Eagles Vs. Texans Predictions for Week 9 of the NFL Season

Our Eagles vs. Texans predictions for Week 9 of the NFL Season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (7-0) are on the road this week to face the Texans (1-5-1) at NRG Stadium.

To the predictions:

Reuben Frank (6-1)

“And I’ll be takin’ care of business (every day), takin’ care of business (every way).” Randy Bachman couldn’t have had the 2022 Eagles in mind when he wrote Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s 1973 hit, “Takin’ Care of Business,” but the message in BTO’s Classic Rock staple does apply. This football team takes care of business every day and every week. They’re now 11-0 under Nick Sirianni the last 11 times they’ve been favored and 13-1 overall under Sirianni as a favorite. They just don’t lose games they’re not supposed to lose, which is huge for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles are 13 ½- or 14-point favorites Thursday night vs. the Texans in Houston, and being a two-TD favorite doesn’t guarantee anything, but this team is so focused on the moment and the next rep, it just doesn’t seem to be affected by short weeks, trap games or inferior opponents. They just go out and play hard for 60 minutes no matter what. There will be some serious challenges later this year. This is not one of them.

Eagles 31, Texans 13

Dave Zangaro (7-0)

For a lot of teams, you’d worry about them on a short week, on the road. Not this team. These Eagles are always focused and they’re clearly a better football team than the Texans. What makes the Eagles so special is they obviously know that but refuse to prepare any differently, refuse to take any opponent lightly. I was so impressed by the way the Eagles really closed out against the Steelers and they’ll have an opportunity to do the same against a Texans team that just doesn’t have enough firepower on either side of the ball to compete.

Looking at the actual game, the Texans have some nice players on offense and I’ve been really impressed by rookie running back Dameon Pierce but a good running attack won’t keep pace with the Eagles. Because on the other side of the ball, the Eagles should have no problem slicing through the Texans’ defense.

Eagles 27, Texans 10

Barrett Brooks (6-1)

Eagles fly South for the week. I will commit to predicting that the Birds will return back to Philly 8-0. I am convinced that the coaches broke the bye week into two game plans. Steelers for 60% and 40% given to the Texans. Resting the offfensive starters in the fourth 1uarter will help in the recovery for Thursday night. This is a really bad Texans team that is devoid of talent. The Birds need to put the hammer down on them early, alleviating the will of the Houston squad. Offensively, Jalen Hurts will be playing in his hometown stadium for the first time in his NFL career. I see him and the offense playing at a high level of focus and scoring on just about every drive in the game.

Defensively, DC Jonathan Gannon should open up the run blitz package and rely on the front four to generate pressure on passing downs. No Jordan Davis will test the run stopping capabilities of the defense on first and second down. Still … the Eagles win easily.

Eagles 34, Texans 10

Mike Mulhern (7-0)

I don’t think you’ll see Mattress Mack throwing down big bucks on his hometown Houston side in this one. The Eagles are operating with machine-like precision on offense, spear-headed by Jalen Hurts who has blown away even the most optimistic of expectations for him heading into this season. Now the Eagles are throwing changeups at defenses who thought they had picked up some tendencies. In back-to-back games, we’ve seen multiple defenders jump routes run by Dallas Goedert, leaving receivers wide open for touchdowns. It was Devonta Smith who benefitted from the over-aggressive Cowboys in Week 6 and then Zac Pascal this past Sunday. We even saw the Eagle buck their propensity for quarterback sneaks, instead opting for a quick pitch to Miles Sanders on a key 3 rd and 1 play. They are staying ahead of the curve thanks to high level performances from both players and coaches.

On the flip side, the loss of Jordan Davis is a big blow. The 5-man “bear” front had become their base defense and was becoming wildly successful. But the Texans just don’t have the firepower for it to matter. While this game now serves as the undercard on the Philly sports landscape on Thursday, expect a knockout.

Eagles 31, Texans 9

Adam Hermann (7-0)

It's a short week for the Eagles, so I'll keep this prediction short and sweet. The Eagles are clearly the better team, and they're going to win.

The Birds have an advantage on defense where they're the NFL's second-best unit by DVOA, while the Texans are the NFL's third-worst unit by DVOA. The Eagles have an advantage on offense where they're the NFL's third-best unit by DVOA, while the Texans are the second-worst unit by DVOA.

There's a reason the Eagles enter this game at 7-0 while the Texans are 1-5-1. They have better players at basically every single position, they have a better head coach, and they are a better organization.

Give me a first-half romp and another Gardner Minshew appearance as this team's human victory cigar.

Eagles 31, Texans 10

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