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NOTES FROM THE NOSEBLEEDS: A nearly flawless game
The Eagles Stomp Dallas 34-7, the Flyers beat Carolina to end skid, and more in Philly sports news.
NOTES FROM THE NOSEBLEEDS: A nearly flawless game
Sports nut Massimo Pulcini rounds up a week of everything Philly sports. Go for the win!
EAGLES STOMP DALLAS 34-7
On Halloweekend, the Eagles treated fans to exactly what they wanted — a huge 34-7 win over the 
loathed Dallas Cowboys, allowing coach Andy Reid, who has never lost the game following the bye week, to extend his post-bye record to an unprecedented 13-0.
Mike Vick had a nearly flawless game, completing three-quarters of his throws for 279 yards and two scores — one to Jeremy Maclin to open up scoring on the first drive of the contest and another to tight end Brent Celek in the second. Celek had his best outing of the season, leading the team with seven catches for 94 yards and that touchdown.
"We started fast," said Vick after the game. "That was our mindset. We wanted to set the tempo. We didn't want to let up."
However good the passing numbers were, the real star of the game was running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy (pictured), who is rapidly rising to elite status, rushed for an eye-popping 185 yards and two touchdowns. The rushing total was McCoy’s career high as he shouldered the load in running down the clock once the gigantic lead was established.
While the Eagles racked up 495 total yards and held the ball for 42:09, the defense also had its best showing of the year, as they held Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense to only seven points. The swarming Eagles defense finally looked like it had clicked, as they harassed the Dallas quarterback throughout the game, sacking him four times and forcing an interception to Nnamdi Asomugha. Romo was visibly flustered, and save for a lucky 70-yard toss in fourth, was vastly ineffective.
Following the win, it’s easy to be excited about the Eagles and feel like they may be able to turn their season around. At 3-4, they are now in a three-way tie for second place in the division, only two games behind the New York Giants.
FLYERS BEAT CAROLINA TO END SKID
The Flyers have had little problem scoring this season and this past week was emblematic of that. 
Unfortunately, the defense has to step it up in the absence of Chris Pronger, the injured captain and star defender, whose absence has left a clear gash in the Philly backline.
After a lethargic 5-1 loss to Montreal on Wednesday, the Flyers returned home to face off against the Winnipeg Jets, on Thursday. Initially, the game was deja vu of the previous night, with the Bullies finding themselves in a 5-1 rut into second. Claude Giroux fired back for the Flyers, but after Evander Kane scored for the Jets and made it 6-2, many believed the Flyers were done for the night.
What happened after was pure madness.
Danny Briere scored 14:11 in the second, making it 6-3 and Maxime Talbot quickly added another goal, ending the second period at 6-4.
The two teams then combined for five goals in the first 4:31 of the third period, with Briere, Matt Read, and James van Riemsdyk all scoring for the Flyers to start that final period, giving the Flyers a 7-6 advantage. Winnipeg struck again however, adding two quick goals to reclaim the lead. Van Riemsdyk then scored another goal, making it 8-8. As amazing an offensive showing as it was, the Philly defense couldn’t hold on, and the Jets finished the period with another goal with just over a minute left to play, earning them the win.
The 17 goals matched a Philadelphia record for combined goals in a game, and although backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky started the game, Ilya Bryzgalov (pictured), Philadelphia's usual starter who entered in relief, blamed himself for the loss.
"I have zero confidence in myself right now," he said. "I am terrible. [The offense] scores eight goals and we are still losing. It's obviously a terrible goalie and that's me.”
The highly touted Bryzgalov then said, "I am the reason we lost the game tonight. I am lost in the woods right now.”
The rest of the team wasn’t as critical, with both Danny Briere and coach Peter Laviolette expressing that loss couldn't be pinned on the goalies.
"I don't think it's right to blame one guy," said Briere. "There were breakdowns left and right. We were all responsible for goals here and there."
"You go goal by goal and you talk about it, but there's different reasons," added Laviolette. "The bottom line is it isn't good enough. You'll never win any games [allowing nine goals]. Well, the majority of the time you won't win many games when you have to score 10. We'll go back and we'll work on everything."
It didn’t take long for Bryzgalov to return to form, however, as he, along with Jaromir Jagr, led the Flyers to a 5-1 victory on Saturday.
The Flyers scored first via Scott Hartnell’s goal in the first. The ‘Canes then rebounded, scoring in the second to tie the game at 1-1. After that score, Bryzgalov was flawless, stopping the next 24 shots.
It was then the offense’s turn to deliver, and the Jagr-led Bullies did just that. The ageless forward scored twice in the third. That, along with goals from Giroux and Talbot, made it 5-1, getting Philly the win.
IN OTHER PHILLY SPORTS NEWS
➤ The Philadelphia Union opened the first leg of a two-game playoff series against Houston at PPL Park. This was their first foray into post-season play in team history. But unfortunately for the Union and their fans, Houston won 2-1, sending the series back to Texas for a pivotal finale Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The team with the most goals on aggregate will advance to the Eastern Conference final against the winner of the Sporting Kansas City and Colorado series ➤ In light of Temple University’s recent success on the football field, many have been clamoring to get the school re-admitted into the Big East Conference after being exiled in 2004 due to poor attendance averages, non-competitiveness and a lack of commitment to the football program from university officials. Even Mayor Nutter has been lobbying, stating that, "Temple has a tremendous commitment to athletics, academics and the city's North Broad corridor. Our city is extremely proud of this uniquely Philadelphia institution, and the university would be a worthy addition and would bring new opportunities and excitement to the league."
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