PHILADELPHIA — The No. 3 seed will have to do for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

With Nick Sirianni opting to rest most of the starters, the Philadelphia Eagles fell, 24-17, to the Washington Commanders Sunday. With the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the Eagles will draw the No. 6-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions defeated the Chicago Bears, 19-16, Sunday. Because of the Eagles’ loss, the Bears clinched the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

The Eagles backups couldn’t pull off the win. Tanner McKee and the offense came out to an early 7-0 lead over the Commanders, but three lead changes throughout the course of the game would see Washington come out on top.

The Eagles had multiple opportunities to even the score late in the fourth quarter but turned it over on downs twice. With one minute, 21 seconds remaining, McKee threw incomplete to Kylen Granson on fourth-and-3 from the Commanders’ 31.

While the Eagles would get the ball back with 53 seconds left from their own 28, McKee couldn’t make anything happen (three incompletions, one sack).

Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ regular-season finale:

Rollercoaster for McKee

In the most meaningful game of his NFL career to date, McKee made big plays and big mistakes.

He was very efficient in the passing game to start. Through his first two possessions, McKee went 5 for 7 for 82 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Grant Calcaterra that put the Eagles up, 7-0.

He also had DeVonta Smith at his disposal for those first two possessions, as the 27-year-old receiver sought to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He needed just 44 yards to hit the milestone and he quickly earned them. McKee opened the game with a 17-yard completion to Smith in the flat.

Smith caught two more passes on the ensuing possession, an 8-yarder and a leaping 27-yard grab over Commanders cornerback Jonathan Jones. His three catches for 52 yards brought him to 1,008 on the season, prompting Sirianni to pull him from the game.

McKee and the Eagles offense faltered in the red zone on the next two possessions. In the second quarter, they marched 54 yards down the field to the Commanders’ 6-yard line, but Washington stopped the Eagles on fourth-and-2. McKee had pressure in his face from defensive end Jacob Martin, fled the pocket to his right, and threw the ball away.

Later in the second quarter following an interception from Jalyx Hunt, Darius Cooper caught a 17-yard in-breaking pass to the Commanders’ 5. However, the rookie receiver spun the ball at Jones in celebration and was flagged for taunting.

The Eagles couldn’t overcome the 15-yard penalty. On third-and-10 from the Commanders’ 20 with 59 seconds left in the first half, McKee threw an interception to safety Jeremy Reaves in the end zone, on a pass intended for Jahan Dotson.

The Commanders moved into field goal range on the brief possession, setting Jake Moody up for a 56-yard field goal to pull Washington ahead, 10-7.

In the third quarter, McKee turned down an opportunity to scramble for a first down on second-and-1, instead throwing an incomplete pass for Cooper. Tank Bigsby couldn’t pick up the requisite yard on third down, forcing the Eagles to punt from their own 29.

McKee’s performance continued to slide on the final drive of the game. He threw a pair of incomplete passes on first and second downs, took a sack on third down, then tossed another out of bounds on fourth.

He finished the night going 21 for 40 for 241 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Shaky performance overshadows Hunt’s surge

A handful of key Eagles defensive players earned significant snaps against the Commanders, including Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Hunt.

Hunt, the 2024 third-rounder out of Houston Christian, was clutch against the Commanders with his pair of takeaways. In the second quarter, as the Commanders sought to break a 7-7 tie, Hunt dove to undercut a pass intended for Deebo Samuel and picked off Josh Johnson deep in Eagles territory.

He had an assist from Josh Uche, who generated the initial pressure on Johnson that forced him to make an ill-advised throw.

Hunt also scooped up a botched snap in the third quarter, giving McKee and the offense prime field position at the Commanders’ 28. The fumble recovery set up Bigsby’s touchdown.

But the second-year edge rusher’s heroics were overshadowed by a shaky showing from the Eagles depth cornerbacks. Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams combined for six penalties. In the fourth quarter, Bennett’s defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone gave the Commanders a fresh set of downs. The Commanders capitalized with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Bates, tying the game, 17-17.

Ringo’s defensive pass interference call, which Terry McLaurin drew halfway through the fourth quarter, took the Commanders from their own 23 to the Eagles’ 45. The Commanders eventually took advantage of the field position when Johnson scrambled for the game-winning 3-yard touchdown run to put his team up, 24-17.

Big Tank

With Saquon Barkley resting, Tank Bigsby earned his most extended look of the season since the Eagles acquired him from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 9.

He rose to the occasion. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back collected 75 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. He also snagged a catch for a career-long 31 yards in the second quarter, turning a dump-off into a long gain while breaking a tackle from Jordan Magee.

In the third quarter, Bigsby scored his second career touchdown as an Eagle. After Hunt recovered a Josh Johnson fumble in the red zone, Bigsby had five straight carries, starting at the Commanders’ 18-yard line. His 2-yard punch-in on third-and-goal allowed the Eagles to regain the lead, 14-10.

Injury report

Brandon Johnson, who started at safety alongside Sydney Brown, injured his ankle while attempting to pick off a deflected pass in the second quarter.

With Johnson out, Michael Carter moved from nickel cornerback to safety. McWilliams, the fifth-round rookie out of Central Florida, slotted in at nickel corner.

Calcaterra hurt his ankle and knee on a hip-drop tackle from Reaves in the third quarter.

Brett Toth was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth quarter and did not return to action.

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