PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles were always going to be the No. 2 seed heading into the NFC playoffs, no matter how Tanner McKee performed on Sunday. This regular-season finale was a chance for McKee to show in a meaningful football game (record-wise) what the organization already knew. 

It only took one quarter for McKee to prove the Eagles right. Getting the start at quarterback in place of Jalen Hurts (concussion) and Kenny Pickett (ribs), McKee was 7 of 9 for 142 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions for a 146.3 passer rating in the first 15 minutes.

"That was big," an excited McKee said after the Eagles' 20-13 victory. "We wanted to set the tone early. Defense did a great job getting the stop, and then we obviously went down and scored. We were just trying to show like, 'Hey, this is the standard.' 

The Eagles allowed McKee to sling the ball 41 times on Sunday, certainly unorthodox for the third quarterback on the roster. McKee completed 29 of those passes (70.7%) for 269 yards and two touchdowns for a 100.6 passer rating, an excellent performance in his first start.

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This may not be the only start McKee has with the Eagles. No, he's not coming for Jalen Hurts' job, but the Eagles have to be aware they have a quarterback who can back Hurts up for years to come. Pickett is only under contract for one more season, and the Eagles thought McKee wasn't ready to be a No. 2 after a promising rookie season -- albeit with no regular season pass attempts.

These past two weeks McKee was able to show the Eagles he could play in meaningful regular season action. McKee went 30 of 45 for 323 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions, a passer rating of 117.2. McKee's four touchdown passes through his first two games are the most for any quarterback in Eagles history. 

"I thought he was in complete control of the game today," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. "Making good decisions. ... Really impressive. Strung together a couple good quarters last game and then a full good game today. Every time he gets an opportunity in practice, he does a really good job. We're excited about Tanner and the player he is."

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If the Eagles have to rely on McKee in meaningful games, they know he can. That was the benefit of having the No. 2 seed clinched and earning the right to give the starters the week off. Players have game tape in an NFL regular season game to show the coaching staff and front office they can be relied upon. 

McKee is one of those players. He may not be the QB2 in 2025, but is certainly the long-term answer for that position. 

"Right now, I'm focusing on this season, today, and obviously making a deep run in the playoffs," McKee said. "So yeah, I haven't really thought about that. I guess we'll see, whenever that comes."

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