Eagles Week 9 game balls following their win on Thursday Night Football

Okay, so they’re human! The Philadelphia Eagles definitely missed Jordan Davis as they were repeatedly gashed in the running game by Dameon Pierce. They gave up two touchdown passes by Davis Mills even though he didn’t have Brandin Cooks or Nico Collins at his disposal. His second TD toss evened the score at 14 points.

Jalen Hurts led a nice drive to close the first half. That set up an opportunity for Jake Elliott, one of the 54-yard variety and one he couldn’t cash in on.

Thankfully, the Houston Texans eventually looked up and realized that they were, well, the Houston Texans. Great teams don’t have to be great all of the time. They need only be great when their absolute best is necessary. The Eagles proved that again, riding a second-half surge to a 29-17 win.

Next up on the schedule is an 11-day rest and a home date versus the hated Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. That gives us a couple of days to enjoy this one. Philly learned a lot about themselves in Week 9, but it’s always more fun to iron out a few details after a win.

Let’s hand out some game balls as the Eagles improve to 8-0.

Read that headline one more time. Let it sink in.

The Eagles began playing football in 1933. This is the first time that they’ve been 8-0 in their storied history. We’d say that qualifies us to hand out a few game balls, wouldn’t you?

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, safety

After two three-and-outs by the Eagles’ offense to begin the second half, Jonathan Gannon’s defense made a play. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as he seems to do at will, found a way to make something happen.

His third-quarter interception and return led to an A.J. Brown touchdown toss. For those of you who are keeping score, he has picked off a pass in each of the Eagles’ last four games!

It’s probably time to begin thinking about an extension. Howie Roseman doesn’t always put a ton of stock in the safety position. It may be time to rethink that strategy.

Javon Hargrave, defensive tackle

We talk about all of the weapons that the Eagles have on both sides of the ball often. We also dedicate a lot of time to mentioning that means the heroes will vary from game to game. Welcome to the Javon Hargrave portion of the discussion.

The 2021 Pro Bowler racked up a trio of sacks, three additional quarterback hits, and seven total tackles including six of the solo variety and one that resulted in a loss of yardage. He’s been a monster these past two weeks, and we love it!

Miles Sanders, running back

Miles Sanders put the cherry on top of the Philadelphia Eagles’ first drive, an 18-play masterpiece that resulted in his touchdown run, one that doubled as his sixth on the season. In all, he toted the rock 17 times for 93 yards. Most importantly, he’s stayed healthy and played the best football of his career.

Dallas Goedert, tight end/A.J. Brown. wide receiver

Cut a game ball in half and hand it to Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown. They combined for 12 catches, 159 yards, and two trips to the end zone. Dallas led all Eagles receivers in receptions and receiving yards.

Jalen Hurts, quarterback

The drive at the end of the first half was major. That gave Jake Elliott a chance at a 54-yard field goal, one he missed, but it was still a nice showcase of Jalen Hurts’ growth. Despite being unable to come up with points, the Birds found some momentum that they carried over into the second half.

Jalen notched 14 completions on 18 attempts for 176 yards in the first half. He wound up with another MVP-level showing: 21 completions on 27 attempts, 243 passing yards, and two touchdown passes. We’re running out of superlatives to describe how well this guy is playing.