‘Freak-show’ catch from Saquon Barkley was a sign of things to come in his TD bonanza in Brazil

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — Following the Eagles’ walk-through at Corinthians Arena on Thursday, Saquon Barkley received a personalized Brazilian national team jersey from the country’s governing body. The next day, the running back took a page out of the playbook of the accomplished soccer athletes who have shared the São Paulo pitch.

The 27-year-old Barkley tallied a hat trick of touchdowns in the Eagles’ 34-29 season-opening victory over the Green Bay Packers. His three touchdowns ― two rushing, one receiving ― were the most by an Eagle in his debut since Terrell Owens in 2004.

Still, Barkley hesitated to gush about his individual performance, a bright spot amid a sloppy overall showing that was tainted by three offensive turnovers.

“I think a hat trick is never a bad thing,” Barkley said. “There is so much that I can do, and that’s the kind of player that I am. Always going to be like that. Go back and watch film and obviously the good, look at the good, but there is a lot of bad in there too.”

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Barkley’s good served as a Band-Aid for the offense’s gaffes. Jalen Hurts threw an interception — a pass over the middle picked off by safety Xavier McKinney — on the first possession of the night and fumbled a snap on the second. The offense started to get into a rhythm by the third possession, capped by Barkley’s 18-yard touchdown on a wheel route to give the Eagles their first lead of the night, 7-6.

The Eagles took advantage of a favorable matchup on the play. Fourth-year linebacker Isaiah McDuffie dropped into coverage, and Barkley had a step on him the whole way to the end zone. Barkley leapt over the goal line to snare the pass and managed to plant both feet down in bounds.

Lane Johnson called it a “freak-show” catch. DeVonta Smith wasn’t fazed by Barkley’s technique.

“Sometimes, he comes over there and he works with us,” the receiver said. “We talk about little things with catching the ball all the time. It’s paying off. That’s what we expect him to do, and that’s what he expects out of himself.”

When the Eagles fell behind later in the quarter, Barkley got to work on the ground. On first-and-10 from the Packers’ 11-yard line, he exploited a hole opened up by Mekhi Becton, who pushed three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark aside to clear the way. Barkley ran for 11 yards into the end zone, evading the quartet of Packers defenders who trailed in pursuit.

His longest gain of the night came in the third quarter, when he bounced through a narrow opening between Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson and ripped off a 34-yard run to bring the Eagles into Green Bay territory. His effort went to waste, as Hurts ended the drive by throwing his second interception of the night. This time, Jaire Alexander picked off the pass in the end zone.

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

After the game, Barkley hailed the offensive line for its efforts all night long, claiming that the group made him look better than he actually played. Becton, however, didn’t shy away from heaping praise on the running back.

“That was dope,” said Becton, who was making his first career start at right guard. “I almost cursed. But that [expletive] was dope. I cussed anyway. It was dope, though. It was good. When you’ve seen [you’re] making the blocks, and you just see 2-6 running right by you, it’s a great feeling.”

Barkley punched in another touchdown in the third quarter to put the Eagles on top once more and mark the final lead change of the night. But he still had his work cut out for him in the final quarter. With 7 minutes, 52 seconds remaining, the Eagles needed to bleed out the clock and protect their 31-29 lead.

They achieved their objective, eating up 7:25 of game clock on a drive sealed by Jake Elliott’s 21-yard field goal. Barkley touched the ball nine times on the drive, including a fumble recovery on a botched Tush Push attempt on the Packers’ 1-yard line that set up Elliott’s field goal.

In his Eagles debut, Barkley finished the night with 24 carries for 109 yards and the pair of touchdowns. He also had two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown. When he looked back on the three-year, $37.75 million contract that he signed with the team in the offseason after spending six seasons with the New York Giants, Barkley denied that the game was a means of justifying the Eagles’ investment.

“I don’t think it really was the game that I needed,” Barkley said. “I think once I signed, I kind of had that monkey off my back. I just was super excited and thankful for the opportunity. Not trying to get too much in the past, but I was able to just lock in.”

A locked-in Barkley led the Eagles to their first victory of the season. He experienced a first of his own, too, that no other NFL player will be able to take away from him.

“I’m the first person to ever score [a touchdown] in South America,” Barkley said with a smile. “That’s cool.”