The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL’s only undefeated team through eight weeks of the 2022 season, and the Houston Texans will have their hands full trying to spoil their party on Thursday night. With a short week of preparation working against them, the Texans will need nothing short of a miracle to eke out their second win of the season against such a hot team, but stranger things have happened.
One aspect of the matchup that was recognized by cornerback Steven Nelson in his comments to the press on Monday is the Eagles’ outstanding team play on both sides of the ball. He elaborated specifically on Philadelphia’s offense, which he says has all the pieces to be an exceptionally special unit moving forward.
“I think it’s chemistry,” Nelson explained of the Eagles’ early-season success. “They have all the guys. The core, a lot of core guys. They went out and got A.J. Brown, one of the top wide receivers who is making a lot of big plays. (Jalen) Hurts doing his thing. It’s meshed really well.”
The Texans are on the opposite end of the spectrum from Philadelphia, having struggled to play a full game as a cohesive unit in 2022. They will face an uphill battle to emerge from this matchup as the victors but would prove an awful lot about their moxie if they can at least play the Eagles close.
With their 1-5-1 record, most have ruled Houston out of contention this season, and rightfully so. They have no chance to make the playoffs unless they were to win out for the rest of the year in what would be one of the most improbable comeback stories of modern football. However, with a strong showing against Philadelphia, Houston could at least prove that they are willing to fight to be known as anything other than the league’s doormat.
