Saquon Barkley Show saves Eagles’ putrid defense and Jalen Hurts in the NFL’s Brazilian misadventure

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — They needed a star. Desperately. Nobody needed one more than the commish. A savior. That’s what Roger Goodell needed. It’s exactly what he got.

He, and the Eagles, riding in the wake of two massive quads.

Friday night at Corinthians Arena was supposed to be a lot of things: an international showcase for the NFL, a coming-out party for a revamped Eagles defense, a hotly contested marquee game with serious playoff implications.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Saquon Barkley shines in debut; defensive line struggles vs. Packers

It started out as a circus.

Then, Saquon Barkley stole the show. He did so mercifully, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. In a literal sense for the Eagles as far as the win is concerned, in a figurative sense for the NFL.

Three touchdowns, 132 all-purpose yards, 109 of them on the ground. A bell cow performance, inside zones, outside zones, wheel routes, interrupted by the occasional outburst of emotion, a flex and a scream and a nod of the helmet at his latest imposition of force and will.

Barkley is a Man, a Man with a capital M, a Man unlike any the Eagles have had at running back since Wilbert Montgomery. That’s a funny thing to say here in 2024. The Eagles have spent much of the last decade leading the league-wide depression that has gripped the running back profession. They traded away LeSean McCoy, won a Super Bowl with Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount, bid adieu to Miles Sanders, replaced him on the cheap with D’Andre Swift. The first rule of Howie Club is you don’t talk about Howie Club and the second rule is you don’t spend big money on a running back.

» READ MORE: Can Saquon Barkley ever be mentioned with the NFL’s great RBs?

Thing is, Barkley isn’t just a running back. He is an exception who proves the rule.

You saw it throughout the Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Packers here in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Brazil (not to mention its first international season opener). Barkley is just built differently, inside and out. The first of his three touchdowns showcased his top-level receiving ability. Not only did he get a couple of steps on a couple of defenders on a wheel route down the left sideline, but he also managed to keep his feet in bounds while coming down with the catch.

He spent the rest of the night reminding us that he can still ground and pound. His 11-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter was a testament to the force that he brings once he reaches top speed. Five yards down the field, you realized he wasn’t going to be stopped.

Twenty-four carries for 109 yards. Sounds almost nostalgic, doesn’t it? The Eagles weren’t supposed to believe in that kind of thing anymore. But it sure is nice that they had it.

Barkley was a stabilizing force on a night when the defense looked disconcertingly inept under first-year coordinator Vic Fangio. Heralded free agent signee Bryce Huff was nowhere to be found. The box score says he played. But somebody else will have to confirm it. On the rare occasion the Packers were stopped, it mostly was self-inflicted.

Meanwhile, the current quarterback had some moments that looked an awful lot like the ones that came to define the last guy. Three turnovers, including two awful interceptions. Jalen Hurts had some decent moments, some excellent throws. But there was plenty of head-scratching to do.

» READ MORE: Before Tanner McKee became an Eagles QB, he was an honorary Coritiba Crocodile in Brazil

As for the game itself and the Brazilian experiment, there were several moments early on when it flirted with debacle. It took the Packers two hours to make the 20-mile trip from their hotel to the stadium, thanks to this city’s infamous rush hour traffic. The field appeared to have all of the traction of a 100-yard banana peel. Late in the first quarter, the Eagles and Packers had combined for more penalty yards than yards of total offense.

In the end, Barkley was the headline. The Eagles were the victors. They need to be better. Much better. They’ll at least get to do it at 1-0.