Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns in his Philadelphia debut, leading the Eagles to a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers on Friday night as Brazil hosted the first NFL game in South America.
In Sao Paulo, Packers quarterback Jordan Love was injured and limped off the field with six seconds left in the game, and backup Malik Willis was sacked by Zach Baun on the final play of the game, preventing a Hail Mary from the Philadelphia 47-yard line.
Barkley ran for 109 yards and scored on an 18-yard catch and runs of 11 and 2 yards. He signed a three-year contract with the Eagles worth $37.75 million (£28.7 million), with $26 million (£19.8 million) guaranteed, after six seasons with the New York Giants.
He became the first player since Terrell Owens in 2004 to score three touchdowns in his Eagles debut.
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while AJ Brown caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.
Jordan Love was removed from the field after suffering an injury.
Green Bay’s Jayden Reed scored on a 33-yard jet sweep and a 70-yard reception, the longest touchdown of Love’s career. Reed caught Love’s pass inside the Philadelphia 40 and made a move to beat safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson at the 30-yard line.
Reed became the first player to have a 30-yard or longer touchdown catch and 30-yard or longer touchdown run in a season opener since Hall of Famer Jim Brown did it in 1963 against the Cleveland Browns in a game against Washington.
Reed also attempted a 38-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive, but it was negated because both teams had 12 men on the field. Reed finished with 138 yards on four catches.
Love completed 17 of 34 attempts for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Statistics Reader:
Green Bay Packers:
- Passing through: Jordan Love, 17/34, 260 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Hurry: Josh Jacobs, 16 carries, 84 yards
- Receipt: Jayden Reed, 4 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD (+ 1 rushing TD)
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Passing through: Jalen Hurts, 20/34, 278 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
- Hurry: Saquon Barkley, 24 carries, 109 yards, 2 TDs (+1 receiving TD)
- Receipt: AJ Brown, 5 catches, 119 yards, 1 touchdown
Barkley’s third touchdown gave the Eagles a 31-26 lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Reed Blankenship’s interception gave Philadelphia the ball at the Green Bay 25-yard line.
The Eagles led 31-26 early in the fourth quarter when Jaire Alexander intercepted a Hurts pass in the end zone. Green Bay drove into the red zone but settled for a 26-yard field goal by rookie Braden Narveson, making three of four attempts.
Philadelphia then controlled the ball until Jake Elliott’s 21-yard field goal with 27 seconds left.
Earlier this week, some Eagles players were hesitant to travel to Brazil, missing out on a home-field season opener. Instead, the crowd at Neo Quimica Arena was balanced between Packers fans, Eagles fans and those just cheering on the positive developments.
Players from both teams skated throughout the first half on a field where a Brazilian Serie A soccer match had been played five days earlier.
The NeoQuimica Arena, often hailed by soccer players as the best stadium in Brazil but which has never hosted an American football match, is a hybrid stadium that uses both grass and synthetic materials.
The slippery road conditions may have contributed to the shaky start.
The Eagles committed turnovers on each of their first two series, allowing Green Bay to start consecutive drives in the red zone, but the Packers were content with field goals both times.
The offense then took control, scoring touchdowns on six of their next seven attempts.
What did they say?
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley: “I always try to visualize success and stay positive. Thinking more positively is one of my goals for this year.”
Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown: “I don’t know if Sao Paulo knows when to cheer, but it’s been great. They’ve been loud the whole time. They’ve had a bit of a bad reputation. We’ve been told a lot of ‘what not to do,’ but since we’ve been here it’s been great.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur: “We’ve got to learn from this, because we’re just watching the tape. I don’t want to disparage Philadelphia. They fought and they played their game, but I think we had a lot of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on.”
“The red area was a big issue tonight. A year ago I think we were pretty good in that area, and tonight we were outplayed in that area.”
Packers wide receiver Christian Watson talks about Jordan Love’s injury. “I know who he is and how he deals with anything. I know he can get through it, no matter what. We can get through it.”
What’s next?
After an anxious wait to see Love’s status, the Packers will play their home opener against the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday, while the Eagles will host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Sky Sports NFL.
Watch the Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers match live on Sky Sports on Sunday, September 8th from 6pm, followed by the Dallas Cowboys vs Cleveland Browns match at 9:25pm and the Los Angeles Rams vs Detroit Lions match on Monday at 1:20am. Also streaming NOW.
