What seemed like a perfect match when coach Chip Kelly first arrived in Philadelphia received another affirmation Friday night during a preseason NFL game.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick wowed the Lincoln Financial Field crowd during his team's first offensive series against the New England Patriots.
Vick went 4-of-5 passing in less than a quarter of play and delivered a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson in the first quarter of the Eagles' first exhibition of 2013. The score tied the game at 7-7.
According to USA Today, Vick appeared angry on the sidelines when the Eagles won the pregame coin toss and elected to defer, giving the Patriots the ball to start the game.
New England quarterback Tom Brady engineered a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with 11:56 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles had the ball on their own 23 after the Patriots' kickoff. Vick faced a third-and-6 at the 27 and found Jason Avant for a 22-yard pass up the middle of the field to the Philadelphia 49.
Two plays later, Vick hit Jackson in stride for the touchdown. Jackson burned Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib on the play.
Vick also complete a 19-yard pass to embattled wide receiver Riley Cooper, who recently returned to the team after a four-day absence stemming from a racial slur he used that was caught on video.
Vick is engaged in a battle with Nick Foles for the starting job of Kelly's high octane offense. Foles entered the game with 2:16 left in the first quarter and engineered his own touchdown drive in the second.
Foles completed his first four passes for 35 yards, then gained a first down with a 10-yard scramble. After an incompletion, Foles threw an 8-yard touchdown strike to Avant to tie the game at 14.
Kelly has said the preseason will determine whether Vick or Foles will win the opening-day job.
Vick will earn a $3.5 million bonus if he wins the starting job.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.