Jalen Hurts threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a slow start to beat the Houston Texans 29-17 Thursday night for the first 8-0 start in franchise history.
Hurts lost a fumble in a forgettable first half and the game was tied at halftime.
But CJ Gardner-Johnson notched his fifth NFL-best and career-high interception before Hurts threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to AJ Brown to put the Eagles ahead in the third quarter.
Houston (1-6-1) added a field goal after that, but another Hurts field goal and 2-point conversion run extended the lead to 29-17 early in the fourth.
The Texans were driving late in the fourth when Davis Mills was intercepted again, this time by James Bradberry and the Eagles ran out of time to secure the victory.
At the same time, the Houston Astros were in Philadelphia play the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series, Hurts played his first career game at NRG Stadium. Hurts, who was born in Houston and grew up about 25 miles from the stadium, continued his solid game as he returned home to win his 11th straight regular season game, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
Mills threw for 154 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, playing without his top two receivers. Brandin Cooks sat out after missing training all week following trade rumors that never materialized, and Nico Collins missed the game with a groin injury.
Houston rookie Dameon Pierce rushed for a career-high 139 yards to rebound from a tough game last week when he gained just 35 yards on 15 carries.
Gardner-Johnson had an interception for a fourth straight game when he knocked out Mills with about 8 minutes left in the third quarter and returned him 25 yards.
The Eagles took the turnover two games later when Hurts found Brown 21-14 with about 8 minutes left in the third.
Houston cut the lead to 21-17 on a 30-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn late in the third.
Hurts found Dallas Goedert for a four-yard TD pass on the next drive and Hurts built the lead with his two-run conversion run.
The Texans took an early lead when rookie Teagan Quitoriano, making his NFL debut, landed his first career reception for a two-yard touchdown in the first series. Quitoriano is a fifth-round pick who has missed the entire season with a knee injury.
That score was set by a 34-yard reception by Phillip Dorsett two plays earlier.
Philadelphia tied at 7 all on a two-yard run from Miles Sanders on fourth down late in the first quarter. Sanders finished with 93 rushing yards.
The Eagles were leading early in the second quarter when Hurts was sacked by Steven Nelson, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Jaleel Johnson at the Houston 35.
Houston couldn’t move the ball and had to punt. Philadelphia then put together a 10-play, 79-yard drive capped off by a four-yard TD run by Kenneth Gainwell to take a 14-7 lead.
The Texans equalized less than a minute before halftime when Mills connected with Chris Moore on a 13-yard touchdown pass. The game was initially deemed complete, but it was reviewed and the appeal was overturned.
Philadelphia attempted a 54-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, but sailed right.