NFL reporters Tom Silverstein and Martin Frank preview Packers vs. Eagles
Tom Silverstein, who covers the Packers for the Milwaukee Journal, and Martin Frank, who covers the Eagles for Delaware Online, preview Friday’s game.
SAO PAULO, Brazil – The first-ever game in South America got off to a rocky start for both the Eagles and the Packers.
But then both offenses got going and the Eagles scored on their last three possessions of the first half, but were still down 19-17 at halftime.
Jalen Hurts lost the ball on an interception and a fumble on the Eagles’ first two possessions, putting the Packers inside the Eagles’ 20-yard line each time. Each time, the Packers had to settle for field goals due to their own sloppiness and some key defensive plays.
Then the Eagles got going when Saquon Barkley threw an 18-yard touchdown pass and an 11-yard touchdown run to set up a Packers touchdown.
SLIP AND SLIDING: Slippery pitch conditions in the Corinthians Arena cause problems for Eagles and Packers
This gave the Eagles a 14-12 lead, but it was short-lived as Packers QB Jordan Love threw a 70-yard touchdown to Jayden Reed when he broke through CJ Gardner-Johnson’s tackle and then ran the final 30 yards on his own.
The Eagles had one final chance to retake the lead, but after stalling at the Packers’ 20-yard line, the Eagles settled for a 38-yard field goal by Jake Elliott as time expired.
The Eagles got a much-needed possession when Reed Blankenship stepped in front of Love’s pass to Luke Musgrave and intercepted the ball, giving the Eagles the ball at the Green Bay 24-yard line.
Barkley scored his third touchdown of the night with a 2-yard run, giving the Eagles the lead again.
It took less than a minute for the Eagles to regain the lead, and then Hurts threw a long pass to AJ Brown down the right sideline. Brown caught the ball and ran down the field for a 66-yard touchdown with 14:09 left in the third quarter.
The Pack came back with 11:55 minutes left on Jordan Love’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson, putting the Packers back in the lead 26-24.
Although Hurts would like to forget the beginning of the game, he turned things around afterward, completing 14 of 22 passes for 154 yards with a TD and INT.
Overall, the Eagles gained 195 yards, Green Bay 199.
Barkley had 31 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards, while AJ Brown had 3 receptions for 41 yards and DeVonta Smith had 4 catches for 49 yards.
For the Packers, Love completed 7 of 14 passes for 130 yards.
CHEESEHEAD FAN: Philadelphia Eagles fan in Brazil shows off his Philly “Cheesehead”
The Eagles couldn’t have started off worse. On their first two possessions, Jalen Hurts lost the ball, giving the Packers the ball in the red zone each time. Each time, the Packers, despite stumbling a bit themselves, were only able to score field goals.
On the Eagles’ first possession, Hurts was intercepted by Xavier McKinney, giving the Pack the ball at the Eagles’ 19-yard line. A holding penalty led to a 36-yard field goal for Brayden Harveson.
On the next possession, Hurts failed to parry Cam Jurgens’ snap and the Packers recovered the ball at the Eagles’ 13-yard line. But after two holding penalties, the Packers managed 8 yards in 8 plays and settled for another field goal.
But then the offense advanced down the field and Hurts capped the attack with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Saquon Barkley. And the Eagles were already leading 7-6 with 12:38 minutes left in the second quarter.
In addition to Rodgers and White, OLB Jalyx Hunt, G Trevor Keegan, OL Darian Kinnard and DT Byron Young were also inactive for the Eagles.
Tanner McKee is the emergency quarterback.
Keegan, Hunt and Kinnard have little to no NFL experience. The Eagles’ backup offensive linemen are tackle Fred Johnson, Tyler Steen and Nick Gates.
For the Packers, Delaware-born running back MarShawn Lloyd was among those not playing as he was still recovering from a hamstring injury.
Quinyon Mitchell starts and makes a big play early
It would have been just a formality anyway, but Isaiah Rodgers’ hand injury, which kept him out of the Eagles’ opening game against the Packers, made it a fait accompli for rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell:
He starts as cornerback opposite Darius Slay and does not leave the field.
In fact, Mitchell prevented a touchdown pass on the Packers’ first possession when Jordan Love attempted to hit Christian Watson from 37 yards out.
A similar situation exists with Nakobe Dean at linebacker. Devin White’s ankle injury also keeps him out of the game, but Dean had apparently earned a starting spot with a strong second half of training camp. The only question was whether Dean had beaten White or Zack Baun.
Dean dropped a potential pick-6 in the second quarter.
The Eagles announced that tight end EJ Jenkins and offensive lineman Nick Gates were promoted from the practice squad for the game. The Eagles only had two tight ends on the roster and on the offensive line, Gates can play center and both guard positions.
Being in Brazil, where soccer is king, it was interesting to hear Eagles kicker Jake Elliott explain the differences between soccer and football. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee stole the show with his fluent Portuguese, answering questions in the Brazilian language and then serving as a translator into English.
Our experts predict Eagles vs. Packers and the 2024 results
What better way to get to know the Eagles’ new offense and revamped defense than to travel nearly 5,000 miles to Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the Eagles’ season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Can Jalen Hurts handle the blitz? Can the defense stop Packers QB Jordan Love? Can the Eagles overcome the retirements of franchise legends Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox?
Our experts give their tips on the Eagles’ game and 2024 season.
When is the Eagles vs. Packers game?
- Date: Friday, September 6
- Time: 20:15
- Where: Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Opportunities: Eagles favored by 2 points; Money line: Eagles (-130); Packers (+110); Over/Under: 49
What channel is the Eagles vs. Packers game on?
- TV channels: Peacock (NBC-10 in the Philadelphia area)
- Announcer: Noah Eagle (match report), Todd Blackledge (analysis) and Kaylee Hartung (sideline)
- Radio: 94 WIP, Merrill Reese (match report), Mike Quick (analysis) and Howard Eskin (sideline)
- Spanish Radio: Tico Sports, Rickie Ricardo (match report), Oscar Budejen (analysis) and Bill Kulik (commentator)
- National Radio: Westwood One, Scott Graham (match report), Mike Mayock (analysis)
Preseason
- August 9, Eagles 16, Ravens 13
- August 15, Eagles 14, Patriots 13
- August 24, Vikings 26, Eagles 3
Regular season
- Friday, against Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8:15 p.m., Peacock
- September 16, vs. Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- September 22, at Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
- Sept. 29, at the Buccaneers, 1 p.m., FOX
- October 6, bye
- Oct. 13, vs. Browns, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 20, NY Giants, 1 p.m., FOX
- Oct. 27, at Bengals, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Nov. 3, vs. Jaguars, 8:20 p.m., NBC
- November 10, Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- November 14, vs. Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- November 24, at Rams, 8:20 p.m.,
- Dec. 1, at Ravens, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Dec. 8, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX
- Dec. 15, vs. Steelers, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- December 22, on Commanders, 1pm, FOX
- Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
- January 5th or 6th, against NY Giants, to be announced, to be announced
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Mfranknfl, on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.
