First-round bye within Texans reach
The Houston Texans have everything in front of them, an AFC South championship and possibly the second seed in the AFC if they can handle their business starting on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texans could be in the playoffs without taking a snap if the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday but there is more on the horizon.
The Texans are heading to face off with the Eagles, a team that is fighting for their own playoff lives sitting at 7-7. Head coach Bill O’Brien knows that the defending Super Bowl champions are a dangerous team even with quarterback Nick Foles set to start on Sunday.
“It’s a big challenge,” O’Brien said of the Texans heading to Philadelphia. “There are a lot of areas that we have to improve in. They’re ranked in the top 10 on defense in the red area and third down. Obviously, we didn’t do very well there offensively last week, so we’ve got to really try to work hard to improve. Big challenge, World Champions. They’re playing well. They just went out to the West Coast and won a big game. We know. We understand the challenge. It’s a great team, very well-coached, big challenge for us.”
The Texans know that the Eagles pose issues for them in the trenches on both side of the football. With a veteran offensive line and a defensive front that can create problems in both pass rush and run defense, quarterback Deshaun Watson is well aware of the Eagles talented front led by Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Michael Bennett. The trio of Eagles pass rushers have combined for 19.5 sacks and sacking the quarterback every 6.99 percent of their drop backs which is 16th best in the NFL.
“Of course, their front,” Watson said of the Eagles defense. “Very aggressive, being able to be disruptive up front and try to stop the running game and getting pressure on the quarterback. We have to do a good job of handling that, of all being on the same page and trying to make some plays downfield.”
Texans defensive end J.J. said of the solid group of Eagles, “They have a very good offensive line. They do a great job working together. They are obviously great as individuals, they do a great job working together and they do a really good job for their team. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
It has been an up and down season for the Eagles, but with Foles back at quarterback, he was able to get them back to their winning ways last Sunday in a win over the Los Angeles Rams 30-23. Foles was 24-for-31 for 270 yards with an interception setting up the running game to take over the red zone.
“He’s a very smart guy,” O’Brien said of Foles. “You can see it on tape. He really understands their offense. He plays the game in a very calm way. He’s got great poise, very accurate passer. He does a great job of taking care of the ball. There was that one year where he threw 20-plus touchdown passes and only had one interception. He’s a really smart guy, very good player. They’ve got a great quarterback situation. They have a first-round draft pick in Carson Wentz and then they have the Super Bowl MVP. That’s a great situation for them.”
With important games around the NFL, both the Texans and Eagles is ending up one of the most important games on the schedule due to implications for both teams. The Texans could be sitting in a good spot with a win, while the Eagles could climb back into the NFC wild-card picture with a win of their own.
SERIES HISTORY: 5th regular-season meeting. Eagles lead series, 4-0. The Texans are 0-4 all-time against the Eagles. Head coach Bill O’Brien is 0-1 against the Eagles losing to them in 2014 when Ryan Fitzpatrick was leading the Texans. Mark Sanchez led the Eagles to a 31-21 win over the Texans at NRG Stadium.
