Eagles-Texans: Already suspect run defense leaky without Jordan Davis; Howie Roseman handling success

HOUSTON — The Eagles moved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history with a just-get-out-Dodge-on-a-short-week 29-17 win over the 1-6-1 Texans on Thursday night. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

Even with Jordan Davis in the lineup, the Eagles had been just passable in stopping the run through the first seven games. He made a difference, partly because the majority of his snaps have come as the nose tackle in coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s odd-man base front, but mostly because of his physical presence. Gannon’s scheme is also predicated on stopping the big pass play with split safety coverages, and that can come at the expense of the run defense.

The loss of Davis, who suffered a high ankle sprain against the Steelers on Sunday, was bound to hurt. He had only three tackles, but the numbers don’t quantify his central importance in the five-man front. The Eagles opted not to add another defensive lineman ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline even though they knew Davis was headed to injured reserve the next day. They looked inward and promoted Marvin Wilson from the practice squad and gave him most of the top draft pick’s snaps against the Texans.

It didn’t work. Wilson struggled to occupy space and to get off blocks, and Houston running back Dameon Pierce ran at will, especially in the first half. He had 88 yards on 13 carries (6.8 average) by the break — 139 yards on 27 carries, overall. Thirty-six of those yards came on one rush when safeties Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson missed tackles. But Pierce, who deserves his share of credit, along with Houston’s offensive line, was also consistently picking up tough yards up the middle. Javon Hargrave lined up a few times over the center in the first half. But it wasn’t until the fourth quarter, after a late-third-quarter Texans field goal trimmed the Eagles lead to 21-17, that Gannon started a series with Hargrave at the nose. And guess what, it worked.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Javon Hargrave summons ‘Mamba mentality’ to spark a win against the Houston Texans

Hargrave balled out all game. He finished with a career-high three sacks and has five total in the last two games. It’s understandable why Gannon may not have wanted to disrupt his usage. But Wilson (16 snaps over center) and backup Marlon Tuipulotu (six snaps over center) clearly couldn’t get the job done. Hargrave (10 snaps over center) has the most NFL experience in that role, having filled it in Pittsburgh and then last season with the Eagles. Coach Nick Sirianni said he was comfortable with his personnel even though Davis is out for at least three more weeks. But he acknowledged the effect his absence had on the defense.

“Of course, that makes you not quite as good against the run,” he said Friday. “But that starts with us as coaches putting the guys in better position.”

It may have taken a little too long for Gannon to adjust, but his unit allowed only three points and had two interceptions, by Gardner-Johnson and cornerback James Bradberry, after the break. His defense has improved from last season. The Eagles have more turnovers (18 vs. 8) and more sacks (25 vs. 17), and are allowing fewer yards per play (4.7 vs. 5.2) and points per game (16.9 vs. 23.9) this season as opposed to last season through eight games. But the level of competition hasn’t been what it was at this stage a year ago. The Texans with quarterback Davis Mills aren’t a true measuring stick for postseason success. There are legitimate reasons to be concerned, in the greater picture, about Gannon’s defense.

Every good team, even the best among them, is going to have down weeks. There will be occasional losses, some possibly on the uglier side. The Eagles of last year might have fallen to the inferior Texans. But this group continues to overcome mistakes better than any team that I’ve covered. The Eagles won without their “A” game — heck, even their “B” game — and that’s to be commended. If they eventually secure the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, few will remember a shaky road performance on three days’ rest. But there were areas that may be of greater concern if the ultimate goal is to advance deep into the postseason.

The Eagles’ tackling, or lack thereof, was sloppy against the Texans. It’s been the defense’s Achilles heel most of the season. Pro Football Focus has them ranked last in the league. Sirianni said he wasn’t concerned, but you can bet that isn’t the case privately. Effort is not the problem. Some of the misses are because of poor technique. Some have to do with Gannon’s scheme, which requires more tackling in open space. But it’s a discipline that needs to be cleaned up.

In terms of defensive personnel, other than at defensive tackle, the Eagles are spotty at safety. Epps and Gardner-Johnson have been solid. The latter leads the NFL in interceptions after he notched his fifth vs. the Texans, but there have been cracks in the pairing. Offenses have gone at them with mixed results, but the best coordinators and quarterbacks will try to exploit them. Safety depth is also a problem. K’Von Wallace has struggled in spot duty and in dime and goal-line packages. Mills targeted him on his first touchdown pass.

The Eagles aren’t as suspect on offense, but one under-the-radar worry has been left tackle Jordan Mailata. A recent shoulder injury has slowed the big fella, but he hasn’t been as consistent in his pass sets. He allowed two sacks on the opening drive of the second half, although Sirianni shouldered the blame. “We weren’t synced up … and that’s 100 percent on me,” he said.

It was only a matter of time until Jalen Hurts lost a fumble. He had his first of the season when former Eagles cornerback Steven Nelson blitzed untouched off the edge. But the quarterback fumbled again when he was careless on a scramble. He was fortunate that center Jason Kelce followed and was Johnny on the spot. “We’ll clean those things up with Jalen having two hands on the ball,” Sirianni said. Hurts has been so reliable, it’s difficult to nitpick. Ball security was essentially the only negative in what was a triumphant homecoming for the East Texas native.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts puts on a ‘Southside’ show for Houston in an Eagles win vs. the Texans that furthers his MVP case

Hurts is a dual-threat dilemma for most defenses, but he’s increasingly getting it done with his arm. In the last three games, he completed 55 of 80 passes (69%) for 683 yards (10.5 yards per attempt) for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. He had a 128.3 passer rating over that span. Meanwhile, he hasn’t run as much as he did in the first five games — 6.7 rushes vs. 13.6 rushes per game. Hurts is still on track to set an NFL record for carries for a quarterback, and the Eagles still want to utilize his plus-1 in the run game capabilities. But why run, and open yourself to injury, when you can throw it so well? Why take on so much when you have Miles Sanders at running back and tight end Dallas Goedert — not to mention receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith — to pass to?

The Texans employed a fair amount of Cover 2 defense in the first half, but Hurts barely batted an eye. He may have struggled with some of those turkey-hole throws in his first two seasons, but he completed 8 of 9 passes for 112 yards vs. two-deep safety looks in the first half, per Next Gen Stats, and forced Houston to adjust. Blitzing him didn’t work much the last two weeks either. The Cardinals and Cowboys applied pressure with extra rushers last month, but Hurts and company took advantage of the Steelers’ and Texans’ increased blitzing. In the last two games, he completed 22 of 31 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns.

Hurts escaped a few close calls, but Sirianni and his assistants have given him more downfield answers vs. the blitz, many of them involving Goedert. The fourth-year tight end caught 8 of 9 targets for 100 yards and a touchdown on Thursday night. Overall, he’s caught 40 passes for 521 yards and is on pace to set career highs — 85 catches for 1,107 yards — in both categories. It helps that Goedert is now the de facto No. 1 tight end, but he has earned Sirianni’s praise that he “needs to be in the conversation of the best tight ends.”

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Dallas Goedert earns high praise from coach Nick Sirianni as one of the best tight ends in the NFL

Sanders, meanwhile, is running as if he has something to prove. That’s right, he has stated as much. While being in a contract year provides additional motivation, Sanders is also getting more carries per game (16.4) than he had the previous two seasons as the lead back (13.5). He is also well on his way to setting career bests in rushes (278) and yards (1,394). He’s already matched a best in rushing touchdowns with six trips to the end zone.

“I think Miles is running so hard … he’s running with anger and passion,” Sirianni said.

The Eagles, who typically don’t sign running backs to long-term extensions, may have a difficult decision to make next offseason.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman may have topped his excellent 2017 offseason this year. Nearly every new face he brought in — from Brown to Gardner-Johnson — has paid dividends. In less than two years, he has his team back in the Super Bowl conversation after a three-year slide that resulted in the firing of coach Doug Pederson. Roseman certainly had as much to do with that regression as any decision maker. But he has proved once again that he can rebuild as well as any GM. The Eagles have a ways to go, but he’s on track to win his second executive of the year award.

It wasn’t very long ago that many in Philadelphia wanted him out the door with Pederson. There was legitimate reason to question why owner Jeffrey Lurie would stick with Roseman, who is the only current GM to survive three coaching firings. But the Eagles won more than they’ve lost, and been to the playoffs more often than not during his 13 seasons. Does he have his managerial and evaluation flaws? Absolutely. But in terms of the job, which has expanded in reach over the last decade, he’s one of the best in the NFL.

The problem with Roseman may be that he doesn’t exactly know how to handle success. A perfect example was on display before the Texans game. Roseman approached an Eagles fan who had a sign that read, “Howie, you are forgiven! #AJ Brown” and cursed him out. Someone with a camera caught the interaction. “Wait a minute. I’m f—ing forgiven for your first f—ing Super Bowl? F— you,” Roseman said. He smiled at the end of his diatribe, but he was clearly fired up and glared mockingly at the fan after halfheartedly posing for a selfie with a different fan. Those who have previously been on the receiving end of his tirades know that much to be true.

Social media reaction from Eagles fans was overwhelmingly positive. Currently, Roseman can do no wrong in the eyes of most. In many ways, he has earned the right to puff his chest out. He won a Super Bowl. No one can take that away from him. His latest team is undefeated. This may not be a popular opinion in the face of a mob, but in normal society, leaders at the top of their fields shouldn’t behave that way publicly, and especially privately. It’s a reaction Roseman likely would redo. And if not, no number of Super Bowls can measure the actual worth of a man.

Defensive end Robert Quinn played only seven of a possible 60 snaps. Sirianni said that personnel groupings played a part in his lack of playing time. He said that ideally he wants Quinn getting snaps equal to Brandon Graham (23). … Sirianni made sure to point out to reporters Haason Reddick’s pass breakup near the goal line in the fourth quarter. Some have questioned dropping the outside linebacker into coverage. … Punter Arryn Siposs had arguably his best game of the season. He averaged a 50.3 net on three punts. Gunner Zech McPhearson had a tackle for loss on one return and could merit a special- teams spot at the Pro Bowl.