The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers in a close game Friday as Jake Elliott sealed the win at 34-29. Running back Saquon Barkley makes Eagles history in his debut with three touchdowns.
The teams played in the first ever game in South America. Both were coming off of playoff appearances and looked to start their season off strong with a win.
Amidst the forbidden green color rule, The Eagles decided to wear black helmets and pants to match with the Corinthians soccer colors.
Green is not admired in the Corinthians Arena due to the team’s long-lived rivalry with the Palmeiras. This had fans questioning why the two teams with green jerseys were chosen to play. The Packers stuck with their traditional jersey colors, similar to Brazil’s national flag.
The Eagles got off to an ugly start as quarterback Jalen Hurts turned the ball over in their first two possessions, with an interception and fumble. With the red zone advantages, the Packers were only able to get two field goals, making a 6-0 lead.
Hurts quickly turned it around with an 18 yard throw to Saquon Barkley for his first receiving touchdown as an Eagle. The teams traded touchdowns for a 19-17 Packers lead at halftime.
Saquon Barkley shined with 109 rushing yards on 24 carries and ranks second for most touchdowns in an Eagles debut, behind Hall of Famer Terrell Owens.
Packers kicker Brayden Narveson’s field goal brought the score within two in the fourth quarter, building suspense for the Eagles final drive. Hurts took the ball down the field to the one yard line, leaving just 30 seconds for the game-winning field goal.
Hurts allowed one more interception in the second half but finished off with 278 yards and two touchdowns.
It was a scary moment for Packers fans as quarterback Jordan Love suffered a leg injury in the final six seconds trying to avoid a sack. Love left after a prominent performance of 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Love connected with receiver Jayden Reed for the two touchdowns, who totaled 138 yards for the night.
The Eagles’ next game will be at home against the Atlanta Falcons for next week’s Monday Night Football, and the Packers face the Indianapolis Colts at home.
The next international game takes place Oct. 6 in London between the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets.
Rebecca Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected].
To read the article in Spanish, go here.
