The Eagles were eliminated from the playoff contest last week, so they would be better served in the long run if they lost to Washington on Sunday.
Going into Week 17, the Eagles have the sixth choice in the draft. They can end with choice # 3 or as low as choice # 10. This is a big difference.
Of course, that does not mean that the Eagles will not try to win. There is pride involved. And that was Jim Schwartz’s point on Tuesday.
“We need to have a hat ban rule this week,” said Schwartz. “We cannot let opponents put on the victory hat in the division at Linc. There is a lot of pride in that and our whole focus should be on achieving this this week. “
If Washington wins the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, they will win NFC East. This is something that probably doesn’t matter for most Eagles fans.
Although the Eagles were certainly better off losing on Sunday Night Football, that doesn’t mean players on the field will try to lose. Think of Jason Kelce’s admirable comments about the tank in the NFL a few weeks ago.
Sure, the Eagles can play with young players and protect some veteran commercial assets, but when they take the field on Sunday, they still have a chance to beat Washington.
And, in the end, that’s not great.
The Eagles opened as 1 point favorites, according to PointsBet, but that line has changed since then and on Tuesday morning, the Eagles are 2 point underdogs. Anyway, this is not a definite loss.
Schwartz on Tuesday, citing focus on the next game, declined to answer any general questions about his defense in 2020. He said those are questions for after the season. When he was told he hadn’t spoken to reporters after the season since he was here, Schwartz agreed, but he laughed at it.
“These are issues after the season and there is no point in talking about it now,” he said. “We have a division opponent coming in and trying to secure a playoff spot in our field. We have to have our full attention in this game. I have a lot of respect for the guys who are going to be on the pitch, some of whom are going to play for the first time. I have a lot of respect for the game to talk about something other than this game. I apologize for that, but that’s where our focus is. “
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