Michael Vick and the
Philadelphia Eagles hold off Lions
Any questions about Michael Vick’s readiness to return to action as a starting quarterback were answered on Sunday. Vick, who was given the green light to start against the Detroit Lions, tossed two touchdowns
as the Philadelphia Eagles held off the Lions 35-32 at Ford Field.
Vick was expected to turn in a monster performance and make plays with his arm and legs and he did just that. The three-time Pro Bowler went 21 of 34 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions
and rushed for 37 yards.
But Vick’s strong play didn’t surprise his teammates. "A lot of people doubted him and said he wasn't able to do this," said DeSean Jackson, who hauled in four passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. "He's
been able to prove everybody wrong."
It was not too long ago that Vick's return to the NFL with the Eagles got a mixed reaction in Philadelphia. Some hardcore Philly fans were even threatening to boycott the team if Vick was going to play
after his conviction for having been part of an illegal dog-fighting ring. Now, Vick chants were heard from Eagles’ fans that made the trip to Detroit.
But it was the Lions who came out with a high level of energy and intensity that the Eagles could not match early on. The Lions drove the ball deep inside Philadelphia’s territory and that’s when the defence
woke up and intercepted quarterback Shaun Hill. That was the spark that the Eagles needed and Vick connected with DeSean Jackson for a 45-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter. Runing-back LeSean McCoy added a 14-yard touchdown run, followed by a late
touchdown strike to Jeremy Maclin from Vick at the end of the first half and the Eagles led the Lions 21-17 at the half.
The Lions followed their game plan which was to run the ball by handing it off to rookie Jahvid Best and keep him involved in the passing game. Best had a game memorable game rushing for 78 yards and catching
nine passes for 154 yards for a combined three touchdowns.
Best was not alone to try to reverse the fortunes of his struggling franchise by making spectacular grabs. He was aided by receiver Brandon Pettigrew who caught seven passes for over 100 yards.
Detroit came in week two as underdogs to the Eagles but they were not intimidated.
Many predicted that this would be a blowout because the Detroit Lions haven’t done a whole lot to upgrade their personnel from a year ago. This is certainly true for their offensive line which continued
to struggle on Sunday, but Best did an excellent job generating some offence despite the poor play of the O-line.
In the end, Best’s three touchdowns were not enough has Vick kept his offence in gear and they held off the Lions to improve their record to 1-1. Now that Kolb will be cleared to play next game, the Eagles,
whether they acknowledge it or not, have a quarterback controversy on their hands.
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