Sometimes all it takes is one play to shake a team out of its doldrums.
There the Eagles were in the third quarter, locked in a tie game with the 1-win Houston Texans, who were playing without their top two wide receivers. The Eagles had just gone 3-and-out on their first two possessions of the third quarter.
Then Chauncey Gardner-Johnson dove to intercept a pass from Texans quarterback Davis Mills around Houston’s 40-yard line. Then he got up and returned the ball to the 17. Two plays later, Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown in the end zone. That gave the Eagles a seven-point lead.
For Gardner-Johnson, it was his fifth interception of the season, the most in the NFL.
The Eagles eventually extended that lead to 12 points and held on for a 29-17 win. The Eagles improved to 8-0, setting their franchise record for the best start in team history.
“That catch shifted the game and our momentum,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters after the game. “It wasn’t an easy catch … That’s what you fear as an offensive coach, that when you make a mistake, a guy can make you pay. We got a bunch of those guys out there in the secondary, and Chauncey is definitely one of them.”
But it wasn’t easy.
That was apparent right from the start as the Texans, playing without leading receivers Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, marched down the field and scored.
The Eagles responded with an 18-play, 91-yard drive that used up 8 minutes, 4 seconds, all season highs. Miles Sanders capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run on fourth down.
Jalen Hurts, playing for the first time as an NFL player in his hometown of Houston, had an overall strong game, finishing 21-for-27 for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 128.9, four days after a career-high rating of 140.6 in the Eagles’ 35-13 win over the Steelers on Sunday.
But Hurts also lost his first fumble of the season, in the second quarter, and the offense at times seemed pass happy against a Texans defense that allowed an average of 186 rushing yards per game.
Eventually, the Eagles turned to the running game as Sanders finished with 93 yards on 17 carries. Hurts, however, did have success passing, especially to tight end Dallas Goedert, who had 8 catches for 100 yards.
The Eagles also struggled at times on defense, especially against Texans running back Dameon Pierce, who had 139 yards on 27 carries. That showed how much the Eagles missed rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday with an ankle injury.
But Javon Hargrave had a career-high 3 sacks, giving him 5 in the last two games.
Still, the Texans tied the game at 14-14 with 37 seconds left in the first half. Pierce had a 36-yard run down to the Eagles’ 27 at the 2-minute warning. Then Mills capped the drive with a 13-yard TD pass to Chris Moore.
Then Gardner-Johnson set up the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.
The Texans responded with a field goal before the Eagles took over. Hurts hit Goedert four times for 41 yards on the game-clinching drive, including his 4-yard touchdown catch with 11:22 remaining.
That was just enough.
Eagles walkthrough week
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.”
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’ inactives were QB Ian Book, DB Josiah Scott, RB Trey Sermon, G Josh Sills and G Sua Opeta.
The Texans, meanwhile, played 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.
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.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
