PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles could secure the No. 2 seed with a victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday in concurrence with a Chicago Bears loss to the Detroit Lions, yet even that potential reward might not be enough of an incentive for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to play many of his starters in the season finale.

Sirianni suggested Monday that no decision had been made about the team’s approach this weekend, but he acknowledged there are roster decisions to make. With four past postseason appearances and two runs to the Super Bowl, Sirianni has a reservoir of experience to reference. And that history at least offers insight into which way the coach might be leaning.

“If I look back, and how beneficial some of the byes that we’ve had have been, that’s part of the reason why you think through it. It’s a marathon of a season,” Sirianni said when asked why he wouldn’t play the starters if the No. 2 seed is available.

“You give your guys some rest, you get some time to think through some different things, even though you’re preparing for an opponent as you go. Both times that I’ve been here that we’ve been to the Super Bowl, we’ve had that opportunity for a bye, and that’s ’22 and obviously ’24. In ’21, we created ourselves a bye as well. You have the opportunity to do that.

…And ’23, we played a little bit (in Week 18 in) that aspect. You have a bunch of different scenarios, and yes, your seeding’s not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding-wise?’ But also, you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you’ve got to think through and go through because I think a lot of guys would say, last year, that that was a big deal of being able to have a bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”

In 2022, the Eagles played their starters in Week 18 in order to secure the No. 1 seed and an opening-round bye week. In 2024, with the Eagles entrenched as the No. 2 seed, Sirianni elected to rest key starters in Week 18 even though Saquon Barkley was within reach of the NFL’s single-season rushing record. It was a polarizing decision, but inside the team’s headquarters, it did not seem like a difficult one because the team was prioritizing rest and good health entering the postseason.

In fact, one of the arguments made in the locker room when holding back Barkley was to look at what happened in 2023. The reeling Eagles entered Week 18 against the New York Giants with a chance of winning the NFC East. They needed to beat the Giants and needed the Cowboys to lose to Washington. It was unlikely the Cowboys would lose, but it was enough of an incentive for Sirianni to play his starters at the beginning of the Giants game. The decision backfired. A.J. Brown injured his knee in the first quarter and missed the playoff game the following week. Jalen Hurts injured his finger. Sirianni eventually pulled his starters, and the Eagles lost the game, their top receiver, and did not have the benefit of rest.