The Philadelphia Eagles have bounced straight back to winning ways with a 31-21 victory over the Houston Texans in a topsy-turvy NFL encounter at NRG Stadium this evening.
The Eagles took the lead in the first quarter when Nick Foles fired a long pass down the middle of the field for Jeremy Maclin for a 59-yard touchdown.
That was to be the highlight of Foles's match, however, as later in the first quarter another long pass attempt was picked off by AJ Bouye and returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
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The quarterback was then sacked twice on one drive, the latter of which forced him off the field with a shoulder injury as Mark Sanchez came on to replace him.
The debutant made an immediate impact, combining with Maclin for a 60-yard play before finding Jordan Matthews at the back of the endzone for his first touchdown pass in almost two years.
Houston hit back again before half time, however, with Arian Foster collecting Ryan Fitzpatrick's pass on the right touchline before diving into the corner of the endzone.
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It was the Eagles who would go into the break with the lead, though, as Cody Parker made a 45-yard field goal in the dying seconds of the first half to make it 17-14.
The visitors utilised the running game to devastating effect towards the end of the third quarter, making 70 yards on four plays, culminating in Chris Polk cruising into the endzone for an eight-yard score.
Houston appeared to have missed a chance to close the gap when Demeco Ryans intercepted a Fitzpatrick pass, but he fumbled it straight back to the opposition before leaving the field due to an injury.
The Texans took full advantage of the let-off by cutting the deficit to just three points as DeAndre Hopkins latched on to Fitzpatrick's pass for a seven-yard score shortly after a second Sanchez interception.
The stand-in quarterback atoned for his error towards the end of the match, however, throwing his second touchdown pass of the day to find Maclin, whose eight-yard score restored the Eagles' 10-point lead.
That was how it stayed as the visitors held on for a win that takes them to 6-2 for the season, while the Texans drop to 4-5 in the AFC South.
Barney Corkhill
