Eagles vs. Texans: The Good & The Not-So-Good

Add motivational speaker to Andy Reid’s resume. The Eagles head coach laid into his players after their “too little, too late” effort against the Chicago Bears. And considering that his NFC East-leading team responded with a much-needed 34-24 win over the Houston Texans during a short week, I’d say that whatever the big guy said made an impact. Here’s the good and the not-so-good from Thursday night’s game.

Good

• Pass rush: In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the hallmark of this defense is its ability to frustrate the quarterback. And they did plenty of that against the Texans, especially when it counted. After the team took a 27-24 lead in the fourth quarter, the Eagles made sure that Matt Schaub was as hurried as he could be. They also forced a key sack-fumble that ended the Texans last chance at any kind of comeback. Considering their emerging depth issues at secondary (which I’ll mention later), the ability of the pass rush to keep the heat on opposing quarterbacks will help keep the Eagles competitive.
• Fourth quarter performance: There’s been a lot of talk about how great the Eagles offense has been at the beginning of their games, but this time it was their performance in the games final quarter that counted most. Entering the final 15 minutes, the team was down 24-20 after the Texans had turned a Vick interception into a possible go-ahead touchdown. But the Eagles struck back with a pair of touchdown drives that sealed the game in their favor. Most impressive were two big plays that were key to each drive’s success. The first was an impeccably timed 33-yard pass in which DeSean Jackson threaded his way between three Houston defenders to catch an impossibly accurate throw from Vick. The second was a trademark screen pass that LeSean McCoy took down the field for 40 yards. It’s really simple: Big plays in the fourth quarter win games.

Not-So-Good

• Offensive Miscues: Remember how earlier in the season, the Eagles were winning games decisively because they didn’t turn the ball over? Well, recently the Eagles have been turning the ball over and against the Texans it nearly cost them the game. The perfect example is the interception that Vick threw in the third quarter. He threw a deep pass just behind Jeremy Maclin that was easily grabbed by the Houston defender. It led to a Texans touchdown drive and could have lost the Eagles the game. Come to think of it, there were a few other moments in this game when a botched handoff or a QB fumble could have spelled doom for Vick and company. That doesn’t bode well for the team down the stretch, especially with the Giants biting at their heels.
• Secondary depth: I’m starting to think that this should be one of those areas that the Eagles need to flood with talent. Sure, two starters were out with injuries and one starter is a rookie, but that doesn’t excuse the questionable play in coverage of guys like Dmitri Patterson. Patterson yielded two big passes to Texans’ receiver Andre Johnson, one when he overcommitted to a deep coverage and another when Johnson shook him on a double move. That kind of play doesn’t help you last long in the NFL.

Playing a Thursday night game on a short week is difficult. But the upside is that Eagles now have a few extra days to prepare for the Cowboys. And they’ll need it, because this isn’t September’s Cowboys team and the Eagles will need to be as rested and well-prepared as they can.

That’s because the team is perched precariously atop the division. The Giants are their closest competitor for the division title and they get the Redskins at home this weekend. And I’m sure nobody needs a reminder of what happened the last time the Redskins faced a division opponent. One wrong step, and the Eagles could find themselves contending with the Packers, Saints, and Buccaneers for wildcard spot. That won’t be an easy fight to win.