DENVER --Before anyone begins with the conversation, head coach Chip Kelly is not considering, not even for a second, replacing Michael Vick at quarterback to "shake up" the Eagles after their third straight defeat, a 52-30 loss on Sunday at Denver. Kelly, in fact, spoke highly of Vick's performance against the Broncos and instead looked elsewhere for answers.
The offense scored just 20 points, despite 450 total net yards. Five trips into the red zone yielded two touchdowns, two field goals and a missed field goal.
Vick completed 14 of 27 passes for 248 yards. He was sacked three times and ran away from pressure for 41 yards on the ground.
It was a game in which not a whole lot went right for the offense, despite 166 rushing yards.
"We've justĀ to continue to keep fighting. We've got to go back to the drawing board and look at our mistakes and get it corrected. We've got to find a way to get our momentum going, to get it back and keep it going," said Vick. "We've got to find ways to get it corrected."
Kelly spoke about the pressure Vick faced in the pocket, that there have been too many times that Vick is at the top of his drop and unable to step into this throws before defenders are up on him. The Eagles played with a lot of two wide receivers, two tight ends and a running back early, and ran the ball effectively, but trips to the red zone early -- two of them -- yielded field goals instead of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Denver scored touchdowns. And the Broncos are not the kind of team to trade with in that manner.
"We still control our own destiny," said Vick.
An NFC East battle against the Giants looms, and only one game separates the Eagles and the division-leading Cowboys. There is time to get it together. But it has to happen right now.
And for the offense, Vick and the coaching staff must find a way to score more points. Defenses are playing the receivers in a lot of man-to-man coverage, the cornerbacks close to the line of scrimmage. As a result, the offense has not been able to go over the top to DeSean Jackson since the San Diego game, and long drives are bogging down because of penalties and mistakes.
"I think they are going to do that (in the future) because that's what they're seeing other teams do," said Vick. "It's our job to make sure that we take them out of those coverages. It has to happen, and it has to happen fast ... We'll figure it out."
Other than LeSean McCoy leading the ground game, and with Vick breaking down the defense with his legs, the Eagles haven't been explosve these last two games. It's an element that is required in the NFL to score a lot of points: You have to throw the ball well to gash a defense and put big points on the board.
"I'm looking forward to seeing where we're going from here," said Vick.
As is everyone.
