It was far from pretty but the Philadelphia Eagles are 1-0 after defeating the Packers on the road in Brazil. On a night where misfires and mistakes ruled, it was Saquon Barkley who proved to be the difference, recording 109 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns in his Philly debut.
The offense sputters
There will be plenty to discuss following the game. Jalen Hurts did not look sharp by any means. He kept the ball in his hands for far too long, looked skittish both in and out of the pocket, and made some costly mistakes. In fact, two awful drives to start the game gifted the Packers an opportunity to put up 14 early points, but it was Vic Fangio’s defense that came up big, holding them to just 6, and giving the offense time to grow into the game and shake off the rust.
Whether it was rust, a lack of preseason exposure, or maybe a combination of the two, the offense struggled throughout the night. The field itself presented challenges to players on both teams early on, but an abundance of offensive miscues along the line continued to sting the Eagles throughout the game. The absence of Jason Kelce was definitely felt in São Paulo, and it hindered nearly every aspect…except for run-blocking.
Sensational Saquon
Saquon Barkley decided to put the team on his back and show the world why he is still regarded as one of the premier rushing talents in this league, mauling his way through defenders in a way that hasn’t been seen for a very long time in Philadelphia. His combination of McCoy-like shiftiness and Jordan Howard esque’ physicality presented a daunting challenge for the Packers, one they simply could not find a solution to.
Eagles offense endures bumps and bruises
The wideouts also strut their stuff. DeVonta Smith and A.J Brown looked menacing with the ball in their hands, consistently creating yards after the catch and bailing out some inconsistent throws from their quarterback. The pair combined for 203 yards of receiving on the night, but they were the only wideouts to draw targets. Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra split 5 (4-1), while running backs Barkley & Gainwell picked up the rest.
The offense felt very reminiscent of what we saw in 2023 but with added motion. It felt like the plays yielded the same results, but the difference was that now there was an abundance of motion in the backfield.
One would assume that their first live game as a unit was always going to be bumpy and that the problems will be ironed out during the extended bye week.
Fangio’s defense holds strong
Outside of a Jayden Reed breakout, the Eagles’ defense did its job. Turnovers, constant pressure, and big-time stops bailed the offense out just enough to keep them within reaching distance of Green Bay. Quinyon Mitchell looked exceptional for the most part in his NFL debut and flashed plenty of upside in the secondary, while Reed Blankenship picked off a crucial pass and Darius Slay forced a fumble (recovered by the Packers). The future is bright in Philadelphia’s secondary.
As for the defensive line, it was a mixed bag. Bryce Huff was invisible for most of the game, but some big plays from Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and the defensive tackles ensured that Jordan Love felt a cold shiver down his spine on most dropbacks. Partnered with significantly improved linebacker play from the likes of Nakobe Dean and the man I’ll give some major props to next, the Eagles pass-rush was able to generate plenty of pressure throughout the night.
However, there were phases where the Packers would just relentlessly gash them. Jayden Reed ended the night on 138 receiving yards and Emanuel Wilson’s 46 rushing yards felt like they all came in a matter of seconds, one play after the next. There are certainly some screws to tighten, but this was a strong first showing.
Zack Baun makes his mark
There was a lot to like defensively, but perhaps the biggest standout of all was recently-signed Zack Baun. I sang his praises all offseason and found myself screaming from the rooftops on Friday night. The former Saint was all over the field making big-time hits, leading the team in tackles and registering 2 sacks on his debut. The Eagles could have a real hidden gem in the young linebacker.
Looking ahead
The main thing here is that the Eagles won. It was never going to be a blowout win, but the Birds remained resilient and found a way to scrape a win over a team many consider to be contenders for the NFC crown this year. That’s all that matters for now. There are bound to be a lot of tough conversations and intense practices between now and the teams’ week 2 clash against Atlanta but they will be done so in the knowledge that the team is 1-0, and that’s all that really matters
REUTERS/Carla Carniel
