In Week 17, the Philadelphia Eagles have a perfect chance to see how their December adjustments fare against another team with Super Bowl aspirations.
… or do they?
On paper, the Eagles and Bills are a very interesting matchup; both teams have a Pro Bowl quarterback, interesting offensive weapons all over the field, and defenses that rank top-5 in points allowed. The Eagles have a number of players returning from injuries in Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter, who would like to test their mettle against players like Greg Rousseau, David Edwards, and Connor McGovern, and for the Bills? Well, Josh Allen suffered a foot injury in Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns and is currently questionable to play in Week 17, even if he's made it clear he wants to go if he can.
The Eagles could find themselves going right down to the wire against one of the best teams in the AFC, duking it out for every yard and every point… or one team could decide to treat it like a preseason game, going a half, a quarter, or even a few drives before turning to the reserves in order to avoid another late-season injury. If the Eagles and/or the Bills go up early by a few scores, the opposing team could simply opt to pull the plug, considering both teams already have playoff berths locked up, turning one of the best games of the Week 17 slate into a battle between Tanner McKee and Mitchell Trubisky.
Goodness, talk about a blue Christmas.
So should Eagles fans lock in for a playoff preview for the ages? Or will it instead be more of a McKee preview before he gets his true showcase in Week 18 against a Washington Commanders team with a chip on their shoulder for a two-point conversion attempt in Week 16? For fans' sake, hopefully the former, but realistically, it's hard to imagine either team selling out for another win, especially if the New England Patriots win again in Week 17 during the 1 PM EST window.
The Patriots remove the drama from Week 17 for the Bills
For the Bills to enter Week 17 with a real chance to clinch the AFC East – and thus play the Eagles hard – the Patriots have to drop a game to the New York Jets earlier in the day.
Currently sitting at 10-4, the Bills are one game behind the Patriots, with the two teams splitting the season series at 1-1. If the Patriots win and the Bills lose in Week 18, New England wins the AFC East. If the Patriots win and the Bills win, New England would still have a one-game lead, with a game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18 the only thing keeping them from earning another hat-and-t-shirt game.
But if the Bills win and the Patriots hand the Jets their fourth win of the Aaron Glenn era? Well then, things get really interesting, especially since Buffalo also closes out the season against the Jets.
As things presently stand, the Patriots have a 71.7 percent chance of winning in Week 17, according to ESPN. They are -13.5 favorites to win the game, according to DraftKings, and, considering New York is expected to give rookie QB Brady Cook his first start of the season after going undrafted out of Missouri, that number may only grow.
Could Cook go on a tear and knock out one of the best teams in the AFC? Could he become the next Tony Romo and lock up an incredible future in the Big Apple over the final two games of the regular season, allowing his team to avoid trading a King's random for Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore in April? Sure, anything is possible, but realistically, the Patriots likely have this one in the bag, which could change Sean McDermott's rationale heading into the Eagles game.
The Eagles pull the plug before the fourth quarter
In the past, when the Eagles had the playoffs in the bag, they've played like it.
During the 2024 season, when the Eagles more or less had their playoff positioning squared away, Kenny Pickett and McKee were allowed to get a taste of preparing like starters in Sirianni's offense down the stretch, with the former appearing in two games with one start, and his backup getting the same runway. Granted, that happened because Hurts was injured against the Commanders in Week 16, with the future Super Bowl MVP spending his final two games of the year on the bench while in concussion protocol, but the Eagles didn't seem too eager to bring him back either, instead turning their attention to the playoffs.
In Week 15, Hurts suffered what looked like a minor injury against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he was able to finish out the game and Week 16 as well without any noticeable issues. While the Eagles could keep up the status quo and roll out Hurts for the entire game as a sort of playoff preview, if Philadelphia is able to move the ball with ease against the Bills, and even score a touchdown or two while their defense smothers an injured Allen, there's a chance Sirianni opts to pull the plug and cycle out players like Jalen Carter, Lane Johnson, and even Hurts for reserves in order to stay happy and healthy before the playoffs roll around.
The Eagles lose to the Darius Slay Bowl, and that's okay
Heading into the regular season, many circled Week 17 as a loss for the Eagles.
Sure, the team was riding high as the reigning Super Bowl Champions and had 18 wins in 2024 if the playoffs are included, but their 2025 schedule was filled to the brim with tough asks and potential setbacks, from a severe lack of back-to-back home stands to a gauntlet of games against teams with winning records in 2024.
At 10-5, the Eagles have more or less met the expectations most had heading into the year, even if the wins and losses they actually earned may not have been exactly what many predicted. If they lose to the Bills, they still have the NFC East locked up, and considering the records in the NFC South, they will have the third seed locked up too, with any hopes of landing No. 2 always a long shot, considering how the Chicago Bears are playing down the stretch.
Would it be nice for the Eagles to dominate the Bills for a full 60 minutes and get a win in commanding fashion? Sure, that would be the exact kind of momentum builder that could boost morale in a major way. But even if they lose, be that straight up or with McKee under center in the second half, the Eagles should still be able to feel pretty good about themselves heading into Wildcard Weekend, especially if they hand the Commanders another pounding in the regular season finale.
