The Eagles beat the Rams 31-13 Sunday in their season opener. The final score indicates it was a blowout, but the game was actually close the first half. A big reason why the Eagles didn’t run away with things early is because of the pressure the Rams’ defense put on quarterback Michael Vick.
Vick was 14-32 for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Many of his throws went for large chunks, but overall he was on the run for much of the game. He was sacked three times and hit 11 times according to ESPN, but he did run for 98 yards. Perhaps that’s why he said he played lights out. For anyone who watched the game, you noticed that the Eagles offensive line struggled. Philly head coach Andy Reid said after the game that was a tribute to St. Louis.
“Really, they were bringing more than what we can handle. That wasn’t really so much the offensive line as it was what they were doing. We were just off, you saw that. We were just off by a hair, just sheer inch plays. We have to make sure that we get those taken care of. We have to be just a little step quicker and we will be ok.”
Vick seemed to have a similar reaction. “They blitzed like crazy and it was tough being on the road, our communication was down a little bit,” he said after the game.
But Vick did point out that blitzing can have a risk/reward effect. He says he was able to take advantage of some of the blitzes by burning them on the ground. 98 yards on 10 rushes will confirm Vick’s assertion.
That St. Louis defense is no joke. The Eagles offense is legit too. If teams continue to pressure Mike Vick like that, they’ll have mixed results.
