Seventeen minutes and 22 seconds into his Philadelphia Eagles tenure, Saquon Barkley soared into the end zone.
The two-time Pro Bowl running back wasn’t close to finished with his dazzling Eagles debut.
Barkley matched a career high with three totals touchdowns to propel Philadelphia past the Green Bay Packers, 34-29, on Friday night in the NFL’s first-ever game in Brazil.
“We are so excited to have him,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after the game. “He made some huge, huge plays throughout this entire game. He made it in the pass game. He made plays in the run game. He made some huge plays in critical moments and scored a bunch of touchdowns.”
On a soaring 18-yard TD grab from Jalen Hurts, Barkley not only registered his first Eagles touchdown, but he became the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown on three continents. He scored a plethora in North America over his previous six seasons with the New York Giants and had a touchdown when Big Blue played in London during the 2022 season, which was also a victory against the Packers. And after trips to the end zone in the States and Europe, Barkley became the first player to score a TD in South America.
“Yeah, I’m the first person to ever score in South America,” Barkley said. “That’s cool. I’m definitely trying to get the game ball and that’s something to hang up and put in my house.”
Barkley’s Friday night showing saw him rush for a game-high 109 yards on 24 carries, while scoring on TD runs of 11 and 2 yards following his initial scoring catch. Having moved on from the Giants to the archrival Eagles, Barkley’s three scrimmage TDs are tied for the most by any player in a team debut during the Super Bowl era, according to NFL Research.
Despite his initial touchdown grab — which led to a 7-6 Eagles advantage — Barkley was held relatively in check on the ground in the first half, as he had only 31 yards on nine carries. In the second half, he began to find his burst and rambled for 78 yards on 15 carries.
“The O-line played great,” Barkley said. “That’s a big reason why I wanted to come to Philly when I had the opportunity and why it was a no-brainer for me. We still have a lot to improve on, including myself. So, it meant a lot to come out here and take advantage of the opportunity to be the first team to play in South America. Not only just play but to take care of business and get the W too.”
Philadelphia is coming off a disastrous 2023 campaign in which it sputtered down the stretch ahead of a lopsided wild-card playoff loss.
Barkley is the biggest star of the Eagles’ offseason makeover, and Sirianni is thrilled to have him.
“To have him on our football team means a lot, right,” the third-year coach said. “(General manager) Howie (Roseman) did a great job of putting this team together. He’s a playmaker and he’s a great leader and a great person. People feed off his energy and so you could feel all of that not only just the plays he was making but the energy he had.”
The 27-year-old brought plenty for Philly in his initial showing.
Not since his rookie year had Barkley scored three times in a game.
Not since Miles Sanders in 2019 had an Eagles running back tallied a TD hat trick.
Barkley has made an instant impact for Philadelphia and there was no doubt plenty of Giants fans roughly 4,700 miles away Friday night grieving the loss of their 2018 first-round pick.
It’s just one week into the season, but it appears safe to say Barkley will play a huge role for the Eagles.
“I know he’s a great player and he had a hell of a game tonight,” Hurts said. “It’s exciting to watch him play. I’m happy that he’s on our side. But we got to keep pressing forward — what a debut for him.
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