Cleveland, OH – Michael Vick threw four interceptions, but his touchdown pass to Clay Harbor with 1:18 remaining gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 17-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns in a Week 1 nail-biter.
Vick, coming off a career-high 14 interceptions last season, made up for a sloppy 3 1/2 quarters by guiding the Eagles (1-0) on a 16-play, 91-yard drive that ended in Harbor's 4-yard score.
Brandon Weeden, the first Browns rookie to start the season under center in the Super Bowl era, was intercepted for the fourth time on the ensuing possession to seal the outcome.
Vick finished with 317 yards on 29-of-56 passing and also threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin, who hauled in seven balls for 96 yards.
"I had plenty of throws that I would have loved to have had back," said Vick, who missed most of the preseason after suffering a contusion of the ribs. "I was sort of rusty out there, but I fought through it."
LeSean McCoy rushed for 110 yards on 20 carries, but accounted for another turnover with a fumble.
Last year, the Eagles went 8-8 and missed the postseason for the fourth time in Andy Reid's 13-year tenure as head coach thanks in part because of a -14 turnover margin.
Weeden completed just 12-of-35 attempts for 118 yards, while fellow rookie Trent Richardson was held to 39 yards on 19 carries.
Cleveland (0-1), which went 4-12 in Pat Shurmur's first season as head coach last year, has not won its season opener since 2004.
"There were a lot of mistakes," Shurmur said. "It's disappointing to lose...but we played an outstanding team."
Vick's fourth pick came in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, and D'Qwell Jackson took the interception 27 yards up the left sideline and flipped into the end zone to put the Browns in front, 16-10.
The Eagles' Alex Henery missed a 45-yard field goal with nine minutes remaining, but the Browns quickly punted and pinned the visitors back at their own 9-yard line.
A third-down conversion and a roughing the passer penalty pushed the Eagles out of the shadow of their own end zone, and a 7-yard run by McCoy put the ball in enemy territory.
Facing a third-and-10 from the 32, Vick scrambled and took a big hit after a 9-yard gain. He lost the ball, but recovered a yard short of the first-down marker. On fourth down, McCoy gained yardage over the right tackle to keep the drive moving, and Brent Celek's 17-yard grab moved the ball to the three.
After nearly throwing another interception in the right corner of the end zone, Vick looked over the middle and found Harbor at the goal line with a defender draped on his back for the deciding score.
Kurt Coleman's second interception of Weeden effectively ended the game.
The Eagles penetrated Browns territory on their first two possessions, but promptly turned the ball over. McCoy lost a fumble near midfield early on, and Craig Robertson picked off Vick later in the opening frame.
The Browns turned the first turnover into points, as Mohamed Massaquoi's 24- yard catch set up Phil Dawson's 43-yard field goal less than six minutes in.
Philadelphia crossed midfield again with its next touch, but the drive stalled and Henery booted a 42-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Weeden was intercepted on two of the next three Browns possessions, the first coming off a deflection in the red zone.
It remained 3-3 until the Eagles struck quickly late in the half thanks to Maclin's 46-yard grab down the left sideline. On the next play from the 18, Vick went to Maclin again in the back of the end zone, and the visitors went into the locker room holding a 10-3 lead.
Dawson added two field goals in the second half, both of which were set up by interceptions. His 42-yarder came with 4:57 left in the third quarter and the second was a 22-yarder 45 seconds into the fourth.
Game Notes
The Eagles have won four of their last five season openers ... Philadelphia has won the last four meetings ... Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had two interceptions for the Eagles, who had 25 first downs to the Browns' 12 ... Massaquoi had team highs of three receptions and 41 yards ... Browns cornerback Joe Haden, who is reportedly appealing a four-game suspension for testing positive for the prescription drug Adderall, had an interception ... Cleveland converted two of 13 third-down chances.
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