After throttling the Pittsburgh Steelers to remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles will kick off Week 9 with a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Houston Texans.
It will be a return home for Jalen Hurts, who starred at Channelview High School before his collegiate stops at Alabama and Oklahoma.
His second full season as a starting QB in the NFL couldn't be going much better at the moment, as he and Philadelphia is 7-0 following Sunday's 35-13 win over the Steelers. Hurts (+380 at BetOnline), who threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns against Pittsburgh, is currently the second favorite for NFL MVP honors, behind Josh Allen (+125) and ahead of Patrick Mahomes (+430).
With three primetime games in the next four weeks, Hurts and the Eagles will have plenty of time in the spotlight this month, starting with Thursday's tilt with the struggling Texans.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans Matchup Information and Betting Odds
Matchup Information
Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (7-0, 3-0 away, 1st in the NFC East) vs. Houston Texans (1-5-1, 0-2-1 home, 4th in the AFC South)
Venue & Location: NRG Stadium (Houston, Texas)
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022
Game Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (7:15 p.m. local time)
How to Watch Eagles vs. Texans: Amazon Prime Video
Eagles vs. Texans Early Odds
Game odds are via BetOnline as of Tuesday, November 1 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern.
Spread
Philadelphia Eagles -13.5 (-114)
Houston Texans +13.5 (-106)
Over/Under
Over 44.5 (-118)
Under 44.5 (-104)
Moneyline
Philadelphia Eagles -820
Houston Texans +570
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans Gameday Odds
Odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, November 3 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.
Spread
Philadelphia Eagles -14 (-105)
Houston Texans +14 (-115)
Over/Under
Over 45.5 (-105)
Under 45.5 (-115)
Moneyline
Philadelphia Eagles -820
Houston Texans +570
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans Prediction and Best Bets
Best Gameday Value: under 16.5 @ -120 at Bovada Sportsbook
The Texans put forth a good effort on Sunday against the Ryan Tannehill-less Tennessee Titans, but they still fell 17-10 at home.
Giving up 314 rushing yards, 219 by Derrick Henry, and managing only 161 total yards offensively is not really a winning strategy.
It also doesn't bode too well for a matchup with a team that ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (149.6). Nor does it bode well for a matchup with a team that ranks well in numerous defensive categories.
Defensive Rankings for the Philadelphia Eagles
Scoring Defense: 4th (16.9 PPG)
Yards Per Game: t-3rd (298.1 YPG)
Opponent Completion Percentage: 3rd (58.4%)
Yards Allowed Per Pass Attempt: 2nd (5.4 YPA)
Interceptions: t-2nd (10)
Sacks: t-5th (23)
Takeaways: t-1st (16)
The only thing that the Eagles don't do well defensively is stop the run, as they are allowing 5.1 yards per carry, which is 29th in the league. But that is countered by the fact that opponents are averaging just over 22 rushing attempts per game against them, a benefit of spending a lot of time in the lead.
It is hard to see this being a very competitive game, but I have mentioned how I don't particularly like backing double-digit spreads in football or basketball.
The Texans play hard, and there's something to be said for that. They have lost by 14+ points only once this season, a 38-20 road loss against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7.
And while the Eagles are perfect, winning on the road by two touchdowns or more is never an easy ask in the NFL.
All that said, I do like Philly to at least cover the first half spread. I also don't really envision the Texans going over their team total, as low as it may be, so those are my two favorite plays for this matchup.
Eddie Griffin has been writing about and betting on sports for over a decade and has been with Betting News since 2021. For more of his thoughts on sports and sports betting, you can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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