No. You have to try and win. If we lose, our chances of making the playoffs are almost nil and at that point more injuries are irrelevant.
I hear ya, but I'm not sure I agree when you start looking at the records and who we're up against for the post-season.
I
HATE the thought of throwing a game, but...I don't feel it's a slam dunk. Been thinking a lot about this since it occured to me.
This feels to me like carefully weighing the importance of one game against the importance of making the post season.
What are the odds of us
actually winning if we're down 21 players to Covid, 13 on IR (I think that was the number I saw) including numerous key starters along the Defense and Offensive Line?
So the equation looks like. LOSS+REST+NO INJURIES or VERY PROBABLY LOSS+NO REST+POTENTIAL INJURY RISK.
Route 1 leads to small chance of Playoffs. Route 2 leads to pratically no chance of playoffs.
I mean, what are the chances we'd run the table from here anyway? Finish the season 10-7? Far more realistic that we'd lose at least one game, finish 9-8. This way we may be in a position to
CHOOSE the game we lose.
We're basically in a race with the, Eagles (also 6-7), the Vikings (also 6-7) the Seahawks (behind us at 5-8), Saints (6-7), Falcons (6-7) and Panthers (5-8)
Last weeks Cowboys game means the Division is out of reach. So no need to fight for that.
Even if we throw this game against the Eagles, we have the return leg coming up. So we could split if we can get healthy for round 2. That would move us both to 7-8
If rested, we should beat the Giants (who are a train wreck!) and maybe put up a better showing against the Cowboys in the return bout. Running the table would get us to 9-8 record.
The Seahawks would need to win their last 4 to beat us. (Russell looks awful, and they have remaining games against the Cards and the Rams, so good luck with that!).
The Vikings have the Bears twice (who they should beat, but you know...Cousins!) and then the Pack and the Rams. Who should beat them (if the Rams recover from their Covid outbreak) That would leave them 8-9.
The Eagles have maybe the easiest path. They play us twice, the Giants and the Cowboys. If we can split our games, and they lose to the Boys and beat the Giants., then they also finish 8-9
The Falcons have maybe the toughest time. They have remaining games against, Bills, 49ers and Saints, They also have the Panthers.
The Saints have the Buccs and the Dolphins, plus that interdivisional game with the Saints. They also have the Panthers.
The Panthers have the above mentioned interdivisional games against the Saints and Falcons, plus the Buccs twice. They're toast!
So, even throwing this game to spend a week getting healthy, taking this loss on the chin, we STILL are (arguably) in the driving seat for the second playoff wildcard spot. IF we can win out from there. Which is a big if.
If we go into this game shorthanded and lose, and in the process, get a couple more important injuries (probably on the O-line! LOL) or lose Carter or Gibson in what is likely to be a meaningless game. Or if that sieve of a makeshift O-Line means we lose Heineke to an injury more serious than last week. (And I say meaningless as in with our lack of rest and our covid/injury status there's a 95% chance we lose the game anyway)
If all that was to happen we're royally screwed for the stretch run.
Of course, there is that slim chance that a plucky band of nobody replacements filling in for our missing starters pull off a miracle and win the game.
It's happened before! (Strike year Redskins!)
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