Michael Vick: Should the Philadelphia Eagles QB Play Sunday vs. Dallas Cowboys?

Against the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday night, just about everything went wrong for Michael Vick, Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only did the Eagles lose the game, but on the first offensive play from scrimmage for Philadelphia, Michael Vick suffered a quad contusion.

The injury seemed to have some effect on Vick's mobility. While he was able to gain 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, Vick was also sacked six times and had two lost fumbles, tripling his total fumbles for the 2010 season.

The game was certainly surprising. Few expected rookie quarterback Joe Webb and the underachieving Minnesota Vikings to challenge the Eagles in Philadelphia. The Vikings, however, turned the tables on the Eagles, pressuring Vick and forcing him into three turnovers.

On the bright side, the game had little impact on playoff implications for the Eagles. Philadelphia is locked into the third seed in the NFC playoff picture, guaranteed a first round home game against the second place wild card team.

On Sunday, the Eagles will host Dallas in their regular season finale. The game could be important, as the Eagles will look to gain momentum before the first round of the playoffs. Another loss would send Philadelphia into the postseason with two straight home losses and a serious lack of confidence.

On the other hand, the game has absolutely no implications on the playoff positioning of the Eagles. Michael Vick is clearly an essential centerpiece of the Philadelphia offense and to play him could risk further injury that could cost the Eagles any chance at a Super Bowl this season.

Vick himself said he "tolerated" the injury throughout the game against Minnesota. While a quad contusion may not affect most quarterbacks that significantly, for a mobile quarterback such as Vick, limitations in movement could have serious adverse effects in his ability to play.

Andy Reid hasn't decided yet how much his starters, including Vick, will play on Sunday. Clearly, if the Eagles can get out to a big lead, then it will afford Reid the opportunity to be conservative with his starters.

Still, Reid will have to make an important decision as to whether momentum going into the playoffs is worth risking injury to his star quarterback and other players.