No one took the lead in the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback battle Friday night. That was a good thing for the Eagles.
Both Michael Vick and Nick Foles looked comfortable leading the first-team offense against the New England Patriots' defense, each directing a touchdown drive. Vick was on the field for the first two drives, throwing a handful of darts and a gorgeous 47-yard touchdown pass up the sideline to DeSean Jackson. Vick did a nice job evading pressure, although the Patriots forced a punt on his second drive.
Foles also faced significant pressure, losing a fumble after a Tommy Kelly sack. But Foles' second drive was an up-tempo special that looked straight out of the Chip Kelly playbook in Oregon. The Eagles didn't substitute or huddle once during a 10-play, 66-yard drive that moved at lightning speed, capped by Bryce Brown's 8-yard TD run. Foles looked very comfortable running some read-option plays.
The two quarterbacks combined to go 9-of-11 passing for 137 yards and one TD. After Vick and Foles each had two drives, Kelly inserted third-string quarterback Matt Barkley into the game, which the Eagles lost 31-22.
Kelly already announced Foles will start in next week's preseason game. Vick remains the favorite in this battle, but it won't end anytime soon.
(All the news wasn't good for the Eagles, however. They lost three linebackers -- Jamar Chaney (shoulder), Casey Matthews (knee) and Chris McCoy (knee) -- to injuries, and long snapper Jon Dorenbos (concussion) also left the game.)
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