Saquon Barkley shines in Eagles' debut win over Packers in Brazil

SÃO PAULO — The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles flew to Brazil to open their 2024 seasons.

It was a night of firsts: the first NFL game in the Southern Hemisphere, the first opening-week game on a Friday since 1970 and the first time running back Saquon Barkley played for the Eagles.

After a slow start to the game, the teams came together 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 sealed the 34-29 Week 1 victory, which ended with Packers quarterback Jordan Love sidelined with an apparent leg injury.

Here are the most important things for both teams to know on Friday night:

Philadelphia Eagles

It was the Saquon Barkley show, for the whole world to see.

In his debut with the Philadelphia Eagles, Barkley dazzled in front of a packed Corinthians Arena crowd, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring three total touchdowns to lead the Eagles past the Green Bay Packers.

It’s just what Eagles brass 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, highlighted by his 18-yard touchdown reception down the left sideline in the second quarter. They hoped he would be revitalized, playing behind a better offensive line than he had with the New York Giants and alongside a plethora of key role players, such as receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, and the 27-year-old proved it.

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

There's a long way to go (Barkley needs to prove he can stay healthy through a 17-game season and beyond), but he's off to a sensational start.

QB Breakdown: Jalen Hurts had an inconsistent performance. He threw a pair of interceptions and fumbled. He could have cost his team the game with his interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, but he led a game-clinching drive in the final moments to help send the Eagles back to Philadelphia with a win.

Amazing statistics: The Eagles’ 35 yards in the first quarter marked their fewest in an opening quarter since Week 17 in 2022 against the Saints, when a Gardner Minshew-led team had just 2 yards. They failed to score in the first quarter just 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 struggled mightily in 2023 was rife with flaws for much of the game, serving as a reminder that new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio isn’t going to fix this overnight. The Eagles had a number of missed tackles and explosive plays that hurt them, as illustrated by Reed’s 70-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. The good news: The Packers were held to just one touchdown on four trips to the red zone.

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

Green Bay Packers

You might have expected the Packers' defense to be a work in progress and that they might encounter problems in the kicking game. After all, this was the debut of new coordinator Jeff Hafley's defense and rookie kicker Brayden Narveson.

But Jordan Love and the offense were supposed to pick up where they left off last season: as one of the league’s most potent units. Except Green Bay couldn’t keep up with the Eagles, and Love couldn’t finish the game. He had to leave the field on the penultimate play because of an apparent lower left 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 have calf issues, he completed just 17 of 34 passes. And though he threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, it wasn't enough to overcome Barkley, who sliced ​​through Hafley's defense and missed a late field goal.

Promising trend: Reed's rookie season, in which he scored 10 touchdowns (eight receiving, two rushing), was no fluke. While it remains to be seen whether he'll become the Packers' No. 1 receiver as a sophomore, his big-play ability appears to be real. With a 33-yard rushing touchdown and a 70-yard receiving touchdown, Reed became just the third player in the past 40 years to record a 70-yard receiving touchdown and a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the same game.

Worrying trend: It wasn't the best of debuts for Narveson. After kicking short field goals of 31 and 23 yards, plus his first two extra points, the rookie, who was claimed off waivers last week, hit the right upright and missed a 43-yard field goal late in the third quarter. He recovered and kicked his next field goal, a 26-yarder in the fourth quarter. Narveson became the sixth kicker on the Packers' roster since the end of last season and was the choice of general manager Brian Gutekunst after a training camp competition between Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph failed to produce a clear choice.

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

Fundamental play: There's never a good time for an interception, but the one Love threw in the third quarter was about as ill-timed as it gets for the Packers. Clinging to a 26-24 lead and entrenched in Eagles territory, Love threw a pass over the middle to tight end Luke Musgrave that safety Reed Blankenship intercepted. It led to another Barkley touchdown to put the Eagles ahead 31-26.

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