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 opened their Jason Kelce-less career with a win thanks to Saquon Barkley’s three touchdowns in a remarkable debut for his hometown team.
For the first time in 13 seasons, the Eagles were without Kelce under center. Despite some teething problems on the offensive line, they defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in Brazil.
The Packers got a big scare when quarterback Jordan Love was forced to leave the field with a lower leg injury six seconds before the end of the game.
Thanks to Barkley’s two rushing touchdowns and another through the air, Nick Sirianni’s team looked little like the one that suffered a remarkable late-season collapse last season.
AJ Brown also scored on a historic night for the NFL, when the league played a game in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time.
Saquon Barkley scored three touchdowns as the Eagles defeated the Packers in Brazil on Friday
Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a worrisome lower leg injury with six seconds left in the game
Barkley scored his first touchdown since joining from the New York Giants with a great catch
Barkley then showed his devastating rushing ability, breaking through the Packers defense
It was a huge win for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, whose team inexplicably collapsed last year
Kelce, who played for the Eagles during the offseason but will make his ESPN debut on Monday night, tweeted several times during the game.
Regarding Love’s injury, he said: “I hope Jordan Love is OK. I’m excited to watch him play. I was secretly a little nervous about this game. A big win for the Good Guys.”
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Eagles, however. During the first quarter, fans flooded Kelce’s social media, begging him to come out of retirement.
That happened after Cam Jurgens, who had replaced Kelce at guard, threw the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts far too quickly.
Hurts wasn’t ready for the ball and it ricocheted off his body and came loose, allowing the Packers defense to pounce and turn him over. A similar situation arose late in the game when the Eagles attempted to score with a tush push to put the score beyond doubt.
Kelce, who watched the game from home, was immediately inundated with messages from fans begging him to come out of retirement after the game.
One fan wrote: ‘Eagles gonna pay Jason Kelce a billion dollars to come back’.
Another commented: ‘That’s it, @JasonKelce needs to put his jersey back on and get on the field’
“If I was the Eagles I would call Kylie (Kelce) and get permission to get @JasonKelce back on the field,” posted a third.
Another added: “Uh, maybe the Eagles should call Jason Kelce and ask him to come back.”
Kelce went to X to show his support for Jurgens after one play, writing, “Cam Jurgens! Pulls the middle! Love that.”
Kelce posted several times on social media during the game as he watched
Cam Jurgens, who moved from guard to center to replace Kelce, made a big mistake
Kelce went to X to show his support for Jurgens after a game while watching from home
Earlier that evening, Eagles players were loudly booed as they took the field in Brazil following the controversy surrounding cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay was forced to apologize earlier this week after saying he would not travel to Brazil to play due to concerns about the country’s “high crime rates.”
He also lashed out at NFL executives for sending both the Eagles and Packers to the South American country, but eventually changed his mind, calling it a “beautiful country.”
Despite Slay’s apology, fans at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo showed their anger by booing Eagles players as they walked outside to warm up for the game.
Brazilian fans clearly haven’t forgotten his comments and that could create a hostile atmosphere during Friday’s match.
More to come.