Eye on the Enemy: Can the Eagles continue to dominate in week 9?

The Philadelphia Eagles have been 7-0 before. The 2004 squad accomplished that feat and rode the wave of that popularity to their first Super Bowl appearance in 23 years.

The 2022 squad has a lot in common with that group but is on a collision course to potentially break through their previous record.

Can they accomplish it? The 2022 squad doesn’t have a one-loss Steelers team standing in their way as the ’04 team had. Instead, the one-win Texans await in a battle to see how far the Eagles’ current squad has come.

Can the Eagles avoid a trap game Thursday night and move to 8-0? We have everything you need to know about their opponent here.

Houston Texans (1-5-1)

Last Game: 17-10 Loss to Houston Texans

Offensive Ranking: 31st

Defensive Ranking: 30th

Head-to-Head Matchup: Eagles lead the matchup 5-0.

Houston Texans Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Lovie Smith

Offensive Coordinator: Pep Hamilton

Defensive Coordinator: Lovie Smith

Special Teams Coordinator: Frank Ross

Offense

To say Dameon Pierce is the entire offense for the Houston Texans would not be an overstatement. This Texans offense has been poor for the majority of the season, and Pierce has over 500 yards rushing. There isn’t a receiver with over 400 yards receiving and Brandin Cooks is a player who is already disgruntled about not being traded. Davis Mills has looked good in spurts for the Texans in his second season, but there’s not a lot of talent at any point. The injury to Jordan Davis could be a major point of concern if Pierce gets going early, but there’s not much else to be overly concerned with about the Texans’ offense.

Defense

Jerry Hughes has five sacks. Outside of him, Jalen Pitre has looked good in spurts with the young Texans secondary but there’s not much else here. Houston’s secondary is arguably the best part about the group, but they are very young and inexperienced. Don’t be surprised if you see more deep shots from Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense early in the game. The Eagles’ offensive line should have a good day as well. The matchups suit Philadelphia very well before the game. Execution will ultimately be the factor.

X-Factor: Dameon Pierce

It’s quite simple: if the Eagles’ defense shuts down Dameon Pierce early, the Eagles should win by multiple scores. If the Eagles, without Jordan Davis, are gashed early, the Texans could have better confidence to move the football up and down the field and potentially pull off the upset. Houston’s offensive line isn’t exactly great, but it’s more than capable of opening a few solid holes.