It wasn't a pretty first half for the Eagles offense, but it ended up being a productive one as the Birds took a 17-0 lead in the locker room. Things started off scary as the young Eagles offensive line, namely rookies Jason Kelce and Danny Watkins really struggled and Michael Vick paid for it. Vick ended up being knocked down six times in the first half and nearly all were major hits. However, solid defense combined with some luck made this look like a blowout by the end of the half.
The first luck came after the Eagles first offensive series when two ex Eagles, Jordan Norwood and Sheldon Brown ran into each other trying to field a punt. The play was ruled a fumble that the Eagles recovered and Ronnie Brown punched in the games' first score with a nice run. After Asante Samuel picked off Colt McCoy, the offense put three on the board with a Alex Henery 37 yard FG. The last bit of luck for the offense came on a play where Michael Vick got absolutely hammered and ended up throwing an ugly looking pick on the play. However, a very dubious roughing the passer flag was thrown and the play was called back. The offense played much better after that and drove down the field with a drive that was capped off by an 8 yard Vick TD run.
On the defensive side, everything went pretty well. They got the turnover with the Asante Samuel pick, Colt McCoy was sacked three times and they kept the Browns off the scoreboard. Can't ask for much more.
It's also worth mentioning the special teams, who made two big plays. Not only did they recover the aforementioned fumble, they also blocked their second field goal of the preseason, this time by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
The third quarter is underway and the starters are out of the game as the rain is coming down hard at the Linc.