The time Michael Vick outdueled Peyton Manning

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A lot of us—myself included—are just about ready to chalk up the Eagles’ trip to Denver this Sunday as another loss. The Birds have their share of flaws, but Peyton Manning has been simply masterful so far this season. You could argue he’s never been surrounded by so much talent before in his 16-year career, and it shows in the numbers.

After last night’s demolition of the Oakland Raiders—in which Manning completed 32 of 37 pass attempts—Manning has now thrown for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 134.7 efficiency rating. All of those numbers are on pace to shatter NFL records.

I don’t envy Bill Davis. Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator is tasked with stopping the league’s No. 1 offense this week, a unit that includes Pro Bowlers Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, another 1,000-yard receiver in Eric Decker, and emerging playmaker Julius Thomas as tight end. Oh yeah, and the Broncos can run the ball a little bit too—they’re ranked 14th.

Lucky for Davis, the Eagles have the No. 2 offense in the NFL, not to mention a few guys who know what it takes to outscore Professor Manning. Back in 2010, the Eagles defeated the Indianapolis Colts 26-24 at Lincoln Financial Field, at a time when Michael Vick was in the midst of a career renaissance, and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson were still just beginning to make names for themselves.

The Colts leaned heavily on Manning that day, as the future Hall of Famer completed 31 of 51 tries for 294 yards and a score, but it was not enough.

Hosting Indy at the Linc in November after coming off of a bye, Vick was 17-for-29 with 218 yards and a touchdown pass, plus went for an additional 74 yards and a score on the ground. Shady went  for 95 on 16 carries, while DJacc hauled in seven receptions for 109 and reached paydirt.

After the victory, we wondered whether or not it would be a defining moment for that Eagles squad.

We might look back at this W somewhere down the road with a deeper appreciation for how it impacted this season. They lasted four quarters with the reigning AFC Champions, a perennial powerhouse featuring several of the top players in NFL history, and despite almost every conceivable break going for the other side, the Birds amazingly came away the better team for one day.

Of course, the real hero that day might’ve been Asante Samuel, who picked off Manning twice. And Manning wasn’t spinning it to Welker, Decker or Thomas & Thomas—besides Reggie Wayne, his primary targets that day were Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Jacob Tamme.

With their level of talent, I don’t think it’s silly at all to suggest Denver has a long shot to run the table this year. I’m talking 16-0.

There is one similarity though, the fact that the Eagles once again have extra time to prepare for Doctor Manning’s surgical procedure. The Broncos will be playing on a short week after their Monday night game, while the Eagles are heading to Denver on 10 days rest. This tidbit did not elude one of the great minds in NFL history.

The moral of the story is anything could happen this Sunday. The Broncos no doubt will have their guns loaded, and there’s no such thing as shutting down Manning—best you can hope for is limiting him. I don’t recall many people giving the Eagles much of a chance in 2010 though, but Vick and co. managed to surprise the Colts. Anyone believe they’re poised to do it again?

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