Defending champion Eagles still alive
PHILADELPHIA— Nick Foles ran back onto the field after a hard shot knocked him out for a play and the crowd roared, seemingly knowing he was about to do it again.
Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired after Foles led the offence into position and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Houston Texans 32-30 Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“Foles was so confident and everyone was so calm,” said Zach Ertz, who set a single-season record for most receptions for tight ends.
“No one flinched. Guys stuck together.”
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-7) need a win at Washington (7-8) next week and for Minnesota (8-6-1) to lose or tie or Seattle (8-6) to lose twice or lose once and tie to get a wild-card berth.
The Texans (10-5) missed an opportunity to clinch the AFC South and also allowed New England (10-5) to take control of the No. 2 seed. The Texans would secure the division title with a victory against Jacksonville next week. They’d get a first-round bye with a win and if the Patriots lose or tie.
“I’ll put that on my shoulders,” J.J. Watt said. “The offence did a great job giving us a chance, and we just didn’t get a stop at the end.”
Filling in for the injured Carson Wentz for the second straight week, Foles again played like the Super Bowl MVP who led Philadelphia to a victory over New England.
“We stuck together through the ups and downs,” said Foles, who choked up when asked about possibly playing his last game in Philadelphia. Deshaun Watson had two TD passes and ran for two scores for the Texans. Watson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Vyncint Smith with 2:04 remaining as Houston rallied from a 13-point deficit.
But Foles brought Philadelphia back.
Foles was injured on a late hit by Jadeveon Clowney while completing a 19-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery to the Texans’ 30 on third-and-10. Nate Sudfeld came in and threw an incomplete pass, but Foles returned on the next play.
The Eagles ran the clock down and Elliott made the kick to make up for missing an extra point earlier in the quarter.
“When it ends a game, you get to enjoy it a little bit longer,” Elliott said.
Ertz had 12 catches to break Jason Witten’s record. Ertz has 113. Witten had 110 catches for the Dallas Cowboys in 2012.
The Eagles scored a TD on their opening drive for just the fourth time this season. Darren Sproles turned a short pass from Foles on fourth-and-2 into a 37-yard TD.