Eagles vs. Bills: 3 Second-Half Keys to Victory for Philadelphia

The game story pretty much wrote itself in the first half: Michael Vick threw three picks and, consequently, the Bills hold a two-touchdown lead heading into the locker room.

What can the Eagles do to turn the tide in the second half?  

Read on...

1. Get Michael Vick out of the pocket.

A series of bad breaks led to early points for the Bills. The three interceptions Vick threw could have easily been converted into completions had the offensive line offered a split-second more of protection.

Unfortunately, as the Eagles have learned far too often, that kind of support can't be counted on. Vick, as he has done countless times in the past, must take matters into his own hands: Get out of the pocket, find lanes to run, give Maclin and Jackson time to get open.  

The offense is built around Vick's prodigious athleticism—he needs to use it.  

2. Stop trying to be so cute on offense.

Philly finally broke through early in the second quarter, but only when they let their offense work based on what the Bills were letting them have. This was after a couple of early series in which they experimented with direct snaps and end-around plays with limited success.  

Buffalo's rush-defense is suspect at best, but they made it apparent early on that they were going to devote a good chunk of their personnel toward limiting the ground game and getting containment on Vick.  

In order to sharpen their attack, the Eagles need to first keep it simple with shorter throws to open up the long game.  

3. Don't lose track of Fred Jackson.

The Bills have been running the offense primarily through Fred Jackson, sticking it to Philadelphia's banged-up defensive line with hard runs up the middle and around the edge. Jackson ran the ball effectively enough to open up the pass, then punished the Eagles' D in the open field on a 50-yard screen pass.  

Stopping the Bills starts with containing Freddie Jax. To be sure, the Bills have other weapons on offense, but at this point the Eagles' best chance of winning rests in forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick to beat them with his arm.