The last regular-season game is upon us as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow night. Despite the resilient rivalry, Saturday’s game holds very little meaning in terms of who takes the victory.
With the Eagles and the Cowboys already in the playoffs, the match-up will essentially determine who each team plays next week in the Wild Card Round.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia placed 12 of their players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list; however, as of Friday, all 12 are now ready for Saturday’s game. Though Nick Sirianni will likely rest some starters, below are five players who should play during Week 18.
5 EAGLES PLAYERS WHO SHOULD PLAY IN WEEK 18
Jason Kelce
Center Jason Kelce doesn’t need to play the whole game — in fact, he shouldn’t, but he should start. Kelce has started in 121 consecutive games thus far with the Eagles dating back to 2014. It’s the longest current consecutive start streak among NFL interior linemen and the 4th-longest in Eagles history. In front of him are Jon Runyan (144), Herm Edwards (135), Jerry Sisemore (127), and Randy Logan (124). Kelce surpassed Reggie White after starting last week against the Washington Football Team.
Though Kelce may be on his way to retirement at the end of this season, he should be able to start at what could be his last home game of his career.
DeVonta Smith
Smith is a player who doesn’t need to risk injury, but Nick Sirianni needs to give him a shot to break some records this season. The wide receiver has 61 receptions for 875 yards and five touchdowns. Not only is he 38 yards away from breaking DeSean Jackson’s rookie receiving record, but he’s 125 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season.
The Heisman Trophy winner has proven he was worth that first-round pick, and fans should be excited to see how he plays in the Wild Card Round next week.
Tyree Jackson
The sought-after quarterback turned tight-end had a promising training camp but was not activated until the latter half of the season due to injury. He made his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Chargers, appearing in 14 plays on offense. On November 5 against the New York Jets, he made his first career start but has yet to catch any passes.
With Zach Ertz’s trade earlier this season and the uncertainty of Jack Stoll, it will be important to see how Jackson fits into Goedert’s TE squad.
Tay Gowan
Speaking of Ertz, remember the guy we traded him for?
Gowan, along with a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was acquired by the Eagles. In reality, Philadelphia still doesn’t know much about him. During Philadelphia’s blowout against the Detroit Lions, Gowan played, recording one total tackle.
After what turned out to be a promising season for the Eagles, Roseman will need to solidify his cornerbacks to complement Darius Slay.
Gardner Minshew
Minshew put up a pretty stellar performance when he started in place of Jalen Hurts in Week 13. Though the game was against the New York Jets (4-12), Minshew completed 20 of 25 attempts for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
The quarterback is on a one-year deal, and while it may not be a bad idea for the Eagles to sign him again, it’s also not a bad idea to shop him around.
