Eagles Squeeze By Texans, Move to 8-0

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.

They head into their mini-bye as the first team in franchise history to be 8-0.

"It’s just the next one," said head coach Nick Sirianni. "At this particular point, being 8-0 is sweet. It beats the alternative of being 7-1 or 6-2. We know our goal wasn’t to go 8-0. Our goal was to take one game at a time. That’s our goal."

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.

"Some things didn’t go our way early on, but no one blinked," said linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had seven tackles to tie for the team-high with Javon Hargrave and Kyzir White. "We made adjustments, found a way to get off the field, make some plays, it was huge. It was a big-time win.

"We knew we were in a dogfight. It felt like an absolute dogfight. They’re a good team. I think their running back is really good. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s patient and their line does a really good job. 

"It sucked. They hit a couple runs on us. That’s something we don’t normally do or want to do. We’ll get that cleaned up. But it’s the league. They have really good players, too. We’ll take this win for sure."

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.

"I think about this game … there’s a lot to be grateful about," said Hurts. "There’s a lot to reflect on and look at the things that we did well. There’s also a lot of things that we can improve on. 

"I’m not going to make excuses about anything, or the short week. We have a standard of play, and we want to play to that at all times. So it’s a learning experience for us. It’s a formative experience that’ll only build us up."

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.

"I think I just stay positive every game," said Hargrave, who had only one sacks in the team's first six games. "I don’t really press too hard, because I know any game can be my game. So, I keep working and I’m happy one of those games came."

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.

"To guy have a guy (like Gardner-Johson) who’s a ball-hawk back there, in addition to other guys who are ball-hawks, with our corners, man, that’s huge," said Sirianni. "You shift a game at any time. That shifted the game. That catch shifted the game and our momentum. It wasn’t an easy catch."

CGJ's interception and 25-yard return set the Eagles up at Houston's 17. On the second play from there, Hurts hit Brown to snap the tie and put Philly ahead 21-14. They wouldn't trail again.

"He had a huge interception at a critical moment in the game," said Bradberry. "We definitely needed some momentum. He’s been doing that for us. Last week he ended the game, this week he got us a big play when we needed it. He’s meant a lot to our defense."

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 and 12 TD passes overall with only two interceptions to go along with six rushing scores. 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.