Eagles’ Nick Sirianni just caught shade from a rival coach for resting his starters to finish regular season
Sirianni’s latest decision is being attacked and defended, depending on who you ask.
The Philadelphia Eagles and the rest of the NFL have their playoff matchups set. The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers, while the Chicago Bears, who were involved in the seeding for Philly during the season finale, will face the Green Bay Packers. The Bears and Eagles had two different strategies, with the Eagles opting for more rest for the impactful pieces, while the Bears played their top talent.
Bears HC Ben Johnson throws shade at teams who rest starters
After his team was defeated in the regular season finale by the Detroit Lions, Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t pull any punches when it came to the idea of sitting starters in that matchup. They were going to play starters, and they had an opportunity to win and clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. For Chicago, they still landed that seed after Philly lost with many starters on the bench.
“Some teams rest their starters. We don’t. We play football.” — Johnson following Bears’ Week 18 loss
Johnson wasn’t singling anyone out, by any means. It actually probably helped his team that Philadelphia held their starters out, since the Eagles probably beat the Commanders if they played them in that game. Regardless, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t believe he made the wrong choice for Week 18, either.
Nick Sirianni defended his decision after Week 18 loss
After the defeat, Sirianni doubled down on his choices for who played and did not play against Washington. He understood the risk and felt the extra rest and recovery was more valuable than the potential seed shift.
Sirianni also noted that the playoffs will be difficult, regardless of opponent. They aren’t focusing on the team they’ll have to play, but instead, they want the best version of themselves available and at as close to full strength as possible entering the playoffs. That makes plenty of sense.
Regardless, the pressure is on for Sirianni’s team, particularly on offense. We’ll see if they step up to the plate when it matters most as the postseason unfolds.
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