4th loss in a row: Eagles fall to Bills 31-24
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - October 9, 2011
Jackson finished with a combined 196 yards from scrimmage and
scored on a 5-yard run in a 31-24 victory. Linebacker Nick Barnett
had two of Buffalo's four interceptions.
After scoring on a 31-yard interception return in the second
quarter, Barnett sealed the victory by grabbing Michael Vick's
tipped pass intended for Jason Avant with 1:49 remaining at the
Bills 26. It came as the Eagles were attempting to tie the game and
overcome a 21-point second-half deficit.
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The Bills took over and never gave the ball back. The game was
decided on - what else? - another Eagles miscue.
Facing fourth-and-inches at midfield with 1:23 left, Bills
quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was successful in getting Eagles
defensive end Juqua Parker to jump offside. That gave Buffalo a new
set of downs and a chance to run out the clock after Philadelphia
had used up its timeouts.
The Bills (4-1) bounced back from blowing a 14-point lead in a
23-20 loss at Cincinnati last weekend. Buffalo has matched its best
start since 2008.
The Eagles (1-4) continue to unravel. And not even Vick's
suggestion of dropping their "Dream Team" label this week has put
a stop to this ongoing nightmare.
Vick went 26 of 40 for 315 yards passing and two touchdowns, but
was undone by a career-worst four interceptions. He added 90 yards
rushing give him 4,948 for his career, passing Randall Cunningham
for most yards by an NFL quarterback.
Philadelphia has lost four in a row - it's longest skid since
2005 - and is off to its worst start since 1999, coach Andy Reid's
first season.
The Bills rolled to a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter on
Brad Smith's 6-yard scamper.
The Eagles rallied back by scoring 17 points on three of their
next four drives before their sloppiness resurfaced on their final
possession.
Facing third-and-3 at the Bills 29, Vick attempted a swing pass
to Avant at the left sideline. Cornerback Drayton Florence got his
hands on the ball, which tipped off Avant as he was falling
backward. Barnett then scooped it up before the ball hit the
ground.
The Bills defense made up for allowing 489 yards offense by
forcing five takeaways, including a fumble recovery. Buffalo now
has 12 interceptions - one more than it had all last year. And the
defense has scored touchdowns on interception returns in three
straight games, matching Buffalo's best stretch since its inaugural
season in 1960.
Safety George Wilson led the defense with 11 tackles, an
interception and broke up three passes.
Vick had three of his first four possessions end with
interceptions.
After his third interception to Barnett, Vick walked off the
field with his head down before being consoled on the sideline by
several teammates and coach Andy Reid, who put his arm on the
quarterback's shoulder. As Vick returned to the field, guard Danny
Watkins patted Vick on the helmet.
LeSean McCoy scored on a 10-yard run, while Vick hit DeSean
Jackson and Jeremy Maclin for touchdown passes.
The Eagles offense didn't get much help from its high-priced
defense, which had difficulty tackling in allowing Buffalo 331
yards offense and 21 first downs.
Receiver Donald Jones set up Jackson's game-opening touchdown
with an 18-yard catch-and-run, in which he broke three tackles
before being brought down at the Eagles 6.
And they were totally caught off guard on a screen pass to
Jackson, who ran free for 49 yards to set up the Bills' second
score, David Nelson's 6-yard catch.
Fitzpatrick went 21 of 27 for 193 yards with a touchdown and an
interception.