Philadelphia Eagles win first NFL game without Jason Kelce as Saquon Barkley scores THREE touchdowns to beat the Packers 34-29 in Brazil – but Jordan Love limps off in worrying scenes
The Philadelphia Eagles started life without Jason Kelce with a win thanks to Saquon Barkley’s three touchdowns on a remarkable debut for his hometown team.
For the first time in 13 seasons there was no Kelce at center for the Eagles. Although there were some teething problems on the offensive line, they claimed a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
In a huge scare for the Packers, franchise quarterback Jordan Love hobbled off with six seconds to go with a lower leg injury.
Fueled by Barkley’s two rushing touchdowns and another through the air, Nick Sirianni’s team showed little resemblance to the team that collapsed remarkably down the stretch last season.
A.J. Brown also scored on a historic night for the NFL as the league played its first-ever game in the southern hemisphere.
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns as the Eagles beat the Packers in Brazil on Friday
Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a worrying lower leg injury with six seconds to play
Barkley scored his first touchdown since joining from the New York Giants with a superb catch
Barkley then showed his devastating rushing ability, cutting through the Packers defense
It was a huge win for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose team inexplicably collapsed last year
Packers quarterback Jordan Love couldn’t inspire his team to victory in Sao Paulo
Kelce, who has been at the Eagles facility during the offseason but will make his ESPN debut on Monday night, tweeted a number of times throughout the game.
Commenting on Love’s injury, he said: ‘Hopefully Jordan Love is okay, love watching him play, was quietly a little nervous about this one, big win for the Good Guys.’
It was not all plain sailing for the Eagles, though. During the first quarter fans flooded Kelce’s social media, begging him to come out of retirement.
It came after Cam Jurgens, who has moved along the offensive line from guard to center to replace Kelce, snapped the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts way too quickly.
Hurts was not ready for the ball and it ricocheted off his body and loose, allowing the Packers defense to pounce on it and turn it over. A similar situation arose at the end of the game when the Eagles tried to score with a ‘tush push’ to put the result beyond doubt.
Kelce, who was watching the game from home, was immediately bombarded by messages from fans who begged him to come out of retirement after the play.
One fan wrote: ‘Eagles about to pay Jason Kelce a billion dollars to come back’.
Another commented: ‘That’s it @JasonKelce needs to put his jersey back on and get out in the field’.
‘If I’m the Eagles I’m calling Kylie (Kelce) to get permission to get @JasonKelce back on the field,’ posted a third.
Another added: ‘Uhh maybe the Eagles should call Jason Kelce to see if he wants to come back.’
Kelce took to X to voice his support for Jurgens after one play, writing: ‘Cam Jurgens! Pulling center! Gotta love it’.
Cam Jurgens, who has moved from guard to center to replace Kelce, made a huge mistake
Kelce took to X to voice his support for Jurgens after one play as he watched on from home
Earlier in the night, Eagles players were loudly jeered as they took the field in Brazil following the controversy surrounding cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay was forced to apologize earlier this week after claiming he did not want to travel to Brazil to play amid fears over the country’s ‘high crime rate’.
He also took aim at NFL bosses for sending both the Eagles and the Packers to the South American nation, before eventually U-turning and branding it a ‘beautiful country’.
Despite Slay’s apology, fans inside Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena made their anger known by booing Eagles players as they made their way out for pregame warmups.
Brazilian supporters clearly haven’t forgotten his comments, which could lead to a hostile atmosphere throughout Friday’s game.
More to follow.
