Last week head coach Andy Reid had announced that he had made the decision to bring on Michael Vick as the starting quarterback for this game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Sure enough the Jacksonville Jaguars have a very below-the-average secondary defense, and this was key to allowing Vick such a good performance. He was able to stay inside the pocket and find open players in many of his plays. And yet a 28-3 defeat at home to the Philadelphia Eagles is a bit too much for a team that had some aspirations into making in to the postseason.
Vick has now joined the group of quarterbacks that have been burning down the Jaguars’ D with some devastating aerial raids, such as the ones performed this season by the Denver Broncos’ Kyle Orton and the very precise Phillip Rivers from the San Diego Chargers.
Now, so far into the season, this has been a season to forget for the Jacksonville Jaguars and particularly for their quarterback David Gerard. They are certainly struggling in the offensive end. By the beginning of the 4th quarter the Jaguars were down by 20 points and there were little hope for Gerard not to turn the game around, as that would have been a bit too much to ask, but at least to get his act together and put on a series of good passes.
Now, if you follow this sport closely you might remember that he had an awful game against the Chargers. He was bench down after he threw his fourth interception in the game. He scored 62.7 in the passer’s rating. This was his game to pay off his debts with the fans and with the team. He played even worse. He went for 13 of 30, for 105 yards. That gave him a 38.9 mark on the passer’s rating.
Now, on the other hand, Michael Vick had a very clear idea of what he was to do in the field. If there were people criticizing Andy Reid’s decision to star Vick instead of Kevin Kolb, then Vick came out and played with his heart to keep them from talking no more.
Vick completed 17 of 31 passes, for 291 yards. He completed 3 touchdown passes and took a little 17 yard run himself, breaking clear of a tackle and avoiding another defender as he scored one touchdown himself. Vick was able to find DeSean Jackson for a 61 yard touchdown and later on missile launched Jeremy Maclin for another two scores.
The Eagles are now 2-1 and 2-0 with Michael Vick on the helm. Now the have to face the Washington Redskins at home on Sunday Oct 3rd. All eyes now on Michael Vick who has been playing very well ever since he no longer has the sense of being an interim quarterback in the Eagles. The question out there is, How Good really is Michael Vick? He is going to have a good chance of answering those questions once he faces a more solid team such as the Washington Redskins.
Keep an eye out, as the betting lines should be up any moment now, as this is just one of the many great games going on in week 4 of the NFL. Check out the most current and up to date NFL wagering odds here.
Stephen Lars is a prominent sports blogger and currently covers NFL Professional Football, previews and handicaps for the BetIAS’ Sports Betting Blog . You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.
NFL – Philadelphia Eagles crush the Jacksonville Jaguars