The only unbeaten team in the NFL have a chance to improve to 8-0 for the first time in their history, as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to NRG Field to face the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football.
Philly took care of their state rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Sunday, winning 35-13, while Houston are bottom of the AFC South with a record of 1-5-1, losing 17-10 to the Tennessee Titans this weekend.
Match preview
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It is no surprise to many that the Texans are dead last in their division heading into Week 8, losing their final two games of October after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars for their only victory of 2022 (13-6).
Head coach Lovie Smith admitted they were not prepared for the physicality that the Titans showed them on Sunday as Houston allowed 314 yards on the ground, 219 of them coming from Derrick Henry, who scored a pair of touchdowns in the contest.
Containing the run is one of the many problems plaguing this team in 2022, as the Texans have allowed an NFL-worst average of 186 yards a game on the ground this season, currently with the 24th ranked defence.
While the Texans are not being blown out of these encounters, they have not faced many elite teams in the league, losing to the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Titans by a touchdown or fewer.
Houston have managed to hang around in games thanks in part to their ability to generate turnovers, with a differential of +3 heading into this encounter, tied for fifth in the league for interceptions (seven), while only losing one fumble of the offensive side of the ball.
They are averaging a mere 4.1 yards per attempt running the ball this year, but more often than not, their offensive drives have often come up empty, as Houston have scored the fewest points in the league (116) and are tied with Pittsburgh for the fewest total offensive touchdowns this season (11).
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Life as a Philadelphia sports fan these days could not be better; the Phillies are playing for the World Series, the Union are in the MLS Cup Final, and the Eagles are the cream of the crop in the NFL.
Nick Sirianni is only two wins shy of matching his total from the 2021 regular season when Philly lost in the NFC Wildcard Round in what was his first year as an NFL head coach.
They have moved the ball efficiently on offence all season long, averaging 395.4 yards a game while conceding an average of 298.1 yards per contest defensively, good for third and fourth, respectively, in the NFL.
The Eagles are currently averaging 4.3 yards a carry running the ball, a solid statistic which has enabled them to have medium to short passes, averaging 245.9 yards through the air, putting them in ninth place in the league.
So far in 2022, Philly have forced teams into making numerous mistakes, and it is a big reason why they are the team to beat in the NFC at the moment, leading the NFL with a +14-turnover differential while they are fifth regarding quarterback sacks this year with 23.
Defensively, they have been tough all season, currently with the number two defence in the league, allowing the fewest point in the NFC (118) though they have allowed 12 touchdowns in the red zone on 22 trips by the opposition.
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Team News
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Houston pivot Davis Mills went 17 for 29 for 152 yards, a touchdown and one interception in a loss to the Titans last weekend, Brandin Cooks led them in receiving with four catches for 73 yards, while Dameon Pierce had their only major score.
Maliek Collins is questionable with a sore chest, Nico Collins has a problem in his groin and Kenyon Green might not be available because of a shoulder injury.
AJ Cann is questionable due to an illness, Justin McCray has a sore hand and Rasheem Green remains questionable because of a knee injury.
Eagles safety CJ Gardner-Johnson leads the league in interceptions with four, including one in their victory over the Steelers, Jalen Hurts threw four TD passes in that victory, three of which went to AJ Brown, who had six receptions for 156 yards.
Miles Sanders has had a good season running the ball, tied for seventh in yards on the ground this year alongside Khalil Herbert (563), Haason Reddick has 5.5 sacks so far in 2022, including one over the weekend, while Javon Hargrave had two against his former team and TJ Edwards led them with nine tackles.
Jordan Davis was carted off the field for Philly with an apparent ankle sprain on Sunday, Fletcher Cox has an unspecified issue and Brandon Graham has an injured hamstring.
Jason Kelce could return from his unknown problem, and Darius Slay played this weekend despite a minor knock, recording one tackle.
Head To Head
Thursday will be the first meeting between these teams since 2018, with the Eagles winning all five matchups historically against the Texans.
The previous meeting was the most competitive as Jake Elliott nailed a 35-yard field goal as time expired giving the Eagles a 32-30 victory in a game where Zach Ertz caught a pair of touchdowns and Deshaun Watson ran for a couple of scores on the opposite side for Houston.
We say: Houston Texans 14-40 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles can beat you in so many different ways, and the Texans do not match up well offensively or defensively against Philadelphia as Jalen Hurts can do it with his legs, and he has some big-play receivers who can keep the chains moving.
Expect a comfortable victory for the Eagles against an inconsistent defensive unit that cannot seem to contain opposing teams on the ground.
