadelphia, PA.
Whatâs at Stake: Possible 2 Seed for PhiladelphiaÂ
Betting Odds: Eagles -4.5, Over/Under 38.5
Moneylines: Eagles -208, Commanders +173
Kickoff: 4:25 pm
TV: CBS
Yet, some stakes still exist.
The Eagles can still secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win and a Chicago loss or tie. That would mean at least one additional home playoff game in a postseason run that again has Super Bowl ambitions written all over it. Despite that, head coach Nick Sirianni has chosen rest over urgency, sitting Jalen Hurts and most of his core starters and effectively giving his team a self-imposed bye.
A Calculated Risk
Sirianniâs philosophy boils down to one question: “Canât we do both?”
It’s a fair quetion actually as the head man will rest his starters and still try to win the game with a very capable back-up quarterback in Tanner McKee against a team that has lost nine of their last 10 and are playing behind their third string quarterback, Josh Johnson , who’ll be starting just his second game since 2021.
His belief rests on a couple pillars, his back-up quarterback and the Eaglesâ proven ability to thrive on the road, a conviction that playoff environments wonât shake this team even if the #2 seed slips away.
Let’s start with the road to the #2 seed. Philadelphia enters the finale at 11-5 and currently occupy the #3 spot. A win over Washington paired with a Bears ‘ loss or tie to the Lions will elevate the champs to the #2 spot. If they enter the playoffs as the #3 seed they are only guaranteed one wild-card home game. Sirianni has decided to prioritize long-term health over home-field positioning.
The Road Show
One reason heâs comfortable with the gamble is Philadelphiaâs road resume, which has been dominant. Since 2021, the Eagles own the best road winning percentage in the NFL , going 30-15 away from home. Over their last 15 road games, they are 11-4, a .733 winning clip. Just last week, they went into Buffalo, in a miserably cold rain, against a Super Bowl contender, and won despite a passing game that stayed in the lockerroom after half-time.
Sirianni has consistently framed his team’s success as a reflection of their mental toughness, preparation, and experience. He’s right too. While its almost always far from a masterpiec, the Birds have proven time and time again that they do not need ideal conditions or gaudy statistics to win football games.
The Back-up Plan
The other variable Sunday is McKee, who will start in place of Hurts. McKee isnât a mystery man. Heâs shown production, poise, and efficiency when given opportunities.
In limited action, McKee has thrown for 356 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions across the last two seasons. In his lone career start, Week 18 last year against the Giants , he completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, calmly running the offense while many starters sat. Over the final two games of last season, he posted a 2-0 record, protecting the football and keeping the Eagles’ winning culture afloat.
This season, McKee has appeared in three blowouts and has yet to make a mistake. Against the Raiders , he completed all three of his passes for 33 yards, showing command, decisiveness and continuity, rather than simply handing the ball off or taking a knee.
It appears that Sirianni believes McKee’s football IQ, pocket calm, and decision-making give the Birds a real chance to win even without the full arsenal around him and so does most everyone else whose watched him play over the last two seasons. Just ask the folks in Las Vegas who made the Birds 4.5 favorites over their division rivals for Sunday’s game at the Linc.
What a Difference a Daniels Makes
Washington, meanwhile, limps into the finale undermanned and directionless. Jayden Daniels is shut down and only played in six and a half games this year due to an elbow injury and his back-up, Marcus Mariota , is dealing with a leg injury. That leaves 39-year-old Josh Johnson , the last man standing for the Commanders as they try to play spoilers this weekend. Johnson will only be making his second start since 2021. He went 15-for-23 for 198 yards last week vs Dallas on Christmas day, without a touchdown or interception, in a 30-23 loss that lacked any real offensive spark.
Washington head coach Dan Quinn admitted the obvious earlier this week, acknowledging the matchup âdoesnât have the magnitudeâ it once promised. Last season Quinn’s team stormed into the NFC title game with 14 wins under their belt. This year his team has won just once since October 5, crawling to the finish line with an abysmal 4-12 record.
Trust the Process vs Rust the Process
For the defending champions Sunday’s game is about trust. Trust in preparation, trust in their depth and trust that the much needed rest pays dividends later.
The strangest part of all of it is visual. The same building that hosted a much heralded NFC title fight last January will now stage a game that feels like August roster shuffling, snap counts managed, and a safety-first mentality over winning. Â
Sirianni is betting that nothing about his choice will compromise his teamâs edge when the games matter much more. The Eagles have already shown they can win on the road, win ugly, and win without ideal circumstances. After all that’s what they do. That is their identity.
Sunday will either be just another example of the head coach’s proof of concept or it will be a miscalculation that could come back to haunt his team, because the #2 seed in the NFC will host a Packers team who have unraveled down the stretch, currently riding a three game skid with a quarterback, Jordan Love , who won’t have played in over a month because of a concussion he suffered back on December 7, when he takes his first snap in the opening round next weekend, the same spot where he threw three picks last year in a 22-10 Wildcard game loss to the Birds at the Linc.
If the Eagles stay in the #3 spot they will host either the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams next weekend in Philly in the opening round. If the 49ers beat the Seahawks Saturday night in Santa Clara the Rams will be locked into the #6 seed and they will come to Philly next weekend for the Wildcard round. If the Seahawks beat San Francisco and the Rams beat the Cardinals on Sunday then the 49ers drop to the #6 seed and they will come to the Linc next weekend to play the Birds in the first round.
One Final Ironic Twist?
Thereâs one last potential twist that would turn this finale from awkward into outright humiliating for Washington.
If the game tilts early and the Eagles create real separation, thereâs a very real scenario where Philadelphia pulls back the curtain entirely and sends Sam Howell onto the field.
Howell is the Eaglesâ third-string quarterback. Heâs also the same quarterback who started all 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, was once viewed inside that building as a possible franchise solution, and was entrusted with running their offense for an entire season before everything collapsed around him. Two years later, he could be wearing midnight green, taking snaps against the same franchise that moved on, while Washington watches from the opposite sideline as its season officially expires in merciless fashion.
For the Commanders , it would be a brutal reminder of how quickly their reset unraveled. The quarterback they once pinned hope to reduced to mop-up duty for a division rival, while they limp through the finale with a 39-year-old third-stringer of their own.
Last January, Washington walked into this building with everything on the line. This January, they may have to watch a former âface of the franchiseâ help close the book on one of the most lifeless seasons the organization has endured in years.
If Sirianni wanted to levy one final, unspoken message about the state of these two franchises, past, present, and future, he might get it.
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