Eagles Squeeze By Texans, Move to 8-0
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Houston made Philly work to stay unbeaten, but in the end, the Eagles were more talented, winning 29-17
HOUSTON – This was supposed to be easy, a no-sweat laugher all the way to 8-0.
The upset-minded and one-win Houston Texans had other ideas. They gave the Eagles all they could handle on their indoor turf at NRG Stadium on Thursday night, but in the end, the Eagles’ more-talented roster won out, capturing a 29-17 victory.
The undefeated Eagles are now off for 11 days before returning to host the Washington Commanders on Nov. 14, on Monday Night Football.
There will be plenty to correct until then, such as a run defense that allowed Dameon Pierce to gash them for 139 yards on 27 runs. As a team, Houston ran for 168.
The Eagles have allowed 100-plus yards to the last four teams they have played, and it doesn’t get any easier with run-stuffer Jordan Davis placed on IR with an ankle sprain on Wednesday.
The offensive line was porous, allowing four sacks. Left tackle Jordan Mailata struggled mightily against aging pass rusher Jerry Hughes, 34, surrendering two sacks on the Eagles’ first possession coming out of the locker room.
The Eagles emerged from that locker room without the lead for the first time all season, with the Texans getting a 13-yard TD pass from Davis Mills with 37 seconds to go in the second quarter to pull even at 14-14.
Jalen Hurts threw two second-half touchdowns and rushed for a two-point PAT to pull away from Houston, who managed just a 30-yard field goal over the final two quarters.
Hurts, playing in his hometown for the first time as an NFL player, threw a 17-yard TD to A.J. Brown, his sixth touchdown reception of the season, with 8:04 to play in the third quarter, and a 4-yard strike to Dallas Goedert, who had eight catches for 100 yards, with 11:22 to play in the game.
Javon Hargrave sparked the second-half defensive surge. The defensive tackle had a career-high three sacks and now has five in his last two games.
The Eagles also got interceptions from Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who now leads the NFL with five, and James Bradberry, who now has three this season. As a team, the Eagles now have 12 interceptions.
Hurts, who lost his first fumble of the season in the first half, led a scoring drive in the first quarter that tied the score at 7-7. He was 8-for-12 on the drive, using six different receivers and converting three third downs with completions to Quez Watkins, A.J. Brown, and Goedert.
The drive covered 18 plays and traveled 91 yards in 8:04. It was the longest TD drive by plays for the Eagles since Dec. 30, 2018, against Washington. It ended with a 2-yard Miles Sanders TD on fourth-and-goal.
Hurts finished 21 for 27 passing with 243 yards and now has six TD passes in his last two games. He had a passer rating of 128.9.
Sanders had 93 yards on 17 carries as the Eagles ran for 143.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.