Maintaining success is difficult in the NFL because wins often mask certain flaws. The Philadelphia Eagles (8-0) are no exception as they went on the road to beat the Houston Texans (1-6-1) by the score of 29-17 on Thursday Night Football.

The double-digit win looks good on paper, but one glaring deficiency must be tended to as the team moves forward.

The Eagles were without rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis (ankle) after the team's top run stopper landed on injured reserve earlier in the week. Finding a replacement with jjust three days to prepare is no easy feat.

There’s no good excuse for the Eagles’ run defense to be *this* bad, even with Jordan Davis out.

Jonathan Gannon needs to have better answers than this.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 4, 2022

Unfortunately, Davis’ absence was noticeable as Texans running back Dameon Pierce finished the night with 139 yards on 27 carries. As a team, Houston totaled 168 rushing yards, averaging over five yards per carry.

Missing Davis on the inside clearly impacted the Eagles. But that doesn't excuse the defense from an especially sloppy performance against the run.

Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon used Marvin Wilson in Davis' typical role, but to no avail. Perhaps Javon Hargrave makes more sense moving forward, though he's been giving opposing quarterbacks nightmares lately.

Javon Hargrave tonight:

– 7 Tackles
– 3 Tackles for loss
– 3 Sacks
– 3 QB hits

Just give him defensive player of the week honor today.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/zpWOS0Q2tK

— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) November 4, 2022

The Eagles’ record is unblemished, but that doesn't mean the team is without flaws of its own. However, correcting mistakes is much easier to do after a win compared to a loss.

Even if this is just a temporary issue, the Eagles have a thin margin for error with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants continuing to apply pressure in the NFC East. Eagles fans can take solace in the fact that this team can still grind out wins without playing its best football.

Featured image via Eric Hartline – USA TODAY Sports