5 NFL teams who should rest starters in Week 18 feat. Philadelphia Eagles

Many teams still have goals to go for as the 2024 NFL season enters Week 18, whether it's an improved playoff seed, a division title or simply qualifying for the playoffs. Other teams, meanwhile, have a Week 18 game that's irrelevant to them; a victory or a loss won't be detrimental to them.

Let's explore the NFL teams who have nothing to lose in Week 18 and why they should rest their best players before the playoffs:

---

Five NFL teams that should rest their key players in Week 18

1) Kansas City Chiefs (at Broncos)

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, securing the AFC's top playoff spot and a first-round playoff bye. One would think that it'd be an easy decision for them to rest their starters for their Week 18 NFL game with the Denver Broncos.

However, it is a tricky situation for the Chiefs, considering their first NFL playoff game will be scheduled to Jan. 18 or 19. If they don't play at Denver, their key players would have about 23 days between games.

Coach Andy Reid said that he needs to talk to his players before he shares his intentions for the game. He also said that they will build up the required tempo in practice, so the time between games won't matter.

It appears that Kansas City will rest its key players this week, based on the events of 2020. That year, the team decided to rest quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other significant components for the last game of the regular season. Although the Chiefs lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV that year, they won their first two postseason matchups.

2) Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Giants)

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 in Week 17 to claim the NFC East. With the victory, they also locked up the No. 2 seed in the NFC, with no chance of moving up to the No. 1 slot following the Green Bay Packers' defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

Now that the Eagles can neither move up nor down irrespective of their Week 18 result this weekend against the New York Giants, the logical thing would be to rest their most important players.

Like Andy Reid, coach Nick Sirianni also didn't reveal his decision to reporters on Monday when asked if he plans to rest his starters.

"I’ll always inform them (the players) before I inform anybody else," he said.

3) Buffalo Bills (at Patriots)

The Buffalo Bills are in a similar situation with the Philadelphia Eagles. They beat the New York Jets last weekend, securing the No. 2 spot in the AFC, behind the Chiefs.

As the outcome of the NFL game won't affect the Bills' playoff opponent, they could choose to rest their key players when they play the New England Patriots this weekend.

When asked on Monday, coach Sean McDermott said that Buffalo will rest a number of starters this week, and that quarterback Josh Allen will start and play for a while.

4) Los Angeles Rams (vs. Seahawks)

The Los Angeles Rams are bound to host a game in the NFL playoffs' Wild Card round, as they are the NFC West champions.

Although it's certain that they will face one of the four teams — the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers or the Washington Commanders — they are still unsure of their seed, No. 3 or No. 4.

The reason why it's a tricky situation for the Rams this week is because if they rest their players, their odds of winning reduce, and if they lose and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win, they will finish as No. 4 seed. The Rams will then have to face the winner of the Vikings vs. Lions game if they finish fourth in the NFC.

However, a victory over the Seattle Seahawks this weekend would guarantee the Rams the No. 3 spot. In that case, they would play in the Wild Card round against the Commanders or the Packers, which seems like a less difficult opponent than the Vikings or the Lions.

Coach Sean McVay said that resting his starters against Seattle is most likely "the direction we’ll go.”

5) Houston Texans (at Titans)

The Houston Texans' AFC South title and postseason berth are set in stone, so their game against the Tennessee Titans this weekend has no bearing on anything. Additionally, following their loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, they are already guaranteed the No. 4 seed in the AFC for the postseason.

Houston will still play a home game against the No. 5 seed in the AFC in the first round of the NFL playoffs, regardless of what happens this week.