The former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback entered Sunday’s loss and completed 14 of 24 passes for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The offense sputtered a bit with the backup on Sunday, but Sirianni said he believes getting a full week of reps with the starters will help Pickett in Week 17.
“He’s had a nice week of practice, he’s done a nice job and we’ve had some good practices and walkthroughs this week,” the coach said. “I think anytime you get to work our plays against the defense that you’re going to be playing against with the guys you’re going to be going with that helps you. … It was a good week of practice.”
Pickett spent the week dealing with a rib injury but declared himself “ready to go” on Thursday. He practiced in full and doesn’t expect to be limited, although he plans to wear extra padding on his ribs.
Pickett said getting reps with starters like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will be helpful after some miscues in his first extended action as an Eagle.
“It’s huge for a quarterback,” Pickett said Thursday. “Timing is everything, especially in the NFL. Knowing how these guys get in and out of cuts. How they track the ball on deep balls and different things like that. It all plays into quarterback and receiver play. So anything I can get with them extra or during practice is huge.”
The Eagles are nearly locked into the No. 2 seed, owning a 4% chance of leaping into the No. 1 slot. Philly would need a win over Dallas and losses by both the Lions and Vikings to have a shot at the top seed in the NFC in Week 18.
Philadelphia clinches the NFC East division title with a win or a Commanders’ loss in Week 17.