Philadelphia vs. Houston Prediction: Undefeated Eagles Invade the Lone Star State for TNF

Amazon must be scratching its head over another underwhelming "Thursday Night Football" matchup as the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles take on the Houston Texans. In five previous meetings, the Texans have never beaten the Eagles, and only the Detroit Lions (1-6) have a worse record in the NFL this season.

Can the Texans (1-5-1) find a way to turn things around? They rank among the NFL's worst three teams in both total offense and total defense. They're the only team left in the league without a win at home. And during what's supposed to be a rebuild, their roster ranks among the five oldest teams in the NFL (26.5 years old to start the season).

The Eagles (7-0) sure won't make things any easier. They're off to their best start since 2004 when they wound up making the Super Bowl before losing to the New England Patriots. The NFL's lone undefeated team boasts a plus-78 point differential and ranks among the top three NFL teams in both total offense and total defense.

Boy, what a mismatch on paper. But give the Texans credit: three of their five losses this season have been by seven points or less. Can quarterback Davis Mills, running back Dameon Pierce, and Co. keep this one close and give themselves a chance on a national stage? Or will quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles stay on cruise control?

Thursday Night Football: Philadelphia (7-0) at Houston (1-5-1)

Kickoff: Thursday, Nov. 4 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Broadcast Outlet: Prime Video
Live Stream: fuboTV (only available in Houston and Philadelphia markets)
Spread: Eagles -14
Tickets: As low as $50 on SITickets.com* 

Three Things to Watch

1. Can the Eagles' offense keep rolling?
Hurts is playing inspired football. One key area of growth this year has been learning how to minimize mistakes: among starting quarterbacks, only Tom Brady has fewer interceptions than Hurts' two this season.

A variety of weapons on offense has given Hurts options, and he's made the most of them. Offseason wide receiver acquisition A.J. Brown had his best game with the team last Sunday, posting 156 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. All of them were impressive throws as Hurts continues to convert big plays: in that game, he became the first Eagles QB since Sonny Jurgensen in 1961 to throw four touchdown passes of 25 yards or more.

“I don't know what his ceiling is going to be,” said head coach Nick Sirianni of Hurts this week.

The deep passing attack has been balanced by a rushing game that ranks sixth in the NFL. A healthy Miles Sanders has played in all seven games and made a major impact, already one short of his career high with five rushing touchdowns. His 563 rushing yards are tied for seventh in the NFL and complemented well by Hurts' 303, fourth among quarterbacks behind Lamar Jackson, Daniel Jones, and Josh Allen.

Add in the overall health of the offense — not a single player was limited in practice this week due to injury — and you've got a team clicking on all cylinders. With the Eagles scoring 28 points per game, third in the league, it's hard to see the Texans' 30th-ranked offense slowing them down.

2. Can the Eagles keep forcing turnovers?
We've already talked about how the Eagles take care of the football: two interceptions and not a single fumble lost. That's even more impressive when you consider they run the ball on average 35 times a game. Only Chicago has run it more this season.

That ball-control philosophy is paired perfectly with a defensive unit coordinator Jonathan Gannon focuses on big plays. The Eagles lead the league with 16 takeaways, including 10 interceptions, to produce an incredible turnover margin of plus-14.

No other team in the NFL is better than plus-six.

That's bad news for Mills, the young Texans quarterback still learning the ropes with six interceptions and 16 sacks. On the other side, preseason acquisition C.J. Gardner-Johnson and perennial Pro Bowler Darius Slay will be licking their chops; they have seven interceptions already between them. It's hard to see Mills fooling a group that allows just 183.4 yards per game in the air and less than 4.8 yards per play.

So could Pierce be a potential difference-maker against this defense? Possibly. He's arguably the Texans' best offensive player and has been a pleasant surprise on your fantasy roster. The rookie has 539 yards in seven games, nearly as much as Sanders, without a single fumble lost. But the fourth-round pick may be in for a rude awakening with an Eagles' defensive front that's forced six of those fumbles.

3. Which team can play a complete game?
For a team that's won just once in seven tries, Houston sure has held a whole lot of leads entering the fourth quarter. In fact, the Texans have been tied or ahead in five of their seven games this season, only to go 1-3-1 in those contests.

The Texans have been outscored 61-24 in the final frame, allowing for some spectacular comebacks (like Indianapolis, who scored 17 unanswered points to earn a tie in Week 1). They've committed four of their seven turnovers, including a pick-six, while turning the ball over on downs three times. It makes them impossible to trust even when playing quality football through long stretches.

Here's the surprise: The Eagles have also been outmuscled in the final quarter. Their point differential is minus-18 and they've only outscored two of their seven opponents, one of which was the Steelers in a dominant 35-13 victory last Sunday.

That would be the only knock on the Eagles, if anything, within an impressive first seven weeks: letting their foot off the gas has kept a couple of bad teams sticking around, like the Lions in a 38-35 victory in Week 1. But the only way that may matter on Thursday night is in terms of the spread (a relatively high 14 points considering the Eagles are on the road).

Final Analysis

The Texans have played scrappy so far under head coach Lovie Smith, energized despite a wide gap in talent compared to the rest of the league.

That will occasionally allow them to eke out a win versus a team in the middle of the pack. Against the Eagles? They'll learn an A for effort doesn't actually translate into points. The Philly offense just has too much steam and the defense is playing too cohesively to give the Texans a chance.

Add in the Phillies in the World Series, improbably, and something strange is going on in the City of Brotherly Love. You don't want to bet against Philadelphia right now.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Texans 10

— Written by Tom Bowles, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @NASCARBowles.

*Price as of publication.