Michael Vick exits game vs. Giants with broken right hand

Michael Vick's day ended early for a second straight week, this time because of a broken hand. (AP)

For the second week in a row, Michael Vick has suffered a substantial injury, forcing the Eagles to turn to backup quarterback Mike Kafka. Sunday against the Giants, Vick broke his right (non-throwing) hand -- he left the game for X-rays in the second half, briefly returned, then was pulled from the lineup for good in the fourth quarter.

Kafka threw an interception on his first pass attempt, which came with the Eagles down 22-16 midway through the fourth quarter. The Giants tacked on another score after that Kafka miscue to claim a 29-16 win.

Vick's injury appeared to occur when he was taken down hard by Giants lineman Chris Canty and landed on his right hand. Last week in a loss to the Falcons, Vick suffered a concussion in the second half. With Kafka in the ballgame, Atlanta rallied from a 10-point deficit to win.

There were questions about Vick's status for Sunday's critical game against the Giants, but he returned to practice midway through the week and was cleared to start. He finished the game against New York 16-for-23 for 176 yards, 31 yards rushing and an interception.

After the game Vick complained that the referees need to do a better job protecting him from hits:

The play on which Vick was injured Sunday did not appear to be a penalty -- Canty hit Vick just as he released the ball on a 23-yard pass completion, and Vick fell backwards.