What We Learned from Eagles’ win over Packers in Brazil

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1. Tumultuous night for both QBs. Jalen Hurts‘ night couldn’t have started much worse: He threw an interception on Philadelphia’s first drive, then fumbled away a premature snap, resulting in two giveaways on two possessions. He settled in eventually, leading four straight scoring drives of 62 or more yards, but still took unnecessary risks, appeared panicked in the pocket at times, and threw an awful interception in the end zone with a chance to put the game away in the fourth. Jordan Love had a similarly up-and-down evening, tossing a few long passes and firing a touchdown pass to Christian Watson while also taking a few peculiar risks, including one that was intercepted by Reed Blankenship, and missing open targets. If anything, we were reminded it’s still a new season for some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and we should be prepared to ride the roller coaster — which became more worrisome when Love exited with an apparent lower leg injury in the game’s final seconds.
2. Explosives everywhere. The fans in Sao Paulo received a treat Friday night in the form of plenty of exciting plays. Three touchdowns came from 33 or more yards (including a 70-yard Jayden Reed catch, his second score of the night, and a 67-yard sprint to the end zone for A.J. Brown), and until the Eagles’ final clock-bleeding possession (which lasted 7 minutes 25 seconds), no possession cleared 5:30. It was a game filled with shorter, less remarkable plays — Hurts completed 18 of 22 passes under 15 air yards for 193 yards, per Next Gen Stats — and massive, highlight-worthy gains that produced points or put each team in prime scoring position. That made for a great viewing experience and plenty of clips, and while coaches will strive for more consistency between the big plays, it sure was fun to watch live.
3. Running backs make statements in debuts. Saquon Barkley arrived in Philadelphia as its prized offseason addition, and his value was quickly noticeable Friday night. Barkley opened the scoring for the Eagles, making an acrobatic catch inside the pylon for Philadelphia’s first touchdown, and showed off fantastic burst throughout the night, powering the Eagles’ ground game to the tune of 24 rushes for 109 yards and two touchdowns while overcoming an offensive line that didn’t do a great job of clearing space for him. Josh Jacobs, meanwhile, put together a quality first start with the Packers, sticking to his reputation as a tackle-breaking machine — ripping off runs of +16 and +25 rushing yards over expected — on his way to 84 yards on 16 carries (plus two catches for 20 yards). Both the Packers and Eagles upgraded at the position in the offseason, and it was obvious on Friday night.
4. Philly defense steps up in clutch. While explosive plays defined the night, and the numbers don’t quite support this observation, the Eagles did an excellent job of stiffening in the most important moments. Green Bay entered the Philadelphia red zone twice in its first three possessions in the first quarter, and twice was turned away and forced to settle for field goals. Blankenship’s second-half interception gave the Eagles a chance to respond on the scoreboard and take a five-point lead into the fourth, and when the Packers again threatened to regain the lead, the Eagles stopped them again, forcing another Brayden Narveson field goal. In the final moments, the Eagles’ ability to recover from yet another long pass to Reed helped them secure the win, an encouraging sign for a defense that crumbled down the stretch in 2023.
5. Early season sloppiness pervades Brazil game. Whether it was the Packers’ poor tackling, the combined 17 accepted penalties (for 128 total yards), the poor decisions made by both quarterbacks, or even the quality of the playing surface, this game definitely wasn’t clean. It’s typical of Week 1, especially for a game that required flights of more than nine hours to arrive at the host city. But it will undoubtedly be a focus for both teams going forward, because while the big plays were thrilling, these coaches are seeking consistency, which neither team displayed frequently enough to make them feel good. The good news: It’s only Week 1, and they’ll be back in the States soon enough.

 

Next Gen stat of the game: After struggling against the blitz in 2023, Jalen Hurts improved in Week 1, going 6 for 7 for 91 yards and a touchdown while averaging a time to throw of 2.46 seconds against the Packers’ blitz Friday night.

NFL Research: With two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown, Saquon Barkley became the first Eagles running back to score both via the air and the ground in a game since Miles Sanders did so in 2019.