NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 9 Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 29, Houston Texans 17

Houston, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) leaps with the ball as Houston Texans defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV (56) defends during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Even though it was close for longer than expected, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to pull away late for a 29-17 victory over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium Thursday night to maintain their undefeated season.

Offensive spotlight: Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert put together an exceptional performance in the team's win Thursday night, especially as a pass-catcher, catching eight of his nine targets for 100 yards, a touchdown and seven first down en route to a 90.0-plus receiving grade and a game-high 4.00 yards per route run on first review.

Running back Dameon Pierce was the only real standout on the Texans offense, as his notable power and impressive balance enabled him to gobble up 139 rushing yards from 27 carries. Pierce, who came into the game as PFF's highest-graded rookie on offense, picked up eight first downs and forced eight missed tackles on his way to an 85.0-plus rushing grade on first review.

Defensive spotlight: Even though the Eagles defense underperformed against a seemingly overmatched Texans offense, edge defender Brandon Graham and interior defender Javon Hargrave put together winning performances.

Graham showed off his well-rounded game, notching a couple pressures and an 16.7% pass-rush win rate in addition to a run stop on his way to a 75.0-plus overall grade on first review. Hargrave, on the other hand, made his presence felt mostly as a pass-rusher, generating six pressures, three sacks and a dominant 35.3% pass-rush win rate en route to a 90.0-plus pass-rush grade.

Rookie spotlight: Texans rookie tight end Teagan Quitoriano may have only played 17 snaps, but he certainly made his presence felt on the field, especially as a receiver. The fifth-round pick's touchdown grab was one of the game's best plays, even if it did come in a losing effort, as he skied over Eagles safety K'Von Wallace for the contested-catch touchdown.

Offensive line spotlight: Neither offensive line graded particularly well on first review, as both allowed at least nine pressures and two sacks on Thursday evening. Nonetheless, Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson and center Jason Kelce impressed throughout the evening. Dickerson's night culminated in a 75.0-plus grade on first review, as he allowed just one pressure across 33 pass-blocking snaps, while Kelce paced the unit with an 80.0-plus overall grade after allowing zero pressures in the game.

Box Score

Passing
Philadelphia Eagles
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Jalen Hurts 21.02 21 / 27 243 9 2 0
Houston Texans
Player Fantasy Comp/Att Yds YPA TD Int
Davis Mills 13.96 13 / 22 154 7 2 2
Rushing
Philadelphia Eagles
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Jalen Hurts 21.02 9 23 2.6 0 14
Miles Sanders 15.3 17 93 5.5 1 25
Kenneth Gainwell 12.8 4 22 5.5 1 8
Boston Scott 0.5 1 5 5 0 5
Houston Texans
Player Fantasy Car Yds YPC TD Long
Dameon Pierce 16.9 27 139 5.1 0 36
Chris Moore 14.5 1 2 2 0 2
Davis Mills 13.96 3 18 6 0 8
Rex Burkhead 2.5 1 9 9 0 9
Receiving
Philadelphia Eagles
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Dallas Goedert 27 9 8 100 11.1 1
A.J. Brown 15.9 6 4 59 9.8 1
Kenneth Gainwell 12.8 3 3 16 5.3 0
Quez Watkins 4.5 2 2 25 12.5 0
DeVonta Smith 4.2 2 2 22 11 0
Jack Stoll 2.3 2 1 13 6.5 0
Zach Pascal 1.8 1 1 8 8 0
Houston Texans
Player Fantasy Tgt Rec Yds YPT TD
Chris Moore 14.5 5 4 43 8.6 1
Phillip Dorsett 9.9 5 3 69 13.8 0
Teagan Quitoriano 7.2 1 1 2 2 1
Rex Burkhead 2.5 2 1 6 3 0
O.J. Howard 2.4 2 1 14 7 0
Tyron Johnson 1.8 1 1 8 8 0
Jalen Camp 1.7 1 1 7 7 0
Brevin Jordan 1.5 2 1 5 2.5 0
Jordan Akins 0 1 0 0 0 0
Troy Hairston 0 1 0 0 0 0

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP AND TRY PFF+ FOR FREE

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit