The Eagles took a unique approach to trying to remain undefeated heading into their Thursday night matchup against the Houston Texans.
The Eagles have never started a season 8-0 in their 90 years of existence.
Exercise bikes and massage beds were set up in the locker room within minutes after the Eagles (7-0) finished off their 35-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Then instead of holding live practices on Monday, Tuesday and/or Wednesday, the Eagles held walkthroughs each day. In addition, the Eagles had a big enough lead in the fourth quarter against the Steelers, so they were able to rest their offensive starters for the last nine minutes of the game.
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The Eagles did all of this despite just having their week off. That gave the coaches extra time to prepare not only for the Steelers, but for the Texans.
The players appreciated it, too.
“It’s never the physical part of it,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “I feel like we always get our body back by Thursday anyway. It’s more mental. It’s about the game plan, carrying out the game plan. So just making sure you don’t have any hiccups there, because that’s what can get you beat for real, on top of not making the plays when your plays come to you.”
We’ll find out if it works against the Texans (1-5-1). The game was originally scheduled to air on FOX29, but it was moved to WPHL17 to accommodate the World Series Game 5 between the Phillies and the Houston Astros. The broadcasters are Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung.
Eagles take slow route
The Eagles took the slow and steady approach on their first drive, which came after the Texans marched down the field for an early lead.
The Eagles tied the game, going 18 plays for 91 yards in 8 minutes, 4 seconds. It was the Eagles’ longest drive of the season in terms of plays, yards and time. The previous highs were 16 plays against Arizona on Oct. 9, 88 yards against Washington on Sept. 25, and 7:58 against Arizona.
During the drive, the Eagles converted three third downs before scoring on 4th-and-goal from the 2 on Miles Sanders’ TD run.
Eagles rookie on IR, Texans missing more
Rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis went on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning that he’ll have to miss a minimum of four games. Davis injured his ankle in the win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. The earliest he can return is Dec. 4 against Tennessee.
The Eagles didn’t fill Davis’ spot on the roster, but they gave defensive tackle Marvin Wilson the practice squad elevation for the game. Wilson, the Browns’ undrafted free agent in 2021, spent last season and this season on the Eagles’ practice squad. Wilson got into one game last season.
The Eagles’ other inactives are QB Ian Book, DB Josiah Scott, RB Trey Sermon, G Josh Sills and G Sua Opeta.
The Texans, meanwhile, are without their top two wide receivers in Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins. Cooks didn’t practice this week, apparently unhappy that he wasn’t traded. He was listed as missing practice for personal reasons. Cooks leads the Texans with 354 yards receiving. Collins, who has a groin injury, is right behind him with 305 yards.
That leaves tight end Jordan Aikens, with 159 yards, as the Texans’ leading receiver. Even with Cooks and Collins, the Texans were ranked 31st in total offense, averaging just 289 yards per game.
3 things to watch
- Jordan Davis’ replacement: The Eagles placed the rookie defensive tackle on injured reserve with an ankle injury, meaning that the game Thursday will be the first of at least four that he will have to miss. The Eagles could go with a four-man rotation with Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu. But you can also expect to see a defensive end like Brandon Graham moving inside on passing downs, too. The acquisition of Robert Quinn makes that possible.
- Jalen Hurts in his hometown: Hurts grew up in Houston, and his godfather used to work for the Texans, so Hurts had visited the team’s practice facility as a kid. He idolized former Texans players such as wide receiver Andre Johnson and quarterback Vince Young. This will be the first time Hurts is playing in NRG Stadium. And since the Eagles only come to Houston once every eight years, he’ll want to make the most of it.
- Owning the Texans: The Eagles have never lost to the Texans, going 5-0. The last time the Eagles were in Houston, on Nov. 2, 2014, they won 31-21 as backup quarterback Mark Sanchez replaced the injured Nick Foles. Only four players − Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham − remain from that game. The last time the two teams met, on Dec. 23, 2018, was at Lincoln Financial Field. Foles lead the Eagles to a 32-30 win.
Prediction: Eagles 32, Texans 10.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
