Saquon Barkley shines in Eagles’ victory over Packers in Brazil

SÃO PAULO – The Green Bay Packers And Philadelphia Eagles have flown all the way to Brazil to open their 2024 season.

It was a night of firsts: the first NFL game in the southern hemisphere, the first opening game on a Friday since 1970 and the first running back Saquon Barkley played like for the Eagles.

After a slow start to the game, both teams traded blows in the second quarter, with two touchdowns from Barkley and a pair from Green Bay receiver Jayden Reed.

The second half was back and forth before the Eagles pulled away and secured the 34-29 victory in Week 1.

Here is the most important information for Friday evening for both teams:

Philadelphia Eagles

It was the Saquon Barkley Show, visible to the whole world.

In his debut for the Philadelphia EaglesBarkley shone in front of the sold-out Arena Corinthians stadium, running over 100 yards and scoring a total of three touchdowns to lead the Eagles to the Green Bay Packers.

That’s exactly what Eagles officials hoped for when they signed him to a three-year, $37.75 million contract this spring. He was a force on the ground and in the air, as evidenced by his 18-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline in the second quarter. They expected him to be revitalized behind a better offensive line than the Eagles had. New York Giants and alongside a variety of playmakers, such as receivers AJ Brown And DeVonta Smithand the 27-year-old looked like that too.

Barkley is the second Eagles player in franchise history to score three touchdowns in his debut for the team, following Terrell Owens in 2004.

There is still a long way to go. Barkley has to prove that he can survive a season of 17 games or more. But he has made a sensational start.

QB Breakdown: Jalen injured had an uneven performance. He threw two interceptions and was blamed for a lost fumble. His pick in the end zone early in the fourth quarter could have cost his team the game. But in the closing minutes, he led a game-winning drive and helped the Eagles take a win in Philadelphia.

Stunning statistics: The Eagles’ 35 yards in the first quarter were their fewest in an opening quarter since Week 17 of 2022 against the Saints, when a Gardner Minshew-led team had only two yards. They only failed to score in the first quarter twice last season and lost both games (Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys and week 18 against the New York Giants).

Worrying trend: A defense that has struggled in 2023 was porous for much of the game, a reminder that new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio won’t solve the problem overnight. There were a number of missed tackles and explosive plays that got them down, as evidenced by Reed’s 70-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. The good news: The Packers were only able to score one touchdown in four red-zone trips.

Next game: Comparisons Atlanta Falcons (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, September 16)

Green Bay Packers

One might have expected that the Packers’ defense was still in the development phase and that they might encounter problems when kicking. After all, this was the debut of the defense of new coordinator Jeff Hafley and rookie kicker Brayden Narveson‘s first game.

But Jordan Love and the offense was expected to pick up where it left off last season – as one of the league’s strongest units. But it couldn’t keep up with the Eagles and Love couldn’t finish the game. He had to be carried off the field on the third-to-last play, apparently because of a lower leg injury. In his first game since signing a four-year, $220 million contract extension this summer.

On a slippery field where Love lost his footing and appeared to be battling calf problems, he completed just 17 of 34 passes. And although he threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, it wasn’t enough to overcome Barkley’s attack against Hafley’s defense and a late missed field goal.

Promising trend: Reed’s 10 touchdowns (eight receiving touchdowns, two running touchdowns) in his rookie season were no fluke. It remains to be seen if he will become the Packers’ best receiver in year two, but his talent for making big plays seems genuine. With a 33-yard rushing touchdown on an end-around and a 70-yard receiving touchdown, Reed became the third player in the last 40 years to record a 70-yard receiving touchdown and a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the same game.

Worrying trend: It was not the best debut for the new kicker Brayden Narveson. After making short field goals of 31 and 23 yards and his first two extra points, the rookie, who was claimed off the waivers list last week, hit the right upright and missed a 43-yard field goal late in the third quarter. He recovered and made his next, a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Narveson became the sixth kicker on the Packers’ roster since the end of last season and was GM Brian Gutekunst’s choice after a training camp competition between Anders Carlson And Greg Joseph no clear decision could be reached.

Worrying trend II: Maybe it was just a problem in the opening game, but penalties have hurt the Packers consistently. They committed holding penalties in the red zone on both of their first-quarter drives and had to settle for field goals. In the third quarter, they received two illegal shift penalties on the same drive and had to punt. When they needed a stop at the end to get the ball back, the defensive tackle Kenny Clark was called for a defensive holding on a third down play. A total of 10 penalties for 71 yards were accepted.

Decisive game: There is never a good time for an interception, but the one Love threw in the third quarter was as bad as it gets for the Packers. With a 26-24 lead and backed into Eagles territory, Love threw a pass over the middle to the tight end Luke Musgrave this security Reed Blankenship stepped in and made an interception, leading to another Barkley touchdown that put the Eagles ahead 31-26.

Next game: Comparisons Indianapolis Colts (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 15)