A big difference when ball bounces Eagles' way

Sometimes, things just go your way.

That hasn't been the case often this season for the Eagles. But on Sunday, the kind of bounces, tips, and calls that so often conspired against them turned in their favor, and so did the final score.

No Eagle had a clear explanation for the change in luck, but they all welcomed the development.

"You've just got to get some stuff to bounce your way sometimes," wide receiver Jason Avant said. "It's great when it does."

Take this drive from the second quarter: On first and 10 from his own 47-yard-line, quarterback Michael Vick found tight end Brent Celek open - only Celek batted the ball into the air as defenders closed in on him. Reaching back, he tipped it again before making the catch.

In recent weeks, that kind of play turned into momentum-changing interceptions. Against the Bills a week ago, Avant joked that it seemed that if 10 defenders were on one side of the field, a tipped pass still would find the lone man on the other side. This time, though, Celek showed incredible focus to bring the ball down.

"Brent's play, the juggling catch, was a great way to describe the concentration we had in the first half," Avant said.

The Eagles were sharper and more aggressive overall. That helped in some cases.

Four plays after Celek's catch, Vick threw a swing pass toward Jeremy Maclin, but the ball was batted high into the air. Again, it looked like a turnover waiting to happen. Instead, Maclin pursued the ball and caught it. The Eagles got a field goal.

This all came after an early drive on which a shotgun snap intended for running back LeSean McCoy sailed high into the Eagles' end zone. Vick raced to retrieve the ball and throw it away and was hit in the head by linebacker Rocky McIntosh. A near disaster turned into a 15-yard gain on a roughing-the-passer penalty and a first down. The Eagles drove for a touchdown.

For once, the other team was making the silly mistakes that led to points. And though one Vick pass that was tipped was picked off, the ball more often caromed the Eagles' way.

The turnaround is a reminder that for all the film study and late-night planning that goes into each game, there are elements that can't be controlled. Players just have to control how they react to them.

"That's football," defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. "Sometimes they don't go your way, and sometimes they do. You've just got to try to fight through them when they're not going your way. And when they are, take advantage of them."