Nick Sirianni Defends Decision to Rest Starters, Despite Loss
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stood by his decision to rest several starters in the final regular season game against the Commanders, even though this decision affected his team’s position in the standings. The Eagles needed a win over Washington on Sunday, as well as a Bears loss to the Lions, to move up from the number 3 seed to the number 2 seed. Although the Lions did their part with a 19-16 road win, the Eagles lost 24-17, securing the third seed and a matchup against the sixth-seeded 49ers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.Tanner McKee was the starting quarterback in place of Jalen Hurts and completed 21 of 40 passes for 241 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. McKee mostly played with substitutes. A notable exception early on was receiver DeVonta Smith, who needed 44 yards to reach 1,000. Smith (3 receptions, 52 yards) reached the mark in the latter part of the first quarter and did not play the rest of the game.“No,” Sirianni said when asked if he regretted not having played all his starters. “You follow your process, you make what you believe is the best decision for the football team and that’s what we did. I knew this was a possible outcome, that these things can happen.
Nick Sirianni
Several starters played on defense, including linemen Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Jalyx Hunt. However, most regular players did not see action, a decision that the players supported in the locker room after the game.“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s important, but I had a conversation with Coach Nick and he gave me the opportunity to go out there and do it,” Smith said, who reached 1,000 yards for the third time in his career. “I’m grateful that he allowed me to do it.”
DeVonta Smith
Attention quickly turned to the upcoming matchup against the 49ers. San Francisco’s offense had been on a roll, averaging 36 points during their six-game winning streak before a 13-3 loss to the Seahawks on Saturday.“We can play the ‘what if’ game,” said safety Reed Blankenship. “When the Lions win, when you’re on the sideline, you think, ‘Man, I wish I had played,’ but you won’t know. I’d rather have a week off and let my body recover than go out there and be in a dogfight and then feel bad going into a playoff game.”
Reed Blankenship
“We have to stop his career, Christian McCaffrey,” said defensive end Brandon Graham about what comes to mind when thinking about the 49ers. “And besides that, [Brock] Purdy has been doing a great job since he returned.
Brandon Graham
