Judging by the Chargers-Eagles box score, Michael Vick had one of his most successful games as an NFL quarterback.
He threw for a career-high 428 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns (two in the air) without turning the ball over. Unfortunately for Vick and the rest of the Eagles, those numbers came in a mistake-ridden 33-30 loss to the San Diego Chargers.
Overall, Vick was pleased with the way that the offense was able to move the ball, but he acknowledged that the Chargers were able to make the key plays when they needed to.
"They put themselves in a position to make plays. We still were able to execute at a high level, and Coach (Chip) Kelly did a great job of making adjustments throughout the course of the game with the playcalling," Vick said. "Regarding the things that we were able to do (offensively), I thought it was a success, but it's tough, maybe we need to score 37 points. I think that's what needed to happen in order to win this football game."
For as good as Vick looked at times, there were other situations in which his inaccuracy cost the Eagles points. Though Vick hooked up with DeSean Jackson nine times for 193 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown, there were other plays in which the combination was just out of sync. Vick overthrew Jackson on a couple of occasions, and Jackson couldn't find his place along the sideline on a separate play.
"You are not going to hit all of them," Vick said. "You are lucky if you hit one. We are professionals so we try to capitalize on those opportunities, but you've got to hit them. You're not going to hit them all. We had our fair share of plays today, and I think we can get better.
"It's not frustrating. Those are the opportunities that you get throughout the football game. You miss one, you hit one. We had one that was close, but you just have to keep firing until you get one. You are not going to hit them all. We wish that we could. Next week you may hit them all, it depends."
The Chargers dominated the Eagles in time of possession, controlling the ball for 40 minutes and 17 seconds, compared to the Eagles' 19:43. The Eagles offense was not able to get into as much of a groove as they would have liked.
"(San Diego) did a good job of controlling the football when they had it," Vick explained. "When we were out there, we needed to put drives together and do it consecutively. They kept us off of the field and out of rhythm in the first half. In the second half, we were able to get into a rhythm and score 20 points, but it wasn't enough. We wish we could go back and do some things differently. We had a penalty that negated a touchdown, but that's football. We can't sit here and hang our hats on what didn't happen. We should have made it happen."
Vick and the offense had a chance to make it happen when they got the ball following a Chargers touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers had just retaken the lead, 30-27, and the Eagles had a chance to potentially win the game with 3:05 seconds left. A 25-yard pass to Jackson set the Eagles up with first-and-10 from the Chargers' 14-yard line, but the Eagles couldn't punch the ball into the end zone, settling for a game-tying field goal. Vick, who left the drive for one play after taking a hard hit, was frustrated about not making the most out of the possession. The Chargers only needed a field goal to win and got that as Nick Novak connected on a 46-yard attempt with seven seconds left.
"You are always looking to score seven," Vick said. "You never get in the red zone and think field goal. You always want to score. Everything you put into the game of football is about scoring touchdowns. When you are on offense you never think about field goals, (but) we have a great field goal kicker and he did his job."
With a record of 1-1, the Eagles have a short week to prepare for an old friend, as Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Eagles Thursday night. Vick noted the importance of preparing for the game without begin distracted by other circumstances.
"It's just another football game," Vick stated. "We have to get ready. We can't focus on the whole dynamic of the situation. We have a football game to prepare for, and we have to do everything to ensure that we have a chance to win the football game. That is what is most important. It's our third game in 11 days, but we're conditioned for it. We're ready for it."
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