Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback Jalen Hurts’ home run proved to be a historic night as he helped the Eagles to their first 8-0 start. It wasn’t always pretty, but he rose to the occasion, throwing a pair of touchdown passes — including a 17-yard strike to wide receiver AJ Brown in the third quarter — to keep the undefeated train going. Get access to elite coverage for every fan: highlights of the biggest games, original series from NFL legends, unprecedented analysis and more. Sign up now to unlock everything ESPN+ has to offer. An MVP candidate near the halfway point of the season, Hurts has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three straight games for the first time in his career. He has 18 touchdowns (12 passing, six rushing) with two interceptions in eight games. Describe the game in two words: Temporarily uncomfortable. With the one-win Texans missing both of their starting receivers, this seemed like a complete mismatch. But Thursday road games are tough, and the Eagles were uncharacteristically sloppy at times, as evidenced by their first fumble of the season in a game where Hurts didn’t look ready for the ball when he snapped it. The game was tied at halftime — the first time Philly didn’t lead after two quarters — but the Eagles gradually gained control as the second half wore on. Troublesome trend: The Eagles’ first game without rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who was just placed on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain, proved problematic for the rush defense. Houston running back Dameon Pierce rushed for 139 yards on 27 carries. Philly’s tackling was often poor and the running lanes too wide. Davis made the difference. Entering the game, the Eagles allowed 3.9 yards per rush with him on the field (70 rushes) versus 6 yards per rush with him off the field (112 rushes). Key play: CJ Gardner-Johnson made his league-leading fifth interception of the season midway through the third quarter, setting up Hurts’ touchdown pass to Brown. The Eagles’ first possession of the second half ended quickly when Miles Sanders fumbled, with the momentum going in Houston’s favor. But Gardner-Johnson turned it around with a diving pick over the middle on third down. — Tim McManus Underrated stat to know: Gardner-Johnson now has an interception in four straight games, tied for the longest streak by an Eagles player since the merger (Bill Bradley in 1972). Next game: vs. Washington Commanders (8:15 p.m. ET, Nov. 14) AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith
Houston Texans
The Texans were 14-point underdogs against the Eagles, but they put up a decent fight. They entered halftime tied at 14-14, but Houston’s defense struggled against the pass and run as Hurts threw for two touchdowns and the Eagles’ offense rushed for two downs. The Texans’ offense was led by rookie Pierce, who finished with 139 yards. That took some pressure off quarterback Davis Mills, who was without his top two receivers, Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. Pierce’s strong performance allowed Mills to be efficient as he threw for two touchdowns. But he had a couple of interceptions in the second half that crushed the Texans’ chances of a win. Everything you need this week:• Full schedule » | Rating »• Depth Charts for Each Team »• Trades » | Injuries »• Football Power Index Rankings »More NFL coverage » Promising trend: Pierce struggled against the Tennessee Titans last week, finishing with 35 yards on 15 carries, his second-lowest rushing performance of the season. But Pierce bounced back in a huge way by finishing with a season-high 139 yards. Without Pearce the game would have been over at halftime. Buy with performance: Houston’s pass rush is improving. He produced four sacks against the Eagles, who have one of the best offensive lines in the league. The Texans also had 10 pressures on 31 downs, according to Next Gen Stats. If they can get pressure against this offensive line when they play the New York Giants in Week 10, they should have that momentum as the Giants have allowed quarterbacks to be sacked 25 times, which ranks in the top-10. — DJ Bien-Aime Underrated stat you need to know: Mills was running 16.04 mph when he threw a 13-yard pass in the second quarter to Chris Moore — just the third TD this season he threw running that fast. Next game: at Giants (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 13) AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
