Vick Shines in Cameo, Eagles Beat Ravens

Michael Vick picked up where he left off last year and then quickly took a safe seat on the sideline.

Vick threw for 74 yards and a touchdown pass in his only series and the new-look Philadelphia Eagles beat the Baltimore Ravens 13-6 Thursday night in their preseason opener.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young and several other big-name acquisitions made their debuts for the Eagles, who've signed a slew of free agents with impressive resumes in the past two weeks.

Joe Flacco played two series and led the Ravens to a field goal on the opening possession. He completed 3 of 6 passes for 60 yards. Ricky Williams, who signed with Baltimore on Monday, was inactive.

Vick, the runner-up to Tom Brady for NFL MVP, completed 4 of 6 passes, including a 3-yard TD toss to Brent Celek. He drove the Eagles right down the field against Ray Lewis and Baltimore's vaunted defense.

Vick threw a 20-yard pass to Jason Avant on his first play. He later connected with Riley Cooper on a 42-yard pass over Ed Reed to the Ravens 2. An almost identical pass to Cooper in the final minute of last year's wild-card playoff game against Green Bay was intercepted by Tramon Williams in the end zone to seal the Packers' 21-16 win.

Two plays later, Vick hit Celek to give Philadelphia a 7-3 lead. Cooper and Avant started in place of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Jackson just joined the Eagles after a 12-day holdout and Maclin remains sideline by an undisclosed illness.

Tyrod Taylor, a rookie from Virginia Tech, took over for Flacco. He drove the Ravens to the Eagles 5 in the final minute before throwing an incompletion on fourth-and-8 from the 10.

Taylor led the Ravens to the Eagles 8 late in the third quarter before throwing an interception to Jarrad Page. He finished 19 of 28 for 179 yards and two picks.

The defending NFC East champions have been one of the most aggressive teams since the lockout ended. They've signed 14 free agents, including six players who've been to Pro Bowls.

Asomugha, the top free agent on the market, played two series as part of a star-studded secondary that includes newcomer Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and veteran Asante Samuel. All three cornerbacks were on the field for the first play, with Samuel lined up in a safety spot.

The Ravens took the opening kickoff and drove to the Eagles 29 before stalling there. Billy Cundiff kicked a 53-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Young replaced Vick in the first quarter. He was 3 of 5 for 45 yards. Young, who went to two Pro Bowls in five seasons in Tennessee, signed a one-year deal to be Vick's backup after the Eagles traded Kevin Kolb to Arizona.

A 93-yard fumble return for a score by Baltimore's Lardarius Webb was overturned after replays showed Eagles quarterback Mike Kafka's hand was going forward when he lost the ball.


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