Vince Young did something Mike Vick hasn’t been able to do all season: lead a game-winning drive.
With the game deadlocked at 10, Young confidently marched the Eagles down the field late in the fourth quarter. After chewing up nearly nine minutes on the clock, the backup quarterback hit Riley Cooper in the back of the end zone on the 18th play of the drive for an 8-yard touchdown that gave the Birds a 17-10 victory last night over the Giants. It was the team’s first comeback victory this season and also marked the first time they didn’t blow a fourth-quarter lead.
Young, who started for an injured Vick, didn’t make it easy on himself but still found a way to get it done in the clutch. Young chucked three interceptions and went into halftime with a QB rating of 38.7. But in the fourth, when it mattered most, Young delivered. He went 7-of-9 on the game-winning drive and converted six third downs.
The defense also did its part in the fourth. Jason Babin’s strip and sack of Eli Manning was recovered by Derek Landri and iced the game with 1:11 left. Just to add a little insult to injury, LeSean McCoy busted loose on a 60-yard run as the Giants’ faithful filed out of the new Meadowlands. The win kept the Birds’ slim playoff hopes alive, as they get set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The win improved Young’s NFL record as a starter to 31-17. He finished 23-of-36 for 258 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns.
