Welcome to your first-place Philadelphia Eagles. And welcome to the latest Michael Vick injury saga.
You read it right. Thanks to the Birds 36-21 win over the now 0-5 Giants, and the Cowboys wild 51-48 shootout loss to the Broncos, the Birds are now sitting atop the NFC Least.
All this while sporting a less-than-imposing 2-3 record.
And they did it, rallying for a win in the second half, without Michael Vick. That's because Vick, who was having a banner day running the ball while not setting the world on fire through the air, came up limping after a late 2nd quarter dash through the Giants' secondary.
The often-injured Eagles QB reached for his hamstring after limping out of bounds.
He came back for one series but was quickly given the hook after failing to elude Jason Pierre-Paul and getting sacked.
Never fear. Nick Foles was here.
The Birds' backup sparkles in his relief role, going 16 for 25 for 197 yards and not turning the ball over. Vick, while compiling 79 yards on the ground, making him the leading rusher in the game, was just 6 of 14 for 105 yards in the air.
More importantly, Vick continued to struggle in the red zone. Four different times in the first half, the Eagles were forced to settle for Alex Henery field goals.
By the way, it was a redemption day for the Eagles struggling placekicker, who went a perfect 5-for-5 after missing key kicks in several games this year.
Foles is never going to make anyone forget Vick when it comes to a threat with his legs. And he does not possess the bazooka arm that Vick routinely displays.
But he clearly has a way of finding the end zone, something Vick has struggled mightily with the past two years.
In the meantime, the Giants slipped to an almost unthinkable 0-5 mark. Good thing that was not Philly fans booing a coach and quarterback that have won two Super Bowls. We'd never live it down.
In the meantime, Eli Manning took on the role previously played by Vick, as in turnover machine. Manning threw three picks as the Giants imploded after taking a 21-19 lead as the Eagles settled for field goals.
Technically the Eagles and Cowboys are tied atop the NFC Least, but the Eagles actually own the tiebreaker courtesy of their 2-0 mark against NFC teams.
After the game, Eagles Coach Chip Kelly was quick to defuse any talk of a possible quarterback controversy. He said flat-out that if Vick is healthy, he's the QB.
Of course, that all depends on what your interpretation of healthy is. My guess is that Mike Vick's definition might be a tad different from the Eagles coaching staff.
The Eagles have put up some eye-popping numbers when it comes to yardage. But that hasn't always translated on the scoreboard. Vick's struggles in the red zone are not going away, and a bum hamstring that limits his ability to run will not help matters at all.
That will be the question of the week for Eagles fans: How healthy is Vick, and how healthy does he have to be to take the field.
In the meantime, Nick Foles will simply bide his time. Before the season I set the over/under on the nmber of games Vick plays at nine. I'm still taking the under.
More importantly, Kelly may have the best of both worlds and not know it. Vick is expert in open space and moving the team, but he struggles inside the red zone, where Foles seems to be more on the mark.
It might seem unorthodox, but the Eagles might want to consider dual roles for these guys, with Vick the starter when he's healthy, and Foles being the red zone expert.
Weirder things have happened.
Like a couple of 2-3 teams leading the NFC East.
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