Vick-less

Photo courtesy of deadspin.com

Michael Vick's homecoming started as a warm welcome; however, it concluded with a bitter, disappointing ending.

Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 35-31 to the Atlanta Falcons in a back and forth game that came down to the wire.  Except this time, the Eagles were without Vick on a potential game-winning drive.

Midway through the third quarter, Vick was tackled by one of the Falcons' defenders causing him to fall downward, slamming his head straight into his own lineman's shoulder.  Walking off the field, Vick spit up blood because of a tongue bite.  It was confirmed after the game that Vick had suffered a concussion from the blow.

The loss of Vick was a factor in the defeat to the Falcons, but that wasn't the only reason.  

Turnovers played a huge role.  The game-changing play happened in the winding minutes of the second quarter.  Vick had his offensive squad lined up for another touchdown in the red zone and possibly a ten point lead.  Andy Reid, the Eagles coach, decided to go with 2 running backs in the backfield.  Vick faked the pitched and tried to give it off to the other runner.  The play took too much time, enabling the Falcons defense to pounce on Vick and strip him of the ball.  Ray Edwards, the Falcons defensive end, scooped the ball up, and ran like a mad man all the way to the Falcons twenty yard line before being tackled by the speedy Eagles wide receiver Desean Jackson.  That later turned into a Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez one-handed touchdown grab.  

Defensively, the Eagles corners and linemen did a decent job covering as well as getting pressure on Matt Ryan.  They forced turnovers in key moments of the game.  However, the linebacking core had their issues.  Michael Turner, the Falcons running back, ran down the throats of linebacker lane.  Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez exposed the poor coverage ability of some of the Eagles linebackers.  Guarding athletic tight ends have always been a problem;  this is something defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has to preach in film sessions.   

With Vick possibly out for a couple of weeks, Mike Kafka becomes the starting quarterback.  Vince Young is still out with a hamstring injury.  Kafka performed with poise and confidence as he ran the offense up the field in the closing minutes on Sunday night.  He made impressive throws, releasing the ball quickly from attacking blitzes.  But on a fourth and four, Kafka threw a pass that hit the number 18 of Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin's chest.  Maclin dropped a guaranteed first down, which could of changed the game dramatically.     

I feel this loss will benefit the Eagles in the long run.  They will learn from their mistakes and hopefully, correct them.  Sunday's loss was a tough one against a Falcons team that excels on their home field.  

Now, the real test begins...