September 06, 2024
Kirby Lee/Imagn Images
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts looks to throw against the Packers Friday night in Brazil.
The Eagles won their opener down in Brazil, surviving the Packers 34-29.
They made plays where they looked amazing, ones where they looked anything but, Saquon Barkley was an overall force in his debut, but also the field was slippery and flags flew everywhere for both sides.
Week 1 (international) football for you, but the Eagles are coming out of it and back to Philly 1-0, so everyone can breathe a sigh of relief.
Here are the pivotal plays that defined Friday night's opener...
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense, a unit that did not have any preseason reps, looked a lot like a unit that did not have any preseason reps through their first two drives.
Their opener lasted just three plays while pinned back deep in their own territory: A pitch back to Saquon Barkley that he slipped on for a loss of five, and incompletion out of reach of A.J. Brown, and then a duck of an interception over the middle of the field that was meant for DeVonta Smith, but instead fell into the hands of Xavier McKinney, who cut underneath.
Then take two was cut short – again after just three plays and pinned back deep – when a miscommunication between Hurts and center Cam Jurgens led to an early snap and a fumble recovered by the Packers.
Fortunately for the Eagles, the cost of those back-to-back turnovers to start was just two field goals, as the defense bailed them out with some strong lockdown play that gave the Packers little – with the help of bizarre offsetting too many men on the field penalties that canceled out what would have been an opening touchdown from Green Bay on the game's first series.
Jordan Love went searching for Christian Watson down the left sideline and into the end zone, but rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell stuck to the Packers receiver to break it up, which coupled with a false start right after, stunted Green Bay's early momentum.
The defense held strong early, which kept Friday night from becoming a blowout real quick, but we'll highlight the promising first-round rookie here in particular.
No P.I was called here.... A lot of contact for a no call. #GBvsPHI pic.twitter.com/0qZ9d09nRw
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) September 7, 2024
It took until the Eagles' third possession for the offense to finally get something going, but once it did, it looked exactly like what fans have been dreaming about all summer.
Motion, play action, and Barkley on the wheel...
HURTS TO SAQUON FOR THE @EAGLES FIRST TD!
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/WeEql9w1Ed
He wasn't done there either.
Saquon Freaking Barkley#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ZdXg8tLqB0
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 7, 2024
Jayden Reed had just struck on blown coverage for his second straight touchdown to give the Packers the lead back, 19-14, late in the first half.
The Eagles pushed down into Green Bay territory with the clock ticked down to within the two-minute warning, but on a 3rd and 8, Hurts tried to take off up the middle and got stopped three yards shorts.
Spotted within field goal range at the Packers' 33, the offense stayed on the field to try and draw an offside call with the hard count, but Green Bay didn't bite and they needed to burn a timeout to talk it over.
They stayed out to go for it, and on the snap, Hurts darted a quick pass low to DeVonta Smith, who went down for it for seven and a first to keep the drive going.
It was a gamble – one that would've looked awful if it failed – but the Eagles made good on it and pushed just a bit further. They did end up having to settle for a 38-yard Jake Elliott field goal, but it cut the lead to just two going into the half and with the Eagles getting the ball back while the Packers had to keep honest.
And just as soon as the Eagles came back from the break: Hurts to Brown on the home run swing for a 24-19 lead.
AJ Brown displays his combo of speed and strength 😳
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/wwysleIvB6
The Packers had answered with a 70-yard drive and a touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Watson to go back up 26-24 a couple of drives earlier.
Nakobe Dean held the line with a blow-up of a screen to play to force a punt, but the offense couldn't capitalize and had to punt it back soon after.
Looking for a big gain, Love went over the middle, but Reed Blankenship saw it overtop and jumped the route.
Read by Reed!
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/fYmrdw184S
SAQUON BARKLEY HAS THREE TDS IN HIS @EAGLES DEBUT.
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/WNuj78udYi
Barkley ripped off a huge run up the middle for 34 yards and the Eagles pressed back into Green Bay territory, but were facing a long 3rd and 13.
Hurts rolled out of the pocket right, signaled to A.J. Brown (who slipped in the back of the end zone), then threw across his body to the middle of the end zone on a pass that never had a chance.
Jaire Alexander picked it then ran around with it for a bit, and Hurts had thrown his second interception of the night. The Packers chipped away with a field goal that made it a two-point game in the fourth, 31-29, when it just as easily could've been an eight-point swing in the Eagles' favor.
Jaire Alexander picks it off in the end zone!
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/k77NxlCZjV
Just...why?...
All of that left the Eagles in a familiar, though never close to comfortable situation: Needing to kill just shy of eight minutes of clock to hold on.
And they did manage it.
Hurts and Barkley powered through on some crucial runs to keep a long drive going (7:25 by the end of it, thought with the help of a timely defensive holding penalty too), and Smith hauled into two major first-down passes to push the Eagles down to the Green Bay 6 and seconds away from the two-minute warning.
They could take their time from there, and did, steadily chipping away down to the 1 where a touchdown would've been checkmate on third and goal...
And they fumbled a tush push attempt and just took the field goal, so the Packers still had life. It couldn't be that easy.
It took the defense holding on, unfortunately a Jordan Love injury, and a Zack Baun sack on backup Malik Willis in the final seconds to fully close it out.
Eagles clinch the win in Brazil!#GBvsPHI pic.twitter.com/zO1yAcJlQu
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
Never easy.
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