🦅 Your call, Nick | Sports Daily Newsletter

Where do the Eagles go from here? In the case of their offense, probably nowhere. (Just kidding.)

The question is whether they’ll rest their starters this Sunday or play them in a bid to improve their seeding for the playoffs. Granted, they’ll need the Bears to lose a second straight game as well, but the No. 2 seed in the NFC could earn the Eagles a home game against the banged-up Packers in the wild-card round.

A key player could get hurt against Washington in the regular-season finale, though, and it has happened to the Eagles before. Decisions, decisions …

Nick Sirianni is not letting on what he’ll do. “It’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow,” the Eagles coach said Monday.

“We’ve done it both ways. We’ve had opportunities to rest; we’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played. You go through your process, but every season is a little bit different, every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team.”

Given the advantage the No. 2 spot provides, it’s fair to wonder why the Eagles wouldn’t go for it, Jeff Neiburg writes.

There is that risk of injury, though. Olivia Reiner reminds us about the 2023 season finale, when A.J. Brown injured his knee, which sidelined him for the wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the next week. Maybe, though, the Birds can still beat the woeful Commanders using some of their starters.

At any rate, the offense still has some problems to sort through after it disappeared in the second half against the Bills. Jeff McLane writes that the issues with the offense’s inconsistency won’t be resolved until the offseason.

Mike Sielski’s take: This is the way the Eagles want to play. They want to rely on their defense and make the offense as conservative as possible to avoid turnovers.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓Should the Eagles play their starters on Sunday or rest them for the playoffs? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Tyrese Maxey has carried the 76ers this season and it looks like he’ll be rewarded for it. The All-Pro candidate is a shoo-in for the All-Star Game as well, but not even he expected to be so highly regarded in the NBA’s initial returns of fan voting, where he received 1,072,449 votes and rated second in the Eastern Conference right behind two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“For me personally, I think my talent level has been shown in the NBA,” he said. “I think it’s growing. But for me, it’s winning games. That’s what shows like a big gap, a big difference, and a big talent level: impact on your team. When you have that type of impact, when you can help your team win games, that’s what I want to be known for.”

Rick Tocchet’s decision to turn down a lucrative contract extension with the Canucks last spring and instead sign with the Flyers didn’t exactly go over well in Vancouver.

But Tocchet says that he has no regrets and that he’s happy in Philadelphia and thankful for his time north of the border. So what will his return to Vancouver look like on Tuesday night? Tocchet’s not too concerned about the fan reaction or potential boos and says no matter what, he’ll still be “rooting for” several of the Canucks to succeed when he’s not coaching against them. Here’s more from Jackie Spiegel.

Penn State is bringing back a former Nittany Lions letterman to run its defense. The Lions are closing in on hiring D’Anton Lynn as their defensive coordinator, according to several media reports. A defensive back at Penn State from 2008-11, Lynn was defensive coordinator at Southern Cal for the last two seasons.

There is simply no possible way Nick Sirianni could be entertaining the idea of resting his starters in the regular-season finale against the Commanders in Week 18. Not with all the Eagles would stand to gain as the No. 2 seed, which would be theirs with a win over Washington and a Bears loss to the Lions.

Right?

All season, Sirianni preaches that the NFL is all about handling the opponent in front of you and then letting the other stuff sort itself out. Now, more than ever, he should listen to himself.

Who was the MVP of Super Bowl XV when the Oakland Raiders beat the Eagles in 1981? First with the correct answer here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Jim Plunkett

B) Lester Hayes

C) Rod Martin

D) Cliff Branch

The Eagles offense managed 17 yards in the final two quarters against the Bills, but somehow the defense held on for the victory. Think you know which player took responsibility for the offense’s struggles? Check your answer here.

We asked: Can the Eagles defense continue to make up for the offense’s shortcomings? Among your responses:

I doubt it! Offense is absolutely offensive in week 17 of the season. It would take divine intervention to make them relevant. Too bad because the defense is ready. — Bill B.

Yes, it can, but the offense will need some better play calling. Second half: run, run, pass. Wow! What a complicated series for the Bills to defend! — Joel G.

The defense will continue to play good, but the offense needs to do their part as well. Jalen Hurts needs to be more reliable as a passer and runner. He needs and the entire offense needs more consistency if they are going anywhere in the playoffs. — Tom G.

Yes, the D will continue to make up for the O because they will have to, unless our coaching staff decides to use more than the five offensive plays we seem to rotate. Had the Bills chose to kick a FG while inside the 5-yd line earlier, we could have lost on an extra point try at the end of the game. … Are we waiting to use Hurts’ legs only for the playoffs? Is he secretly injured? — Joe S.

… This is a quarterback driven league. Jalen Hurts will need to step up and command the offense if the Eagles hope to repeat. … One glimmer of hope: Lane Johnson’s return. He is a difference maker for the offensive line. — Bob C.

The defense can win games as they have shown us yesterday. … However, they will be playing tough opponents in the playoffs and these games will be physical games. They will need some breathing room so the offense must contribute. Unfortunately, the tale of two halves vs. Bills and others does not bode well for us. — Vince O.

… The defense is bound to have another bad game as they did with the Chicago game. Sooner or later management is going to get disgusted with the offensive coordinator and it’ll be goodbye. See you later. Let’s just win the wild card game and see where it takes us. — Ronald R.

This defense will have to carry the team. … On the offensive side they are far down in almost all stats, so it will for sure be up to the defense to take them back to the SB. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jackie Spiegel, Keith Pompey, Mike Sielski, David Murphy, Devin Jackson, and Ariel Simpson.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

We’re glad you’re reading Sports Daily, and thanks to our readers who respond to our questions. I’ll see you in Wednesday’s newsletter. — Jim