The Eagles still have something to play for on Monday night.
Because the Vikings beat the Packers, 16-0, Saturday night, the Eagles still haven't clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
If the Eagles win Monday against the Raiders, they'll clinch that top spot for the first time since the 2004 season. Even if they don't win on Christmas, either a Vikings' loss or a win against the Cowboys in the regular season finale would be enough to get the No. 1 seed, which is pretty important (see story).
Head coach Doug Pederson claimed the plan for Monday's game wasn't going to change even if the Vikings lost. The Eagles were always going to play to win against the Raiders.
"Win the game," Pederson said Saturday morning about his plan for Monday's game. "To play our best players and win. I think it's important that they continue to play. If we're in that position, if we're fortunate enough to be in that position to rest, I'll make a decision at that time. But I think it's important in these next couple of games to continue to play."
But if the Eagles win on Christmas Day, the last game of the regular season against Cowboys would be meaningless. Pederson in the last week has talked about the fine line of resting players but making sure they don't lose their edge heading into the playoffs.
The interesting part of it is that Nick Foles could definitely use more time with the starting offense, especially his skill players. But the Eagles would ideally like to get backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld his first NFL reps before the playoffs begin.