Philadelphia holds off Green Bay in Brazil as Saquon Barkley shines in Eagles debut
(CNN) — The first NFL game in South America ultimately turned into a spirited back-and-forth offensive battle as the Philadelphia Eagles hung on to defeat the Green Bay Packers, 34-29.
But the historic game ended with concerns about Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love, who appeared in immense pain after taking a hit in the game’s final seconds and had to be helped off the field. Packers head coach Matt LeFleur did not have an immediate update on Love after the game.
In his first game in an Eagles uniform after spending his first six seasons with the New York Giants, running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries and caught one more, while Jalen Hurts was 20-of-34 passing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions.
“I’ve been thankful ever since I signed (with Philadelphia),” Barkley said. “Got a great group of guys, got great teammates, and they made my job a lot easier today.”
Love was 17-of-34 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He had one interception. Wide receiver Jayden Reed had 138 receiving yards, caught one touchdown and rushed for a 33-yard score.
But while it was a unique backdrop to Friday’s game between the Packers and Eagles, there clearly was an issue early on for both teams: Field conditions at Neo Química Arena – also known as Corinthians Arena – were terrible.
Home to Brazilian soccer team SC Corinthians, the stadium was an official venue for both the 2014 men’s FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
Retired NFL star JJ Watt weighed in on X.
“Soccer fields are made for speed and agility,” Watt said in his post. “Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact. They are not properly conditioned to have the size & strength of NFL players cutting, pushing and driving all game on them. This is common at international games.”
NBA star LeBron James was a bit more succinct in an X post of his own: “Man this field sucks!!!”
Action on Friday night started off slow, with sloppy play from both teams on a slippery field. Two Eagles turnovers led to two Packers field goals in the first quarter. Multiple flags were thrown in the direction of both teams. And pieces of the turf could be seen flying into the air when players changed directions.
But while both the Eagles and Packers might not quite have found firmer footing on the turf after the opening period, they did start to find the end zone. In the span of seven minutes in the second quarter, there were four touchdowns in four consecutive possessions.
“It comes with the game of football. You know, you can’t pick and choose what grass you play on,” said Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.
“It wasn’t that bad. You change cleats, and you make the most of it. I think some of us did. I know I did after the first drive. We still have to play football because they had to play football on the same grass as well, so it wasn’t really a complaint from me.”
A combined 21 points were scored in the third quarter, and the Eagles took a 31-26 lead into the fourth.
While Philadelphia was in the red zone, Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander picked off Hurts with less than 13 minutes to go, leading to a Packers field goal to cut it to 31-29 with 7:52 remaining. That interception was also marked by a slip, as Brown lost his footing as he tried to get on the end of Hurts’ pass.
The Eagles ran the clock down to 27 seconds, settling for a field goal after a failing on the team’s signature “tush push” – a massive quarterback sneak in which most of the team combines to try and push Hurts for the necessary yardage.
Green Bay was able to move the to midfield, setting up the possibility of a frenetic finish. But with six seconds left, Love – after pitching the ball to Josh Jacobs – got twisted up while being tackled. He stayed down, writhing in obvious pain. He would be helped off the field. There was no immediate word on the seriousness of his possible injury.
Backup quarterback Malik Willis came in for the final two plays, and the game ended in one final slip that resulted in Willis being sacked.
“I’m not going to make excuses about the field,” LaFleur said. “It was the same for both sides.”
Friday’s game in Brazil was part of the NFL’s expanding International Series, of which there will be five games abroad this season. The other four will take place in Europe.
The NFL now has held a game – preseason or regular season – on five continents.
This was the first time the NFL had a game on Friday night of opening weekend in more than 50 years.
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