Jalen Hurts threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns and the Philadelphia Eagles He overcame a slow start to beat the Houston Texans 29-17 on Thursday night to get off to the first 8-0 start in franchise history.
Add to that a forgettable first half and the game was tied at half-time.
But CJ Gardner-Johnson caught an NFL-best and career-high fifth interception before Hurts threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to AJ Brown to give him the lead late in the third quarter.
Houston (1-6-1) added a field goal after that, but another field goal and 2-point conversion by Hurts extended its lead to 29-17 early in the fourth.
The Texans were driving late in the fourth when Davis Mills was intercepted again, this time by James Bradbury and the Eagles ran out the clock to secure the victory.
At the same time, the Houston Astros were in Philadelphia Playing the Phillies in Game 5 of the World SeriesThe Hearts played their first career game at NRG Stadium. Born in Houston and raised 25 miles from the stadium, the Hearts continued their strong play on their way home to win their 11th regular-season game, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Mills passed for 154 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, playing without the top two receivers. Brandin Cooks sat out all week after missing practice following trade rumors that never materialized, and Nico Collins missed the game with a groin injury.
Houston starter Damion Pierce rushed for a game-high 139 yards to bounce back from a tough game last week, gaining just 35 yards on 15 carries.
Gardner-Johnson picked off Mills and returned an interception 25 yards for the fourth straight game with about 8 minutes left in the third quarter.
The Eagles found Brown after two plays to make it 21-14 with about eight minutes left in the third.
Houston cut the lead to 21-17 late in the third on a 30-yard field goal by Kaimi Fairbairn.
On the next drive, Dallas hit Goedert for a four-yard TD pass and the Harts took the lead with a two-point conversion run.
The Texans took an early lead when rookie Teagan Kittoriano caught his first career opportunity for a two-yard touchdown on the first play. Kittoriano is a fifth-round pick who missed all of the season with a knee injury.
That mark was set two plays earlier on a 34-yard reception by Phillip Dorsett.
Philadelphia tied it at 7-all late in the first quarter on a two-yard run by Miles Sanders on fourth down. Sanders finished with 93 yards rushing.
The Eagles were driving early in the second quarter when Harts was sacked by Steven Nelson, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jale Johnson at the Houston 35.
Houston couldn’t move the ball and had to punt. Philadelphia then mounted a 10-play, 79-yard drive led by Kenneth Gainwell’s four-yard TD for a 14–7 lead.
The Texans tied it less than a minute before halftime when Mills connected with Chris Moore on a 13-yard touchdown pass. The play was originally directed as a whole, but it was reviewed, and the call was reversed.
During a timeout in the first half, Philadelphia attempted a 54-yard field goal but it went wide.