Eagles Top Texans 34-24
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The Eagles rallied from a 24-20 deficit at the end of the third quarter, scoring the last 14 points of the game to grab a 34-24 win over the Texans. Michael Vick scored the deciding touchdown on a 2-yard quarterback sneak, then hit Owen Schmitt for a 5-yard touchdown strike to put the game away.
The Eagles jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a 1-yard touchdown pass from Michael Vick to LeSean McCoy capped an 11-play, 88-yard drive that took up 7:04 to open the game.
It looked like the Eagles might get on the board even quicker, as Jorrick Calvin broke what would have been a 101-yard kick return for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a hold.
Instead, the Eagles started at their own 12-yardline and Vick hit DeSean Jackson on a skinny post for 30 yards to open the game. Vick went 7-of-8 on the drive for 89 yards and the touchdown, also hitting Brent Celek for 20 yards, McCoy twice for 17, Jeremy Maclin twice for 18 yards and Jason Avant once for a four-yard gain.
The Texans answered with a 48-yard field goal from Neil Rackers after a stop on 3rd and 14 at the Eagles’ 30 yardline, cutting it to 7-3.
Philadelphia went right back to work, moving the ball to the Texans 7-yardline and making it look easy with a pair of key third down conversions, one from Vick to Jackson for 21 yards and one on a scramble by Vick. The Birds punched it in on the ground with a 4-yard run by McCoy, grabbing a 14-3 lead.
The Texans again failed to move the ball and Philadelphia answered with a 7-play, 51-yard drive culminating in a 36-yard field goal by David Akers.
This time Houston had a response, as Matt Schaub hit Andre Johnson, who had just returned from the locker room with an injury, for a 42-yard bomb down the near sideline. The big play set the Texans up for an 8-yard strike from Schaub to Jacoby Jones. The 8-play, 80-yard drive took 3:57 off the clock and brought the Texans within a score at 17-10.
Philadelphia picked up one first down on their following drive before a 37-yard Sav Rocca punt sent the Texans back to their own 15-yardline. Houston appeared to be moving the ball, but just after the two minute warning Trevor Laws read a screen pass from Schaub and intercepted it behind the line of scrimmage. Laws fumbled at the end of a 13-yard return, which Trevard Lindley recovered.
The Eagles nearly grabbed a late touchdown after the turnover, but Jason Avant and Brent Celek dropped Vick passes in the end zone. The Eagles settled for a 22-yard field goal and a 20-10 lead.
The Texans opened the third quarter with an 11-play, 79-yard drive that took 6:11 off the clock and was capped by a 13-yard pass from Schaub to Foster for a touchdown. Combining runs and receptions, Foster had seven touches on the drive.
On the ensuing drive, Michael Vick threw his second interception as an Eagle on a bomb down the right sideline that was picked off by Jason Allen at the Texans’ 14 yardline. Houston went right back to work, with Foster getting the ball on the second, third and fourth plays of the drive and running for 15 yards.
Schaub converted a pair of key third downs, hitting David Anderson for 17 yards on 3rd and 6 at the Houston 29-yardline and finding Andre Johnson for 31 yards on 3rd and 17 from the Texans’ 39. Foster eventually punched it in from 3 yards out to put the Texans on top 24-20.
On the following drive, the Eagles got their act together, with Vick hitting Jackson for a big 33-yard play to move the ball to the Texans’ 11-yardline. After a 9-yard screen to McCoy on the following play, the Eagles were facing 2nd and goal from the 2-yardline. Vick punched it in on a quarterback sneak, moving the Eagles back ahead 27-24 after an extra point.
Philadelphia’s defense was able to get a stop and on the following drive, the Eagles went to LeSean McCoy, who ran for three yards on first down before taking a screen 40 yards to the Texans’ 29-yardline. Philadelphia moved it down to the Texans’ 9-yardline before a false start on Brent Celek and a holding call on King Dunlap took the Birds back out to the 24-yardline. On 3rd and 19, Vick hit Celek for a huge gain down the far sideline. Celek was ruled down just short of the first down, but upon review it was overturned, giving the Eagles 1st and goal from the 5-yardline.
On second down, Vick hit Owen Schmitt for a 5-yard touchdown to put the Eagles on top 34-24 after an extra point. Schmitt’s first touchdown as an Eagle came at a critical time, giving the Birds a 10-point lead with 4:18 remaining.
The Texans took over at their own 25-yardline, needing two scores to tie or go ahead. Philadelphia held Houston on a 4th and 5, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the Eagles the chance to run out the clock with 3:17 remaining. LeSean McCoy lost a yard on two runs though and an incomplete pass on 3rd and 11 gave the Texans the ball back with 3:05 on the clock.
After a big gain on first down from Schaub to Johnson moving the ball out towards midfield, rookie safety Nate Allen sacked Schaub and knocked the ball lose, where it was scooped up by Darryl Tapp at the Texans’ 49-yardline with 2:25 left and Houston out of timeouts.
Vick slipped to the turf prior to the handoff on the first snap, taking the clock down to the two-minute warning before a 4-yard run by McCoy set up 3rd and 9 at the Texans’ 48-yardline with the clock under 1:20. Philadelphia ran a toss play to the right for McCoy, but he was stopped for a loss, forcing the Birds to punt from the Houston 49-yardline. Philadelphia took a timeout with 32 seconds left before punting, and the TTexans ran two plays for short gains before the clock ran out on a 34-24 win for the Eagles.
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