NFL 2022 season: four things to watch in the Eagles-Texans game on Prime Video

The Eagles will make franchise history Thursday in Houston: the first 8-0 record in team history.

The last time Philadelphia started 7-0, they found themselves in Super Bowl XXXIX, losing to the Patriots. This year’s team has shown so far that they too could end up having a big run this season.

Jalen Hurts is now in the MVP discussion, and he’s won his last 10 starts — the longest streak by an Eagles QB since starts were recorded in 1950, according to NFL Research.

The Texans 1-5-1 could be outdone if they don’t play much better. Their offense has produced 116 points in seven games so far; that’s less than the Eagles have scored in the second quarters alone this season. Last week, the Texans were under 100 yards offensively until the last practice of the game in a 17-10 loss to the Titans.

Houston also didn’t provide much on-court advantage to the Texans. They are now 4-15-1 in their last 20 games at NRG Stadium. The Eagles are 3-0 on the road this season and have won nine of their last 12 road games since last season.

Another daunting piece of history for the Texans, as if they needed the bad news: They’re 0-5 against the Eagles.

Will this be yet another showcase game for Hurts and the Eagles? Or can the Texans pull off an upset in a short week after one of their worst games of the season?

Whatever happens, it’s going to be a monster night for sports in Philadelphia and Houston. Monday’s World Series rain delay means the Philadelphia Phillies will face the Houston Astros in Game 5 in Philadelphia, with the first pitch coming about 12 minutes before the Eagles and Texans kick off in Houston.

Here are four things to look out for when the Eagles visit the Texans Thursday night on Prime Video:

1. Jalen Hurts is coming home. Hurts, who was born in Houston and attended high school in Channelview, Texas, said Thursday’s game was a “business trip.” But Hurts is thrilled this is his first chance to play NRG after watching numerous Texans games and high school championship games at this stadium as a kid. As a bonus, he said he will have “lots” of family and friends in the stands. Among them will be his father, Channelview High head coach Averion Hurts, whose game was scheduled for Thursday night but was moved to Friday. Hurts has been terrific this season, going 10-2 TD-INT, completing 67% of his passes, averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt, and rushing for 303 yards and six touchdowns. Houston’s defense has been heavily reliant on turnovers to keep it in games, but Hurts has only turned it over twice this season. Texans head coach Lovie Smith praised Hurts’ development and called him “one of the best quarterbacks in football” this week.
2. Where is Brandin Cooks head now? The trade deadline came and went without the Texans making any major trades. That includes WR Cooks – rumored to be on the trading block – staying put. That didn’t seem to sit too well with Cooks, whose encrypted tweet after the deadline, the team could have told him one thing and done another. Cooks is by far the Texans’ best receiver, especially with Nico Collins (groin) unavailable for this game; Cooks, for what it’s worth, is questionable with a wrist injury after not practicing on Tuesday. The number of cook receptions (31-354-1) was quite modest. But considering the limitations of the Texans’ passing game this season, he’s one of the few players who can generate down plays. QB Davis Mills has targeted Cooks 7.6 times per game, and Cooks has caught four or more in six of seven games this season. But will he be involved in this game after the announcement that he will not be traded to a competitor? To make matters even more difficult, Cooks could possibly be locked in against Eagles CB Darius Slay, one of the best in the game.
3. The Eagles’ running game has a chance to shine again. The Eagles passing game has been talked about a lot, with Hurts, AJ Brown (three touchdowns on Sunday), DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and others – and for good reason. But the running game quietly provided a backbone for that offense, twice topping the 200-yard mark as a team and ranking sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (149.6). Miles Sanders’ resurgent season was a big part of the Eagles’ success, but so was Hurts. According to NFL Research, the Eagles lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns (45) since Hurts became the starter in Week 14, 2020. During the same span, the Texans allowed the most rushing touchdowns (43) in the NFL. The Titans generated 314 rushing yards last week at Houston, nearly double the total yards the Texans had offensively. How bad are things in Houston? They were forced to throw in two rookie defensive tackles, Kurt Hinish and Thomas Booker, and Lovie Smith’s explanation says it all. “Rookies, that’s what we have right now.”
4. Huge game for Davis Mills. Time is running out for Mills to show something this season that he should be considered for the starting job in 2023. Mills wasn’t your typical QB prospect coming out of Stanford, having started 11 games in college as a former 5 star recruit. In 18 NFL starts, he hasn’t been bad, really, and the Texans’ other offensive plays aren’t very impressive overall. But Mills really struggled through the first three-plus quarters last week and is starting to run out of chances. Right now, he looks like a top-notch substitute who could thrive on a talent-laden attack – and that’s not it. The Texans could end up with two top-10 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, currently sitting in second place overall. The Eagles present a tough challenge defensively, as they’ve bolstered their passing rush, allowed fourth-fewest points per game and led the NFL in takeout points with 16, including 10 steals.