There are entirely high marks — or at least satisfactory — for the Eagles’ 32-30 victory over the Texans on Sunday, which feels strange. After all, the Eagles blew a 13-point fourth quarter lead, only finally winning on a field goal as time expired.
Guess it goes to show the state of this team, which too often has fallen apart under these exact scenarios. Officiating wasn’t exactly favorable, either, and while the Texans had some injuries, they’re still a 10-win team.
For multiple reasons, it would be fair to call this the Eagles’ best win of the season so far over a team that wasn’t the Giants.
Quarterbacks
Nick Foles: 35/49, 471 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT
Foles broke the Eagles’ franchise record for passing yards in a game, so you could say he had a pretty good day. The interception was the lone major blemish, and that was a result of the Texans sniffing out his first read and generating pressure.
Grade: A
NFL
Running backs
Darren Sproles: 3 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
Give Sproles 32 yards on the ground, too, as he served as a spark for the offense time and time again. Josh Adams was a drain on the unit, however, carrying 11 times for 21 yards with a costly fourth-quarter fumble.
Grade: B
Wide receivers and tight ends
Zach Ertz: 12 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TD
Big day for Ertz, but the most explosive play of the day goes to Nelson Agholor with an 83-yard catch-and-run to the end zone. Alshon Jeffery was in the mix, too, with three receptions and 82 yards but dropped a potential jump-ball touchdown.
Grade: A
Offensive line
Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced Jason Peters early, then promptly allowed Foles to get crushed and fumble at the Eagles’ own 5-yard line. Protection settled down, though, to the point where the quarterback was hit just four times in 50 dropbacks.
Grade: B+
Defensive line
Chris Long: 2.0 sacks, 1 FF
Pass rush picked up in the fourth, punctuated by Long’s strip sack and Fletcher Cox’s recovery. Daeshon Hall and Trayvon Hester also registered sacks. Texans running backs carried 11 times for 13 yards, basically one yard per attempt.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
Nigel Bradham: 6 tackles
Quiet yet solid afternoon for Bradham and Jordan Hicks, combining for 11 tackles, almost all of them meaningful — many stops or third down or to limit a scrambling quarterback. Certainl,y nothing to be ashamed of.
Grade: B+
Secondary
Rasul Douglas: 9 tackles, 1 TFL
Save for a go-ahead 35-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, coverage was solid. Douglas continues to be a sure tackler, while Avonte Maddox filled out the stat sheet with four tackles, a half-sack and a pass breakup.
Grade: B+
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 2/2 FG, 1 /2 XP
The missed extra point could’ve come back to haunt the Eagles, but a 35-yard game winning field goal as time expires makes up for it. Kick coverage botched downing a punt inside the Texans’ 5-yard line. Boston Scott had a 35-yard kick return.
Grade: B
Coaching
Eagles’ record: 8-7
Doug Pederson’s decision to get away from the run was the right call, as it wasn’t working here. Jim Schwartz continues to get the most out of a patchwork secondary. The Texans had injury issues of their own, though, and still nearly came back to win.
Grade: B+
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