Nick Foles got hurt in the first half for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the offense didn't skip a beat with Mark Sanchez under center. The much-maligned former New York Jet had a strong outing backed by an impressive second half from the Eagles' running game, and Philadelphia topped the Houston Texans 31-21 in Houston.
Eagles vs. Texans final score: 3 things we learned from Philadelphia’s 31-21 win
The Eagles rode Mark Sanchez and a great rushing performance to beat the Texans, 31-21, on the road.
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Sanchez had a pretty touchdown pass on his first offensive possession since 2012. The score gave the Eagles a 14-7 lead in a game they never trailed. For the game, Sanchez went 15-for-22 passing for 202 yards and two scores. He also had two interceptions, but one was very much not his fault.
The Eagles' offensive line was the star of the second half. Early, it looked as if the Texans' pass rush would have its way. Whitney Mercilus had two sacks in the first quarter, the second of which knocked out Foles with a shoulder injury. Houston managed just two after that, however. More importantly, Philadelphia began opening up running lanes. LeSean McCoy and Chris Polk combined for 31 carries for 167 yards and a score, as part of a 190-yard rushing effort for the Eagles.
Jeremy Maclin once again had a huge game. One week after recording a career-high 187 yards, he had 158 yards receiving and two touchdowns on six catches. His early hook-up with Foles was a thing of beauty:
Here are three things from one of the better cross-conference games in Week 9:
1) The Eagles are killing themselves with turnovers
Philadelphia tied a season high with four turnovers Sunday. This comes a week after they committed three in a tight loss to the Arizona Cardinals. All three Texans touchdowns came off Eagles turnovers. On the season, Philadelphia now has 21 turnovers, which may very well lead the NFL after this weekend.
The good news for the Eagles is that they are 6-2 despite those issues, but this team is going to have a hard time fulfilling its potential if it can’t stop shooting itself in the foot. At this point, the high turnover count isn’t an aberration. This team needs help.
2) The Eagles’ offensive line has come a long way
Turnovers appear to be Philadelphia's biggest Achilles' heel. Earlier in the season, the offensive line was a disaster, but the returns of Jason Kelce at center and Lane Johnson at right tackle have had a tremendous impact on the unit. After struggling to protect Nick Foles early in the game, the offensive line settled down and began blowing open huge holes for LeSean McCoy and Chris Polk.
The Eagles managed 190 yards rushing on the day. McCoy went over 100 yards for the second time this season, and has now had his three most productive games of the season back-to-back-to-back. Things are looking up for the Philadelphia offense, provided they hang on to the damn ball.
3) The Texans are perfectly predictable
The Texans have some great high-end talent in J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster. Their best efforts continue to be undermined elsewhere, however, starting with so-so quarterback play. Ryan Fitzpatrick was just 13-for-27 passing for 203 yards, two scores and an interception. The secondary, meanwhile, got torched by Mark Sanchez of all people.
Unfortunately for Houston, we may have seen all it has to offer this season -- a few great individual performances punctuating what is, overall, a flawed team. A 4-5 record heading into a bye feels just right.
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