Saquon Barkley's tenure as Eagles head coach is off to an inauspicious start.
But he quickly bounced back and scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air, leading the former Giants star to Philadelphia's Week 1 victory.
He rushed for 109 yards and had two catches for 23 yards in a 34-29 win over the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Barkley completed an 18-yard pass in the second quarter of the season opener for the Eagles' first score of the season.
He promptly scored an 11-yard rushing touchdown to put the Eagles up 14-12 with just under six minutes left in the first half.
He added a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter, his third touchdown of the day, making him the first Eagles player to score three touchdowns in his team debut since Terrell Owens in 2004.
Barkley surpassed the 100-RBI mark just once last season with the Giants.
“I try to visualize success and stay positive,” Barkley said. “One of my goals this year is to think more positively.”
Barkley's first game with the Eagles didn't go as planned, as he caught a fast throw from Jalen Hurts and slipped on the turf at NeoQuimica Arena for a loss of four yards.
After a disastrous opening series capped by a Jalen Hurts interception and a quarterback fumble on the Eagles' ensuing possession, Philadelphia finally got going on its third attempt.
On second down and 11 deep in Packers territory, Hurts fired a lob pass over two Green Bay defensive backs to the near side and into the hands of a leaping Barkley.
The Penn State product caught 12 touchdown passes in six seasons with the Giants, and now he caught his first touchdown pass for the Big Blue's NFC East rivals.
On the ground, he averaged 4.5 yards per attempt, including a game-best 34-yard run.
