The Eagles clinch the No. 1 seed if the Vikings lose to the Packers on Saturday tonight. If the Vikings win, the Eagles will still be playing for something on Monday night when they host the Raiders.
Either way, the Eagles won’t change their plans for Christmas night.
That’s the word straight from Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who was asked by reporters if there’s a dual plan for whether the Vikings lose or the Vikings win. And it was literally the word. As in one word.
“No,” Pederson said.
The approach could be problematic, if the Vikings lose and if the Eagles are subjecting starters to potential injury for nothing. It’s one thing to play them if the No. 1 seed is undecided; it’s another to play them in a postseason-preseason game, or two.
Of course, the other side of the coin is that quarterback Nick Foles will benefit from the extra game reps. So it’s a risk-reward proposition; risk getting Foles and other starters injured, and possibly reward the organization with an offense that will be better suited to compensate for a suddenly leaky defense in January.
