The Philadelphia Eagles will be one of the most challenging opponents that the Houston Texans will play on their 2022 schedule, and on short rest, things seem primed to turn into a bloodbath for the team in Week 9. At 1-5-1, the Texans are among the NFL’s worst teams by record and stand next to no chance of improving that mark on Thursday night.
Head coach Lovie Smith addressed the challenge of playing against such a talented team on Tuesday in his comments to the media at a team press conference. Every part of the Eagles’ roster will present difficulties for Houston in the matchup, but the defense in particular will be a key mismatch against the Texans’ struggling offense.
“I think it’s tough,” Smith explained. “But before adding another good defensive player [DE Robert Quinn], there’s a lot to game plan against. When you’re an undefeated team this late in the season, additional guys that you get just make it that much harder. Excellent football team in every area, even without adding a great defensive end that’s been a great player in the league for a long time.”
Every game presents different obstacles to overcome for Houston, but this short-week bout against the league’s only remaining undefeated team seems like a gargantuan mismatch for the floundering Texans. Fans should be happy if the team manages to look competent against a squad as competitive as the Eagles have been this season, given that a win is most likely out of the question.
The remaining 10 games on the Texans’ 2022 schedule will be less about the team’s final outcomes in the box score and more an exercise in either futility or steady improvement depending on how they manage to play in a given week. If they can’t show that they have enough heart to at least play hard and lose with dignity, Houston’s problems are likely to extend well into next season as they look to rebuild not only their losing roster but the culture that has been created among all the adversity the team has faced over the last several years.
