"The Chicago Bears wrote the script. All the Dallas Cowboys had to do was follow it.

The best way to beat the Eagles has become fairly simple. Punish Michael Vick. Knock him down by any means necessary, either before the whistle or after. Blitz him repeatedly, especially from his blind side. Make him throw off his back foot. And if nothing else, keep him from running to his left, where he is at his best.

Do all that, and you still might not beat this Eagles team, because it has so many playmakers on offense who can change the game in an instant. LeSean McCoy sprinted through a hole the size of Texas for a 56-yard run, and DeSean Jackson's 91-yard catch and run ultimately led to the Eagles' 30-27, comeback win over Dallas on a night when Vick took a beating.

The Cowboys beat down Vick and forced him into poor throws and bad decisions. They did it legally and illegally. Anthony Spencer sent Vick flying onto the Eagles' sideline with a questionable hit that enraged Andy Reid, who ripped off his headset and barked at an official for not making a call. Later in the first half, Spencer got to Vick again, hitting him from behind and knocking him into defensive end Igor Olshansky, who was flagged 15 yards for roughing the passer.

DeMarcus Ware hurried Vick all day, sometimes from the left side and sometimes from the right. He and Spencer made fill-in right tackle King Dunlap look like a flat-footed stiff who has one move and then releases.

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick ran untouched into the Eagles' backfield to sack Vick from his blind side. And the Cowboys so hurried and harassed Vick that he threw two interceptions, his most since late in 2006 when he was with Atlanta and playing the Carolina Panthers.

"They were a football team that was fighting for their lives," Vick said afterward. "We knew we were going to get their best, at home, a hostile environment. They got some great players up front, so we knew we were going to have to be very precise, efficient, and make plays when we needed to."

Vick made plays, as did Jeremy Maclin, McCoy, and Jackson. The interceptions? Vick at first said "interceptions are going to happen," and then, when pressed, admitted he got hit on the hand during one and had a bruise on his thumb, which he held gingerly during his postgame news conference.

It has been this way for Vick ever since the Eagles played at Chicago, and with the Giants up next, it will likely continue to be this way."