Playoff-bound Eagles have little to play for this week

PHILADELPHIA - Resting or playing their starters is the biggest question facing the Philadelphia Eagles this week.

The playoff-bound Eagles (9-7) sure have come a long way since a 2-5 start.

After securing a wild-card spot with their fourth straight win Sunday, the Eagles are locked into the sixth or seventh seed in the NFC. They’ll host the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys (11-5) on Saturday night with the top priority being avoiding injuries heading into wild-card weekend.

"We haven’t decided anything there yet," coach Nick Sirianni said Monday about his plans for the game. "We’re preparing like we would normally prepare. ... So, we’re trying to get our plan ready, we’re trying to rip through that. I know there is a thing about resting and there is a thing about staying sharp. No doubt we’re taking everything into account, and we’ll discuss that later on today."

The Eagles placed 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including Fletcher Cox, Dallas Goedert and Jason Kelce. It’s possible they could return in time, but there’s no urgency for any of them to play.

Jalen Hurts has played through an ankle injury that forced him to miss a game last month, so Gardner Minshew could see plenty of action against the Cowboys unless Sirianni decides he wants his second-year quarterback to stay sharp.

Hurts threw for 214 yards and ran for 44 in the 20-16 win at Washington. He has improved as a passer throughout the season and his dual-threat ability has helped Philadelphia’s run game soar to No. 1 in the league.

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"He’s been awesome. He’s been tremendous, just the growth you’ve seen from him week in and week out," offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said. "I mean, it was big to see even this week. We had some chunk plays down the field. He was able to check it down to Boston (Scott). We had the big check-down to Boston. He went down the sideline for about 15 or 20 (yards). Those are huge chunk plays.

"When you can check it down to the back and you don’t have it there, that’s great. He’s also able to use his feet, as we know, but when you can get it to the back as well and you don’t have to run and take those big hits, those are big plays, so it’s been really good to see."

WHAT’S WORKING

The Eagles have won seven of their last nine games mainly because they’ve relied on running the ball. Despite only 118 yards on the ground against Washington, they had a five-minute advantage in time of possession. At one point, Philadelphia had rushed for 175 yards or more in seven straight games.

NEEDS HELP

The Eagles have been outscored 35-7 in the first quarter in the last five games. They’ve outscored opponents 114-39 after that, but will need to start faster in the playoffs.

STOCK UP

Scott ran for two scores against Washington and leads the team with seven rushing TDs. It’s the most by an Eagles running back since Ryan Mathews had eight in 2016.

STOCK DOWN

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor played 31 of 61 snaps and only got one target. Reagor, a first-round pick in 2020, has just 31 catches for 280 yards in 16 games.

INJURED

RB Miles Sanders will likely miss another game with a broken hand, but Sirianni said he’s hopeful for the playoffs.

KEY NUMBER

42 — The Eagles are only 42 yards shy of breaking their franchise record of 2,607 yards rushing set in 1949.

NEXT STEPS

The Eagles host NFC East champion Dallas (11-5) next Sunday. The Cowboys are the No. 4 seed and can’t earn a bye. Dallas routed Philadelphia 41-21 in Week 3.

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