Jalen Hurts has started every game for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2025 NFL season, but this will change in Week 18 when they take on the Washington Commanders. Tanner McKee has been named the starting quarterback for their final game just one week before the playoffs. Here’s what happened to their usual starter.
Eagles Decide to Rest Key Starters in Week 18
The Eagles have already clinched the NFC East division title for the 2025 season, but their seed in the upcoming NFL Playoffs has yet to be determined. They currently own the third spot in the NFC, but a victory over the Commanders, along with a Chicago Bears loss to the Detroit Lions, would move them into the second seed.
This is apparently not important for them to fully commit to competing for the victory in Week 18, as the franchise announced that they will rest several of their key starters. This includes Hurts, who will sit for the first time this season, as McKee makes his first start of the year. This will mark the second start of his career after he also started their Week 18 game last year against the New York Giants.
His first start last season resulted in a victory, and according to Yahoo Sports, the Eagles’ coaches and players are expecting another one this year against the Commanders. Washington will start third-stringer Josh Johnson as Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota have already been ruled out with injuries, so an Eagles victory while resting key starters is a realistic possibility, as they did to close out last season as well.
Today’s Inactives#WASvsPHI pic.twitter.com/1vLfloWVCB
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 4, 2026
Philadelphia is clearly prioritizing its overall health over its potential seed, especially since its fate will also be determined by what the Bears do. If Chicago wins against the Lions, they will secure the second seed themselves, essentially rendering the Eagles’ result meaningless in determining the NFC standings. This likely played a significant role in their decision to bench Hurts and several others this week.
Hurts has been having a down year compared to his usual elite standards, so a reset may benefit his outlook with the playoffs kicking off next week.
He currently ranks 14th among quarterbacks in PFSN’s QB Impact metric for this season, which would be his worst finish since becoming a full-time starter in the 2021 season. He has never finished lower than seventh in the season-long rankings among all quarterbacks in any year since then.
