They looked shaky at times, but the Birds got a quality win in the NFL’s inaugural Brazil game.
After finishing last season on a 1-6 run including a playoff rout at the hands of the Buccaneers, there were questions surrounding how the Eagles would play this year. An impressive win against Green Bay, under questionable playing conditions in Brazil, should have Eagles fans feeling optimistic about the season.
The turf at Arena Corinthians in Brazil provided a different playing surface which seemed to negatively impact the play for both teams. Harkening back to the infamous turf from Super Bowl LVII which one player called the “worst field I ever played on,” players were regularly slipping and sliding in Brazil despite clear weather conditions.
The turf may have played a role in the lack of a pass rush during the game, but the Birds expected more out of their front seven. Bryce Huff was one of the gems of the Eagles offseason when he was signed away from the Jets to replace star pass rusher Hasson Reddick, but was virtually ineffective in this game. Huff only played 27 snaps for the Eagles, contributing 0 sacks and just 1 assisted tackle.
It wasn’t all bad on the defensive side of the ball. Inside linebacker Zack Baun was a revelation on Friday night contributing the only 2 sacks for the Eagles’ defense while playing 100% of the team’s snaps in his debut. Rookie first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell also looked like the real deal showing the makings of a potential lockdown corner in the Eagles’ secondary.
The star of the game was newly signed Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley scored three times on the night, running 24 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns while adding 23 yards and another touchdown as a receiver. Barkley was named ‘Player of the Game’ by Pro Football Focus, and if he keeps up this performance he could win the NFL’s ‘Offensive Player of the Year’ award.
The Eagles franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes with 278 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 33 rushing yards with 1 fumble on a bad snap in the win.
Hurts’ lowlight was his first-quarter interception thrown from the Eagles’ own 5-yard line. The ball was thrown into a gang of Green Bay defenders and had no chance of being a positive play. For a quarterback who has been lauded for his decision-making, it was a worrying start.
One big positive for Hurts was how he handled the Green Bay blitz. After last season, it seemed like the book was being written on Hurts and his inability to handle simple blitz packages. His play on Friday was an encouraging step in the right direction.
As for the Packers, the loss isn’t the biggest concern for the team leaving Brazil. Their star quarterback Jordan Love suffered an apparent knee injury in the last seconds of the game and had to be helped off the field. Love is thought to have sprained his MCL and will avoid injury reserve but could miss multiple games going forward.
