𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles could have rested their starters this week against the Buffalo Bills and held out for the postseason. Instead, they’re “full steam ahead,” as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said, in a game that will prepare them for the playoffs — and could potentially even preview a rematch six weeks later.

With the Eagles clinching the NFC East and encountering an 87 percent chance of the No. 3 seed, one could argue in favor of rest and avoiding injuries rather than chasing what The Athletic Playoff Simulator determines is a 12 percent of the No. 2 seed. That is still a sufficient enough of chance — it’s plausible that the Eagles win their last two games and the Chicago Bears lose their final two games — and it seems excessive to rest players for two weeks. That could even cause the adverse effect of rust before the playoffs. 

But there was another part of the seed vs. rest conversation that came up in the locker room: The Eagles want to get better, and they have a chance to do it against one of the Super Bowl favorites.

“We think playing our guys is the best thing for our football team. But you think through everything,” Sirianni said. “I think anytime you step onto the football field, there’s an opportunity to get better. … We’re trying to play our best football by the end of the season.”

This had the makings of a potential Super Bowl matchup even before the season commenced. The Eagles and Bills were tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the best Super Bowl odds entering the season. That billing of a potential Super Bowl matchup still holds. The Bills have the third-best odds of winning the Super Bowl entering the weekend. The Eagles have the fourth-best odds. It’s rare to have an interconference game of this quality this late in the season. In fact, the Eagles have played only three regular-season games in the last 25 years in which both teams enter the game with double-digit victories. 

There’s a healthy respect among the teams that seldom face each other. The only time they played during Sirianni’s five seasons was in 2023, when the Eagles won on a walk-off touchdown in overtime. The Bills are the only team with more regular-season victories than the Eagles during that five-year period — and the Eagles could tie them with an upset on Sunday. The Bills have also scored the most points and allowed the fewest points during this period. 

Bills coach Sean McDermott grew up in the Philadelphia area and started his coaching career with the Eagles. Sirianni is from Jamestown, N.Y. — less than a 90-minute drive from Buffalo. He was not raised a Bills fan, but he didn’t have to knock on too many doors to find Bills fans. (“A couple of my friends were at the last home game, and they were wearing Eagles stuff,” Sirianni said. “So, if I see that they’re wearing Bills stuff, we’ll have words and they won’t be invited to the next time we’d have that.”)

Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the reigning MVP. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is the reigning offensive player of the year after leading the league in rushing  — a distinction that Bills running back James Cook is now on pace to claim. Since 2022, Allen has been the only quarterback with more total touchdowns than Hurts. 

The connections and comparisons can keep going. It’s what makes the game so compelling. 

The Eagles would have maintained the approach of playing the starters regardless of the quality of the opponent, but the playoff-like atmosphere of a late-December game in Buffalo is not lost on the players. It was why captain Jordan Mailata, whose body could use the rest, pushed back on the question of whether he would have wanted it this weekend.

“We’ve got to win this game,” Mailata. “I want to set a standard. It’s a ‘standard’ game. …We’re a high-standard team as well. I know they’re watching the film, too. They got to stop something, just like when we put on the film and we got to limit what they do really well. …I think it’s good on good. We’re going out this week and play some good ball in Buffalo in the cold and come home with the (win) — that’s the goal, anyway.”

Saquon Barkley said there’s been no better coach in the NFL in the last five seasons than Nick Sirianni. (Amber Searls / Imagn Images)

Saquon Barkley: Nick Sirianni is the NFL’s best coach 

When answering a question about resting before the playoffs, Barkley said he entrusts Sirianni with the decision — and then went on a tangent about why he has so much trust in his head coach.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t get the respect he should get. You really don’t hear about him. I’ll say, he’s the best coach in the NFL,” Barkley said without prompting. “You can’t name a better coach over…the last five years. Who’s been a better coach over the last five years than Nick Sirianni?”

There could be reasonable arguments made about Andy Reid or other top coaches, but there’s no denying that Sirianni has made the postseason in all five seasons, won a Super Bowl, been to another, and has the highest winning percentage among active coaches. Yet he’s seldom near the top of the annual lists ranking coaches, and he’s never finished in the top four in coach of the year voting — even with two seasons with 14 wins. 

“What do you go off of when people compare who’s the best and who’s not? And for coaches, it’s about winning,” Barkley said. “I mean, he would say himself, what makes a great coach is having great players. Obviously, the Philadelphia Eagles have been a great team since I’ve been in the league,  going against him and now playing with him.

“But there’s something to the standard that he sets. There’s something to the way he comes to work, just how detailed and how obsessed he is with all the little things. There’s a reason why we do a really good job of protecting the ball. There’s a reason why we do a really good job of tackling. That all stems from him. That starts with him. …He’s been doing a great job for the last five years. It’s weird we wouldn’t hear his name brought up. But, I mean, he probably doesn’t care about that anyway. I guess I’m just showing him love right now.” 

Two years ago, this would not have been Barkley’s answer. Before Barkley signed with the Eagles in March 2024, he knew Sirianni as the head coach of the division rival — and he saw the head-bopping, trash-talking nature that belied what those inside the building know of Sirianni and what Barkley would soon learn.

“I couldn’t stand that motherf—er!” said Barkley, who’s relayed this sentiment to his head coach. “Now, being here and seeing how obsessed he is…there’s a reason why this team has been super successful. It’s been pretty cool to go from going against him and not being a fan of him and seeing what he’s all about. I think he does a really good job. He’s the perfect coach for Philadelphia.”

Jihaad Campbell back in the starting lineup

Jihaad Campbell will return to the starting lineup Sunday for the first time since Week 8, and he’ll have a chance to show he’s developed in the two months since his last start.

Campbell, the Eagles’ first-round pick, opened the season as the starter next to Zack Baun while Nakobe Dean recovered from last January’s knee injury. When Dean returned to full strength, he reclaimed his role, and Campbell was relegated to a situational player. A player is usually benched based on their performance. In Campbell’s case, he flashed the type of upside the Eagles expected in the draft. The only problem was that Dean returned at such a high level that there was no clear spot for Campbell.

“I think it’s all about learning and growing,” Campbell said. “I look up now and it’s (Week 17) of my rookie year, so it’s moving fast, moving pretty quickly, and it’s all about squeezing as much as I can in this first year and understanding what’s at task, and what I have to do to prepare to be the best version of myself.”

Fangio said Campbell did “fine” in the first half of the season — that’s actually praise in Fangio language — and that Campbell’s development was “slowed” by moving to the edge when the Eagles were undermanned. Campbell has since returned to inside linebacker, where he’ll play on Sunday. Sirianni has seen “consistency with… his work ethic,” and now Campbell will be a major part of a defense that must limit Allen and Cook in the running game.

“It’s good for him. Good for us,” Fangio said of Campbell’s opportunity.

Dean and Lane Johnson are the only two players on the 53-man roster absent for the Eagles. Jalen Carter will return after a one-month absence.

Eagles-Bills prediction 

If you like cold-weather, smashmouth football, you’ll enjoy Sunday’s game. The Bills have the best rush offense in the NFL, and the combination of Allen and Cook will test an Eagles run defense that was vulnerable during a recent three-game losing streak (including Week 13 when they allowed the Bears to rush for 281 yards). It’s a tough weekend to lose Dean, who is a key part of the run defense. Carter’s return will be critical, and the Eagles must keep eyes on Allen extending plays. Mobile quarterbacks have hurt the Eagles this season. The flip side is that the Bills’ run defense is vulnerable, and Barkley has been heating up in recent weeks. Look for the Eagles to lean on Barkley and Tank Bigsby — and perhaps use Hurts’ legs — to take advantage of a defense that allows 144.3 rushing yards per game (No 30 in the NFL). That game plan will be even more pronounced considering rain and wind are in the forecast. The Bills are on a four-game winning streak with a 6-1 record at home and the highest Super Bowl odds among AFC teams. There’s a reason why they’re slightly favored over the Eagles. If the Eagles’ offense can remain efficient, there will be opportunities to move the ball against Buffalo. My guess is the Bills outlast the Eagles, and you’ll see the starters next at home in the playoffs. Bills 24, Eagles 23