Michael Vick Leads Another 4th Quarter Comeback As Eagles Defeat Ravens 24-23

For the second week in a row Michael Vick led a fourth quarter comeback drive and the defense held its ground as the Eagles defeated the Ravens 24-23 to open the season 2-0.

In a lot of ways this game was like last week, so why does it feel so much better?

Michael Vick is why. The stat sheet will tell you Vick threw another 2 picks in this game, but that belies how he actually played. Only one of the picks was his fault and overall he looked a lot more like the QB we expected to see coming into this season. He was 23-32 for 371 yards and 2 TDs (one rushing, one passing) and overall looked much more in control. There were a few nervy moments and maybe a near pick to Ray Lewis, but Vick clearly saw the field better and looked a lot more comfortable despite the fact he was under decent pressure all day and hit far too often.

As we've heard time and time again though, QBs are really judged in the clutch and Michael Vick has delivered in a big way for the second straight week. And this wasn't against the Browns either, this was the Ravens, a legit Super Bowl contender and one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Vick's favorite targets today were clearly DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek. Celek caught 8 for 157 while Jackson caught 7 for 114 including this fantastic grab with Ed Reed zeroing in for a big hit. Jeremy Maclin had just one catch, but it was a 24 yard TD. He left the game after re-injuring his hip pointer that limited him in practice this week.

Of some concern for the offense though was the second fumble in as many weeks for LeSean McCoy. After fumbling just once all of last year, he's now lost two this year and today's was right near the goal line. Rookie Bryce Brown also put the ball on the carpet after botching a handoff. After getting more work than expected prior to the fumble, he was never seen again.

On the other side of the ball, props have to go the defense for another admirable effort. They were not nearly as dominating as last week, but the Ravens are a lot better offensive team than the Browns (though Trent Richardson ran roughshod today and they put up 27). Ray Rice had a great game, but they were able to force Joe Flacco into two turnovers. And by the way, this is an important point.

The Eagles offense has been a turnover machine, but so has the defense.They've forced 6 turnovers in 2 games. That's why the Eagles have managed to turn the ball over so many times yet still be able to be in a position to wins games at the end.

Also like last week, it was DeMeco Ryans who led the Eagles defensive effort. Any talk of him having lost a step or not the same after his injury is a thing of the past. He is playing right at his Pro Bowl form and at a level we haven't seen from an Eagles LB in a very long time. He 6 tackles, 1 sack and an INT today. Nate Allen led the team with 9.5 tackles and was strong in coverage.

There's obviously still things to work on here, but there's no "but it was the Browns" caveats this time around. The Eagles beat a very good team this weekend, Michael Vick showed a lot of progress and suddenly things are really looking sunny in Philadelphia.