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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Eagles entered Sunday afternoon's matchup against the New York Giants knowing they needed a win to get their season back on track. The game did not start off promisingly, however, as the Eagles went three-and-out on their first drive and then saw the Giants offense go down the field in five plays for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Luckily, the offense would rally and start moving the ball, with quarterback Michael Vick as the catalyst.
Despite a first quarter that yielded zero passing yards, the Eagles were able to run the ball effectively. Vick accounted for 57 yards on the ground, 34 of which came on a third-and-19 that led to an Alex Henery field goal and the Eagles' first points of the game. The passing game came alive in the second quarter, and Vick continued to break off chunks of yards with his legs. Then, with less than five minutes remaining, came the play that would determine his fate for the rest of the game. Vick rolled left away from pressure, turned the corner and sprinted for the first-down marker. Just as he was going out of bounds following a 13-yard gain, he pulled up lame, clutching at his left hamstring. Vick gingerly walked back to the huddle and stayed on the field for the ensuing three plays, which resulted in the Eagles having to settle for a 29-yard Henery field goal that gave them a 16-7 lead.
"I felt a pop, and I couldn't run," Vick said. "I felt a pop. That was it."
Even so, Vick, with his warrior mentality, came out for the next drive as the Eagles attempted to get points before halftime.
"I was just trying to work through it," Vick said of why he started the next drive. "Any time something like that happens, you want to stay warm, you want to keep moving."
Vick lasted just one snap, however. He got outside the pocket but did not appear to be moving well and was slammed to the turf by Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul after throwing the ball away. Immediately following that play, head coach Chip Kelly decided Vick could no longer continue to play and summoned for him to come off the field. That was it for Vick, who never returned to the game due to the hamstring injury and watched the second half from the sidelines as Nick Foles directed the offense en route to helping the Eagles get their second win of the season.
"After the first play, I realized I couldn't (keep going)," Vick said. "I think the coaches realized I couldn't (keep going), too. I was going to go (keep playing), but there was no need. The coaches understood, why have me in the game when I'm not 100 percent and we have a healthy quarterback on the sidelines?"
"He didn't look like he was moving well," Kelly said. "I'm not going to put anybody in harm's way. It just felt like he didn't have that step where he could get out of the way."
The obvious question on everyone's mind is whether Vick will be ready for the Eagles' next game on Sunday in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers.
"I don't know how long it's going to be," Vick said. "I've never really had hamstring problems, but this (injury) is in a different spot so we'll see what happens."
While the severity of the injury is still unknown, the good news is that Vick said he could have re-entered the game in the second half if necessary.
"Coach asked me if I was all right, and I gave him the thumbs up," Vick said. "I would've gone back in."
Post-game, Vick said the hamstring felt "a little sore."
"I've been standing up for two quarters, the last two hours, but I've just got to get some treatment in the morning," he said. "It's going to be a long week."
As the Eagles enjoy a hard-fought win that brings their record to 2-3 on the season and 2-0 in the NFC East, there is no doubt that the health of Vick's hamstring and his status for the game against the Buccaneers on Sunday will be the most popular storyline throughout the week.
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