Vick tallies his first TD in style

Here are some observations and ruminations from Sunday's Eagles-Jets game:

When it finally arrived, Michael Vick's first rushing touchdown of the season was a picture of speed and athleticism.

Facing a four-man rush in the second quarter, Vick raced to his left, easily rounding ex-Temple Owl Muhammad Wilkerson and getting just past cornerback Kyle Wilson. From just inside the 5-yard line, Vick leaped into a full-extension dive, reaching his arm toward the pylon and just sneaking it in.

It's stunning that it took Vick so long to get his first score with his legs, but when he did it, he did it in style.

Two teams that were preseason Super Bowl hopefuls showed early on exactly how they got to 8-5 and chasing a wild card (Jets) and 5-8 and nearly out of it before kickoff (Eagles).

By the two-minute warning in the first half, the teams had combined for 10 penalties, five lost fumbles and one interception, with each team's miscues gifting points to the other. Doesn't matter how many stars you put on your roster, you can't win a championship that way.

Fittingly, Vick threw an interception on a desperation heave on the final play of the first half. It was a meaningless throw, but an appropriate way to cap an ugly first two quarters.

Curtis Marsh should send a thank-you note to his defensive teammates.

Although defensive coordinator Juan Castillo hasn't found much playing time for the rookie cornerback, a third-round pick, Marsh has seen time on special teams. But twice in the last two weeks the Eagles defense has bailed out Marsh after a special-teams fiasco.

This week, it was a late first-quarter punt that bounced high into the air and struck Marsh, allowing the Jets to recover the free ball on the Eagles' 14.

Two plays later, though, Jets receiver Santonio Holmes allowed a pass to squirt through his hands, and Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted it, negating Marsh's mistake.

Last week, it was defensive end Jason Babin getting a strip sack to save Marsh after he fumbled a throwback pass on a punt return. Marsh, though, should maybe try to stop with the mistakes instead of relying on help.

On the bright side, after both Marsh goofs and defensive saves, the Eagles offense rolled downfield for a score.

Before we rip Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, first a salute. The Eagles running back did not fumble the football for 490 straight touches dating back to last season.

But on a late second-quarter carry, McCoy had the ball punched out from behind. Turnovers never come at good moments, but the Eagles had already gift-wrapped the Jets seven points after Dion Lewis fumbled on a kickoff return.

New York turned McCoy's fumble into three points and the Eagles' 28-point lead had shrunk to 15 at the half.

OK, maybe that's picking a nit in light of the final score. But we're so used to near-perfection from McCoy that any error by No. 25 draws our attention.

Say what you want about Babin's run-stopping skills, the guy knows how to sack quarterbacks.

The Eagles defensive end looked unstoppable, recording two first-half sacks as the Eagles jumped out to a 28-0 lead. Babin added a third sack in the second half. Babin's first takedown of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez came on a vintage speed rush. His second came when he never gave up on the play and tackled the scrambling Jets quarterback 10 yards behind the line.

Babin's three sacks gave him 18 for the season and moved him into a tie for third place on the Eagles' all-time list for sacks in a season.

You can't say the Eagles are not getting their money's worth from that guy.