Michael Vick threw for three touchdowns as the Philadelphia Eagles spoiled the return of Washington quarterback Robert Griffin with a 33-27 win over the Redskins in the season opener for both teams.
LeSean McCoy ran for 184 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries for the Eagles, who failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons under former long-time coach Andy Reid.
“I feel good about where we are,” Vick said. “Tonight, we showed 60 percent of our offense. We have a lot of talent and speed. We have a smart group of guys who know how to adapt to the game.”
Photo: AFP
The Eagles made an instant success of new head coach Chip Kelly, who was making his NFL debut after spending the past six seasons coaching US college football.
Kelly replaced Reid whose 14-year tenure with the Eagles ended after a 4-12 finish last season.
“I had a lot of fun tonight and I think our guys had a lot of fun,” Kelly said. “But you’re always going to say that when you win.”
Quarterback Vick completed 15 of 25 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles racked up 443 total yards and 26 first downs in the win.
Vick also had nine carries and rushed for a touchdown, while DeSean Jackson caught seven passes for a game-high 104 yards and a touchdown. It marked the 16th career 100-yard receiving game for Jackson.
Veteran Vick, who spent 23 months in a US prison for his role in a brutal dogfighting ring, won the starting job this year over second-year quarterback Nick Foles and rookie Matt Barkley.
Griffin struggled at times in his first game since suffering torn knee ligaments during Washington’s playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks in January.
The reigning NFL offensive rookie of the year completed 30 of 49 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Alfred Morris rushed for 45 yards and a score on 12 carries for the Redskins, who are one of the favorites to win the National Football Conference East this season.
Vick hooked up with Jackson in the back of the end zone for a 25-yard score and a 10-7 lead for the Eagles with just over six minutes gone in the game.
Later on Vick carried the ball in for a touchdown from three yards out to give the Eagles a 26-7 lead at halftime.
Philadelphia stretched their lead to 26 points, 33-7, just over 90 seconds into the second half, when McCoy romped 34 yards for a touchdown.
McCoy’s 184 rushing yards were the most by an Eagle in a road opener since Duce Staley racked up 201 yards in 2000 against Dallas.
In the late Monday night game, Houston scored 24 unanswered points as the Texans stunned the San Diego Chargers 31-28.
The Texans rallied from a 21-point deficit and Randy Bullock booted a 41-yard field goal as time expired to stun the Chargers at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.
After falling behind 28-7 early in the third quarter, the Texans defense did not allow another first down and Brian Cushing returned an interception for a touchdown that tied the game.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB