Philadelphia Eagles 29-17 Houston Texans: Jalen Hurts throws two TDs as Eagles improve to 8-0 for first time in franchise history
The Eagles overcome a spirited first-half from the one-win Texans, which saw the teams tied at 14-14, to move to 8-0 on the season; watch the NFL live on Sky Sports on Sundays at 6pm - Week Nine triple-header kicks off with Dolphins @ Bears, followed by Rams @ Bucs and Titans @ Chiefs
Friday 4 November 2022 11:41, UK
Jalen Hurts passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns as the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles overcame a feisty first-half effort from the Houston Texans to triumph 29-17 on Thursday night and improve to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Story of the Game
Hurts completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts on the night and overcame a first-half fumble while playing in his hometown for the first time as a professional. He was steady in stewarding an Eagles offense that encountered relatively few obstacles from the Texans (1-6-1) while amassing 360 total yards.
Hurts' first scoring strike broke a tie midway through the third quarter and followed a critical turnover by Texans quarterback Davis Mills.
An errant throw from Mills was picked off by Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who returned his league-leading fifth interception 25 yards to the Houston 17-yard line. Two plays later, Hurts found AJ Brown for a 17-yard touchdown that put Philadelphia in front 21-14 as they finally began to break away after some impressive Houston resistance.
Houston turned its commitment to the ground game into a 12-play, 63-yard scoring drive that culminated with a Ka'imi Fairbairn 30-yard field goal later in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to four. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce rushed for a superb 139 yards on 27 carries.
But Hurts then connected with tight end Dallas Goedert - eight catches, 100 yards - on a four-yard scoring pass with just over 11 minutes left to play, and the Eagles subsequently extended their lead to 12 after a successful two-point conversion run from their quarterback. And that's how the score stayed, with Mills intercepted again late on by James Bradberry, allowing the Eagles to run out the remainder of the clock.
Earlier, the Eagles had erased a 7-0 deficit with an 18-play, 91-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run from Miles Sanders as Philly went for it on fourth down.
Kenneth Gainwell then capped a 10-play, 79-yard series with a four-yard score of his own that lifted the visitors to a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter.
After leading Houston to a score on its first possession for the first time this season, Mills' 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Moore saw the game tied up at 14-14 with 43 seconds left in the first half. But the Eagles (8-0) would go on to dominate proceedings after the break.
Stats leaders
Eagles- Passing: Jalen Hurts, 21/27, 243 yards, 2 TDs
- Rushing: Miles Sanders, 17 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Dallas Goedert, eight catches, 100 yards, 1 TD
- AJ Brown, four catches, 59 yards, 1 TD
Texans
- Passing: Davis Mills, 13/22, 154 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
- Rushing: Dameon Pierce, 27 carries, 139 yards
- Receiving: Phillip Dorsett, three catches, 69 yards
- Chris Moore, four catches, 43 yards, 1 TD
What they said... 'We haven't accomplished anything yet'
Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts: "I know it's special for the city of Philadelphia. But I've been 8-0 before and lost the National Championship [in college]. So we just have to take it day by day.
"We haven't accomplished anything yet. It's a thing of us controlling the things we can and playing to our standard and trying to grow every day."
[On Houston homecoming]: "It was special. Coming back in a place where I built a lot of memories with my mum and dad watching in this same stadium, I'm proud that they got to see that."
Texans head coach Lovie Smith: "We knew who we were playing. Some people regard them as the best team in football right now.
"I thought our guys played hard from start to finish. We didn't always play smart football, and there are some mistakes that we have to eliminate, but I liked the way they fought."
[On Eagles QB, Hurts]: "I think he's improved more, maybe more than every player in the NFL. An outstanding player."
What's next?
The defending Super Bowl champions are in action again live on Sky Sports this Sunday, with the Los Angeles Rams (3-4) travelling to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady's Buccaneers (3-5) - in what looks to be a must-win game for both sides.
Live NFL
The matchup is a repeat of last year's divisional round playoff clash, which the Rams won 30-27 on their way to lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Buccaneers themselves won the Super Bowl following the 2020 season, but both they and the Rams have had their struggles through the opening eight weeks of this campaign and their playoff ambitions are on the line as the pair clash in Florida. The action gets under way live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.25pm, Sunday.
Prior to heading out to Tampa, we see the Miami Dolphins (5-3) and their explosive offense travel to the Chicago Bears (3-5), with both teams fielding some new toys after making some moves before Tuesday's trade deadline.
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Star receiver Chase Claypool will be in action for the Bears for the first time following his move from the Pittsburgh Steelers, while pass rusher Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson will line up for the Dolphins after their respective trades from the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. This one at Soldier Field kicks off at 6pm.
And rounding off the Sunday night action, we join our friends at NBC for Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football, with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2), hosting the Tennessee Titans (5-2), who are riding a five-game win streak - kick-off is at 1.20am, early on Monday morning.
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