Eagles win on late field goal

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA

Andy Reid was welcomed back to the sideline with a standing ovation and chants of “Andy! Andy! Andy!”

Then the Philadelphia Eagles gave their grieving coach a small reason to smile.

Alex Henery kicked a 51-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to lift the Eagles to a 24-23 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason opener Thursday night.

After the Steelers went up on Daniel Hrapmann’s 42-yarder with 1:57 left, Trent Edwards led the Eagles back on an 11-play drive to set up Henery’s kick.

Reid coached the Eagles just two days after his 29-year-old son’s funeral. Garrett Reid, the oldest of five children for Andy and Tammy Reid, was found dead Sunday morning in his dorm room at Lehigh University where he was assisting the team’s strength and conditioning coach during training camp.

Andy Reid returned to the Eagles for a walkthrough Wednesday morning, saying it was “the right thing to do.”

Fans who chanted “Fire Andy!” during a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots last November showed their compassionate side.

Rookie Nick Foles threw two long TD passes to help the Eagles overcome a 13-0 third-quarter deficit.

Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in his only series. He led the offense on a 16-play scoring drive in the first game under new offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Michael Vick’s results weren’t quite so good.Vick escaped injury after banging his left thumb on center Jason Kelce’s helmet, and took a seat on the bench after the offense went three-and-out in his only two drives.

Vick got hurt on his final throw and was wincing in pain when he came off the field. X-rays on Vick’s thumb were negative.

Reid was standing alone along the sideline when Vick walked over and stood by his coach’s side for a moment of silence before the game.