Michael Vick limped to the huddle and walked gingerly to the line of scrimmage. He may have been bruised. He may have been battered. But nothing could slow him down once he took the snap.
Vick threw for 302 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, rallying the Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-24 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
A Few Good Men
Michael Vick became one of five QBs since the AFL-NFL merger to have two games with 300 passing yards, two passing TDs and one rushing TD in a single season.
Player Year
Michael Vick 2010
Tony Romo 2007
Steve Young 1998
Warren Moon 1989
Ken Anderson 1982
Vick was hurried and harassed throughout the game. But he kept getting up. He kept making big plays despite a slew of jarring hits. He scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run, and the Eagles held serve in the race for the NFC East title.
“I’m used to taking hits. It’s not that bad,” Vick said. “If I take one and I lay down, then I took a good one. But I’m a pretty tough guy. I bounce back when I can. There’s no science to getting hit, or protecting yourself.”
It was the first time Vick led the Eagles (8-4) back from a fourth-quarter deficit. They led 14-3 in the first half before falling behind 24-20.
Matt Schaub had 337 yards passing and two scores for the Texans (5-7). Andre Johnson had 149 yards receiving — four days after his hockey-like fight with Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan.
The NFC East-leading Eagles were coming off their first loss in a game that Vick started and finished. He was 5-0 before a 31-26 loss at Chicago.
Vick continued his remarkable comeback story. He completed 22 of 33 passes for two touchdowns, and had his third 300-yard game. Vick, a three-time Pro Bowl pick in six seasons with Atlanta, only had two 300-yard games coming into this year. He also ran for 48 yards and a score.
“This young man is playing as good as anybody I’ve seen play in the NFL and I’ve been doing it for a while,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said of Vick. “He’s special and we just tried to contain him, but obviously he still had a big night. He’s been doing it against a lot of people so. … We had a couple of chances for turnovers. He gave us a couple of opportunities that we just didn’t take advantage of.”
After the Texans took their first lead in the third quarter, the Eagles quickly answered. Vick sneaked in from the 2 to put Philadelphia ahead 27-24 early in the fourth. Vick’s 33-yard pass to DeSean Jackson to the Texans 11 set up the score.
Vick drove the Eagles 87 yards on their next possession, and tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Owen Schmitt to extend the lead to 34-24. He celebrated with a side leap into coach Andy Reid.
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