There was a memorable scene in “Hard Knocks: Offseason” in which New York Giants co-owner John Mara tells his general manager Joe Schoen that he didn’t want to see Saquon Barkley leave in free agency. Especially to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was brought up roughly a million times on social media Friday night.
“I’ll have a tough time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I’ll tell you that,” Mara said.
Mara might not fall asleep for a few days after Friday night’s game. Philadelphia Eagles fans might not either. Same for Green Bay Packers fans but for a much different reason.
Barkley was a game changer for the Eagles’ offense in a shootout 34-29 win over the Packers in São Paulo, Brazil. He became the second player in Eagles history to score three touchdowns in his debut, joining Terrell Owens in 2004.
The game had an unexpected turn with six seconds left when Packers quarterback Jordan Love had his foot pinned underneath him as he was being brought down. He was down on the field in pain and helped off while backup Malik Willis came on to finish the game at quarterback. The Packers will hope that Love’s injury doesn’t cost him any games.
Barkley used all of his skills to beat the Packers. He had a great reception on a deep pass, exploded through a hole for his first touchdown run and bulled his way into the end zone for his third score.
The Eagles didn’t have everything ironed out in their first game this season. But they already know that they added a star on offense who might carry them as they figure things out. The Eagles have to be fired up about what their offense could look like with Barkley making plays at running back.
The game had a lot of scoring but it wasn’t always pretty. Both teams had trouble with the turf, with players on each side slipping. That seemed to get a little better in the second half as teams adjusted their cleats. Other parts of the game seemed disjointed, whether it was due to being in Brazil, the unusual Friday night kickoff or neither team using starters for almost all of the preseason. It didn’t help that there seemed to be a penalty on every other play.
But there was plenty of excitement. Barkley had a hat trick of touchdowns. Packers receiver Jayden Reed had two touchdowns, a 33-yard run and a 70-yard catch. A.J. Brown added a 67-yard touchdown catch for the Eagles early in the second half.
There were big plays and big mistakes too. Hurts threw a bad interception on the first possession of the game and then another inexcusable one into the end zone in the fourth quarter when he threw across his body. It wasn’t always pretty for Love either. He threw an interception that led to Barkley’s third touchdown and also missed on a lot of passes. Love completed just 50% of his attempts. He seemed to be cramping up in the second half, as the training staff worked on his calves when he was on the sideline.
In the fourth quarter the Packers had a choice to make on fourth-and-5 from the Eagles’ 8-yard line. There was a little less than eight minutes remaining. They trailed 31-26. They chose to kick a field goal and cut Philly’s lead to two points instead of going for it, hoping they could get the ball back needing just a field goal to win it.
But the Eagles, who had moved the ball in large chunks most of the game, got deep into Packers territory while chewing up the clock. The Packers seemed to have a third-down stop but defensive lineman Kenny Clark was called for holding, the second questionable defensive holding call on that drive. DeVonta Smith had a big first down just ahead of the two-minute warning on a coverage mistake by the Packers, and then another big first-down catch at the two-minute warning. The Eagles couldn’t punch it in, fumbling a snap when they were about to try a Tush Push, but kicked a field goal with 27 seconds left. Love went out with the injury and on Willis’ last pass attempt he was sacked by linebacker Zack Baun, who had a huge game, and time expired.
Each team had issues. It might take a few weeks, and certainly a return home, to feel a little more comfortable. But on Friday night, the difference was the Eagles’ new running back.
The Giants got a great rookie season out of Barkley and he was never able to replicate that production, though he was good. The question was whether some injuries had taken their toll on him, or if the Giants’ situation around Barkley was so bad that he was being held back.
It seemed like we got the answer on Friday night.
The Eagles signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million deal in the offseason, which was unusual for them. They have generally not invested much in the running back position. Obviously they thought Barkley was a special talent.
He showed that right away on a leaping touchdown in the end zone from Hurts. Not all backs have that type of receiving ability. Barkley rushed for 109 yards, had a big play in the passing game and gave the Eagles offense a jolt that it could have used late last season.
The Eagles were able to grind out a win with an effective final drive as the Packers desperately tried to get a stop and have one more possession with a chance to win. Barkley was a big part of that game-clinching drive as well. It wasn’t always the prettiest win for the Eagles, especially on defense. But it’ll be a lot better flight back to the United States with a 1-0 record.
