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Vick, Eagles rally to beat Cowboys

Dec 13, 2010 - 6:28 AM Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Michael Vick is no stranger to adversity, but his storybook season continues to roll on.

Vick orchestrated his second straight fourth-quarter comeback, throwing a 91- yard go-ahead touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in Philadelphia's 30-27 victory over Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.

Needing a victory over their fierce rivals to move ahead of the Giants in the NFC East, Vick and the Eagles (9-4) scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to produce Philadelphia's fifth win in six games and its first at the Cowboys' new stadium in three tries.

In Week 13, Vick led the Eagles to 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Houston, 34-24.

Last season, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles entered Week 17 with a firm grasp on the NFC East, but suffered a 24-0 defeat in Dallas to lose a first-round bye and the division before the Cowboys crushed the team again in the same venue the very next week in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

This season, Vick made sure there was no repeat.

Despite a pair of interceptions, Vick threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-26 passing, and his deep pass to Jackson was the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season.

Jackson was no slouch himself, finishing with four catches for a career-high 210 yards in the win.

Vick also ran for a score, while LeSean McCoy rushed for a career-best 149 yards on 16 carries.

"When you play the Dallas Cowboys, if you're good enough to win the game, it's a beautiful thing," said Eagles head coach Andy Reid. "These guys put their pedal to the medal."

Jon Kitna threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for the Cowboys (4-9), who assured themselves of a losing season for the first time since 2004. Jason Witten caught two touchdown passes among seven receptions and 69 yards, while Felix Jones ran for 41 yards and a score on 13 carries.

"I think you can make a case that (the Eagles are) one of the best teams in our conference," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. "They're one of the most explosive offensively, and they're very aggressive on defense."

Jones' three-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter gave the Cowboys a 20-14 lead, but Philadelphia chipped away at its deficit and eventually moved ahead.

On the next play from scrimmage, McCoy burst up the middle for 56 yards, gaining the Dallas 21. The drive stalled from there, and David Akers' 39-yard field goal made it a three-point game.

The Eagles forced a punt and converted a pair of third downs on their ensuing drive, leading to Akers' 50-yarder to tie the game, 20-20, with 13:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Dallas went three-and-out for the second consecutive series and punted again. A penalty forced Philadelphia back to its own nine-yard line, but it was no problem for Vick and Jackson.

On the first offensive play, Vick threw a perfect tight spiral to the left sideline, just past the outstretched hands of a defender about 10 yards down the field. Jackson came up with the catch and weaved his way back toward the middle, where he is at his best.

Jackson broke a tackle near the Cowboys' 10 before turning around and posing at the goal line as if it were a cliff, falling over it for the go-ahead score with 11:24 left.

"When he first caught the ball, I knew he would have an opportunity to get yards after the catch," Vick said. "I knew I put the ball in the perfect location, but I didn't think he'd take it 91 yards. He's a dynamic player."

A taunting penalty on Jackson seemed to help Dallas get better field position for a potential game-tying score, but Kevin Ogletree returned the kick to only the 23-yard line.

Kitna's next pass was intended for Roy Williams on the left sideline, but Dimitri Patterson recorded the interception while barely keeping his feet in bounds to give Philadelphia the ball again.

Akers added a 28-yard field goal for a 30-20 lead, and it proved to be important, as the Cowboys' offense got going on its next touch.

Kitna directed a nine-play, 80-yard drive and threw a 22-yard touchdown strike to Witten down the middle. The key to the drive was a 4th-and-7 from the Philadelphia 49; Kitna did his best impression of Vick, dodging several pass rushers before scrambling for 10 yards. Two plays later, the ball was in the end zone with 4:22 to play.

The Eagles, normally an aerial team, went to the rushing attack to finish out the game. Dallas was armed with all three of its timeouts, but it was no use, as McCoy took out chunks of yardage to seal the win.

McCoy ran for 12 yards on 2nd-and-4 from the 16 before bursting over the left guard for 19 yards on the next play. A 13-yard gain on the following snap produced another first down, and his six-yard rush on 3rd-and-1 from the Dallas 31 provided the Eagles an opportunity to take two kneels to run out the clock.

"It's a great win for the team," Vick said. "I've got to give credit to the guys up front -- they won the game in the end. We had six or seven straight runs, positive yards; despite all the adversity, they hung in there and made it happen when we needed it."

Philadelphia got off to a quick start, moving 73 yards in six plays on the game's opening series. Jackson caught a 60-yard pass on the first play, and Vick's one-yard rushing touchdown finished the drive.

The Cowboys answered immediately with a 10-play, 77-yard set that was aided by a defensive personal foul call on 3rd-and-6 from the Dallas 45. Kitna's one- yard TD pass to Witten on 3rd-and-goal tied the game 9 1/2 minutes in.

With just under six minutes left in the first half, Vick threw a two-yard touchdown pass to offensive lineman Todd Herremans, who was lined up as an eligible receiver. David Buehler's 50-yard field goal in the final moments of the second quarter accounted for a 14-10 halftime score.

The Cowboys opened the second half with a 43-yard field goal from Buehler to cut the deficit to one.

Game Notes

The Eagles have won 12 of their last 13 games in December...Philadelphia suffered a pair of injuries: linebacker Stewart Bradley dislocated his elbow in the second quarter and did not return, while defensive end Brandon Graham hurt his knee in the fourth quarter and limped off the field...Jackson recorded his 11th touchdown of 50 yards or more since the start of the 2009 season...Vick's seventh rushing touchdown of the year set an Eagles single- season record for a quarterback.