The Philadelphia Eagles took advantage of coach Andy Reid’s challenge of a call in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown that gave them breathing room as they beat a battling Houston Texans side 34-24 on Thursday.
The victory allowed the Eagles (8-4) to take sole possession of first place in the NFC East ahead of the New York Giants (7-4). The Texans (5-7) are last in the AFC South.
The Texans had rallied from a 20-10 halftime deficit with two touchdown drives in the third quarter that took up 12:34 to take a brief lead at 24-20.
The Eagles, however, struck back quickly early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Michael Vick made a two-yard touchdown run.
The home side put the game beyond doubt when Reid challenged the placement of the ball when tight end Brent Celek had stretched out to grab what appeared to be a first down at the Texans’ five-yard line when the Eagles had faced a third and 19 situation.
The referee, however, placed the ball short of the first down markers, with Reid making a successful challenge of the ball positioning, and two plays later Vick connected with fullback Owen Schmitt for a touchdown that ensured the victory.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
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