Will Nick Sirianni regret sitting starters in Week 18 after Eagles fail to secure No. 2 seed?

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni resting his starters in Week 18 may cost his team a chance at repeating as Super Bowl champions. 

Before Week 18, the Eagles coach opted to rest his starters in a home game against the Washington Commanders, despite having a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. For that to happen, Philadelphia needed to beat Washington, and the Chicago Bears needed to lose to the Detroit Lions in their home game. 

Nick Sirianni explains why he rested starters in Week 18

"At the end of the day, it's not a guarantee we can get the 2-seed, but I can guarantee that I can rest the starters," the coach said before Sunday's game, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Just thought that was the best thing for our football team right there. Feel really good about the guys that are going in there and playing.

"Obviously, you can't rest everybody. We've had a good week of practice. We're going in there to try to win the game with some guys that haven't played a ton of snaps on offense and defense, but obviously have contributed. But I just felt like that was the best thing for this football team for this week, moving forward."

The decision, however, backfired. The Lions (9-8) stunned the Bears (11-6) in a 19-16 upset in Chicago. The Eagles (11-6), meanwhile, lost to the Commanders (5-12), who outscored them 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Now that they're the No. 3 seed in the NFC, the defending champions have a much more complicated path to the Super Bowl. 

How Eagles' road to Super Bowl grows tougher after failing to secure No. 2 seed

When the Eagles won the Super Bowl last season, they were the No. 2 seed. They didn't have to travel during the NFC playoffs after the Commanders upset the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions, 45-31, in the divisional round.

The Eagles may not benefit from similar luck this time. Philadelphia will host the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) in the wild-card round. San Francisco — which made the Super Bowl during the 2023 season — is 6-1 over its past seven games. 

The Bears, meanwhile, host the Green Bay Packers (9-7-1), an easier matchup. Green Bay has lost four straight games.