A Meaningless Win For Philadelphia Eagles Still Provided Vital Lessons

While much of the Philadelphia area roiled over the decision by the Eagles not to play Saquon Barkley and most of their other starters in Week 18 — a 20-13 win over the New York Giants which did absolutely nothing to change Philadelphia’s playoff position — the Eagles learned a number of things about some critical players which could inform the way the team approaches not only this Sunday’s playoff opener but the entirety of Philadelphia’s postseason run.

Perhaps nothing mattered more than Tanner McKee’s performance under center on Sunday. McKee, in his first NFL start, finished 27-for-41 for 269 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. To be sure, there were mistakes — one incomplete pass would have been an interception if New York’s Dru Phillips hadn’t had his clear read knocked away by Dane Belton — but he performed extremely well.

“I thought he was in complete control of the game today,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said following the game. “Making good decisions. I felt like he got to his check down a couple times, that was really impressive, to Will Shipley a couple times. Really impressive. Strung together a couple good quarters last game and then a full good game today. Every time he gets an opportunity in practice, he does a really good job. We’re excited about Tanner and the player he is.”

This may matter more than simply as a further reinforcement of just how good Howie Roseman’s 2023 draft was. As of Monday night, Jalen Hurts was still in the concussion protocol, and McKee got the start because Kenny Pickett was not healthy enough to play. Sirianni, Monday night, did not dismiss the idea that he might start McKee over Pickett on performance alone should it be necessary.

“I have a lot of confidence in both of the guys. I think when Kenny has had to play, he’s played really well. When Tanner has had to play, he’s played really well. So we’ve got a really good room. Obviously Jalen has had an outstanding season. We just have a great room.”

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s not a no.

McKee’s ability to not only play well but execute offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s gameplan meant opportunities for multiple receivers, including four receptions for 55 yards from tight end Dallas Goedert, who made his return Sunday after missing a month due to injury. For Sirianni, it came down to the need to get him touches being more important than resting and protecting him.

But while the Eagles have other tight ends who can and have filled in admirably, principally Grant Calcaterra, Goedert provides another level of productivity.

“Physical blocker,” Sirianni said of Goedert’s full skill set. “Does the things that you need your tight end to do. Being able to hold the point on the front side, very athletic on the back side. Just able to do a lot of different things and be multiple. You can be more multiple in your schemes with him in there.

“Obviously, Dallas is a big playmaker when the ball is in his hands, we saw that in the return of him yesterday. But what makes him a complete tight end is his ability to block and all the different schemes that he can do. So that’s big to get him back for both the run and the pass game.”

Ultimately, the only discordant note in a win that was simultaneously the 50th of Sirianni’s career and 300th in the ownership tenure of Jeffrey Lurie came from Jake Elliott, who missed a 39-yard field goal attempt in the first half. It was the latest unexpected misfire from Elliott, and only his fourth miss in 63 attempts from 30-39 yards since 2018.

“He came out and made two after that,” Sirianni told reporters postgame on Sunday. “Again, we didn’t lose any faith in him. He went out and ripped two that we needed right after that. Yeah, it happens in this game.”

But it is worth noting that in the final moments of the half, with the Eagles facing a third-and-10 at the New York 45, Philadelphia elected to take a shot further down field. Even a short gain would have set up an Elliott attempt from 50+ yards, a range he made 26 of 37 field goals from 2017-2023, including a 61-yarder in September 2017 to beat the Giants early in his rookie season. He tied that mark in 2023 against the Minnesota Vikings in 2023.

But in 2024, that apparently wasn’t even a consideration. And while Elliott had been perfect from 30-39 through Sunday, it is a different scenario to enter the playoffs without the absolute confidence in their kicker the Eagles have taken as a matter of faith dating back to their Super Bowl-winning season.