The Philadelphia Eagles could have been the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Chicago Bears lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, so the Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to be the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs.
However, the Eagles rested their starters against the Washington Commanders and lost 24-17.
The Bears and Eagles played at the same time, so Nick Sirianni and Co. couldn't plan ahead. Sirianni, who never minces words, has no regrets about resting his starters.
"No," Sirianni said when asked if he regretted not playing all his starters. "You go through your process, you make what you think is the best decision for the football team and that's what we did. I knew that this was [a possible] outcome, that these things can happen.
"One thing I could guarantee was giving them rest. I couldn't guarantee anything else. And us being healthy and going into the playoffs healthy is a big deal for us."
Several Eagles starters played on defense, including linemen Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt, but the bulk of the regulars did not see action, a decision the players supported in the locker room.
"We can play the what-if game," safety Reed Blankenship said. "When the Lions win, when you're on the sideline, you're like, 'Man, I wish I would have played,' but you're not going to know that. I'd rather have a week of rest and let my body recover than go out there and be in a dogfight and then feel bad going into a playoff game."
The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round. Philadelphia is looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
"We've got to stop their run, Christian McCaffrey," defensive end Brandon Graham said of what comes to mind when thinking about the 49ers. "Then on top of that, [Brock] Purdy has been doing a great job since he's been back.
"We've just got to be us and bring the energy and play fast on defense and put the offense in a great position."
The Eagles went 11-6 in the regular season, while the 49ers went 12-5.