SAO PAULO – Saquon Barkley has been practicing the art of positive thinking since switching teams for the first time in his career.
Yet he probably couldn’t have imagined making such a spectacular debut for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Barkley scored three touchdowns Friday night in the first NFL game in South America and led the Eagles to a 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers, who lost quarterback Jordan Love to an injury in the closing seconds.
“I'm always about visualizing success and putting positivity in my mind,” said Barkley, who became the first player to score three touchdowns in his Eagles debut since Terrell Owens in 2004. “That's one of my goals this year: Be more of a positive thinker.”
Now it's the Packers who will try to get negative thoughts out of their minds as they worry about the future of Love, who signed a four-year, $220 million extension this summer. Love limped off the field with assistance after getting injured with 6 seconds left.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had no update on Love's condition after the game.
Backup Malik Willis was sacked by Zack Baun on the final play, preventing him from launching a Hail Mary from the Philadelphia 47.
“We’ve got to learn from this,” LaFleur said. “Because, just watching the tape, and I’m not trying to take anything away from Philly — they battled and they played their game — but I think there was a lot of opportunities that we didn’t capitalize.”
Barkley rushed for 109 yards and scored on an 18-yard catch and runs of 11 and 2 yards. He spent six seasons with the New York Giants before Philadelphia signed him to a three-year, $37.75 million deal with $26 million guaranteed.
Jalen Hurts was 20 of 34 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Eagles. A.J. Brown caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown, in a festive setting that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni compared to a playoff atmosphere.
“Man, did Brazil get a great game tonight or what?” Sirianni said. “I know we converted some people to be big-time football fans tonight.”
Green Bay’s Jayden Reed scored on a 33-yard jet sweep and a 70-yard reception, which was the longest touchdown completion of Love’s career. Reed caught Love’s pass inside Philadelphia’s 40 and made a move at around the 30 that sent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson sprawling.
Reed became the first player to have a touchdown catch of 30-plus yards and a touchdown run of 30-plus yards in a season opener since Hall of Famer Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns against Washington in 1963.
Reed also had an apparent 38-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive get wiped out because both teams had 12 men on the field. He finished with four catches for 138 yards.
Love went 17 of 34 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Barkley’s third touchdown put the Eagles ahead 31-26 with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Reed Blankenship set up that score with an interception that gave Philadelphia the ball at Green Bay’s 25.
The Eagles still led 31-26 when Jaire Alexander intercepted Hurts in the end zone early in the fourth quarter. Green Bay drove into the red zone but settled for a 26-yard field goal by rookie Brayden Narveson, who went 3 for 4 on his attempts.
Philadelphia then controlled possession until Jake Elliott kicked a 21-yard field goal with 27 seconds left.
Some Eagles players had expressed reluctance earlier this week about traveling to Brazil, which cost them the opportunity to play their season opener in front of a friendly crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. The crowd at NeoQuimica Arena instead was balanced among Packers fans, Eagles fans and spectators who just cheered any positive development.
The Eagles weren't complaining afterward.
“I don't know if Sao Paulo knows when to cheer, but it was great,” Brown said. “It was loud the entire time. They kind of got a bad rap. We got a whole bunch of 'Don't do's,' but it's been great ever since we got here.”
Players from both teams were slipping on the playing surface throughout the first half, prompting many to change their cleats. A Brazilian soccer league game was played in the stadium five days earlier.
NeoQuimica Arena’s field is often praised by soccer players as Brazil's best, but it had never hosted an American football game. The hybrid field includes both grass and synthetic fiber.
The slippery surface may have contributed to a sloppy start.
Philadelphia committed turnovers on each of its first two series, enabling Green Bay to start back-to-back drives in the red zone, but the Packers settled for field goals both times.
“The red area was a huge problem tonight,” LaFleur said. “I would say a year ago, we were pretty damn good in that area. And we got destroyed in that area tonight.”
The offenses took over in the second and third quarters. Six of seven possessions resulted in touchdowns.
INJURIES
Eagles LB Devin White (ankle) didn’t play. The Packers were missing RBs AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd. Dillon went on injured reserve last week with a neck issue, and Lloyd was out with a hamstring injury.
UP NEXT
Packers: Host Indianapolis on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Eagles: Host Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 16.
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Megargee reported from Wisconsin.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl