Jan 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) runs after making a catch as Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo (7) defends during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Eagles CB Responds To Week 18 Fan Backlash

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 8:50 AM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Washington Commanders on Sunday and looked a bit different with the starters resting.

There were a few starters who got some time in the Week 18 finale against the Washington Commanders. For example, receiver DeVonta Smith got into the action early on. Once he had enough yards under his belt to reach 1,000 yards on the season, the team pulled him. The Week 18 finale was an opportunity for some of the guys who don't play a lot to get into the action while resting the starters for the playoffs. Arguably, it was the right move, even with the loss.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

One guy who was in the action was cornerback Kelee Ringo. He appeared in all 17 games in the regular season for the Eagles, but hadn't played in over 10 percent of the defensive snaps for the team in a game since Week 8 against the New York Giants. Since then, he has gotten most of his playign time on special teams. On Sunday, he got the start against the Commanders, though, and made five tackles, including one for a loss, defended a pass, and forced a fumble.

Kelee Ringo responded

While this is the case, Ringo was roasted on social media, specifically for his coverage of Josh Johnson's rushing touchdown in the third quarter of the showdown. After the game, Ringo took to Instagram, seemingly with a brief response to all of the social media noise.

Josh Johnson takes it himself! @Commanders lead

WASvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/GZSzSIOyaQ
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026

Kelee Ringo on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/AY3tHTd2DA
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) January 5, 2026

The play wasn't great. Ringo initially looked like he was staying to stop the run and then turned around and dropped back into coverage. At the end of the day, there likely was some sort of miscommunication on the field and fortunately it wasn't in the playoffs.

The game didn't go the Eagles' way, but they're NFC East champions and will host a playoff game this upcoming weekend all the same.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: