This one lived up to the hype in every way. Under the Friday night lights of São Paulo, Brazil, the Eagles and Packers made history in the first NFL game played in South America, and the 60-minute slugfest went down to the wire with the Eagles showing the most resilience, offering the last punch, having the strongest legs, and eventually prevailing 34-29 in a great Week 1 battle.

How did it happen? Let us count the ways. Running back Saquon Barkley put up three touchdowns and 132 total yards in his debut. Quarterback Jalen Hurts shrugged off three giveaways to lead the Eagles on a final, clock-eating drive that produced three points and breathing room on a night when there wasn't much. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were brilliant as usual, tight ends Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra caught and blocked and helped the offensive line, and the entire offense accounted for more than 400 net yards.

And the defense, against a potent Green Bay attack, produced a takeaway that led to seven points, two great red zone stands in the first quarter after Eagles turnovers, and some wild pass-rush action late in the game to clinch it.

Whew! Eagles fans partied in Brazil, they partied at Lincoln Financial Field at the team's Official Season Kickoff Party, and they whooped it up in Australia, all exhausted by the end of the long, long night.

Here are some observations from a great, great Eagles win to open the 2024 regular season …

1. The red zone defense delivered

Let the record show that the Packers scored one touchdown in four red zone trips. After the Eagles turned the football over twice in the first quarter, Philadelphia held first and limited Green Bay to a pair of field goals and then, just like that, the Philadelphia offense came to life.

But make no doubt about it, the Eagles won this game in the red zone. Aggressive pass-rush pressure from the edges, good coverage on the back end, and sure tackling kept Green Bay out of the end zone.

While the Eagles gave up 414 total net yards, they limited Green Bay to a 3-of-11 performance on third downs. They came up with a couple of sacks and pressured quarterback Jordan Love into 17 completions on 34 attempts. Coordinator Vic Fangio has some teaching points as the Eagles gave up too many big plays, but there were good things to see with this defense.

2. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell can play

Sorry to be Captain Obvious here, but it's worth noting: Mitchell stepped right into the starting lineup at cornerback and battled, made some plays, made some mistakes, and then came back and made more plays. He looks polished, poised, extremely talented, and on the path to big things. Very strong debut as Mitchell and Darius Slay started outside and Avonte Maddox played in the nickel. The secondary gave up too many big plays, but let's give the Packers credit there: That is a very good offense that will give every defense a lot of problems this season.

3. It's real: Saquon Barkley is a difference-making player

Running back Saquon Barkley is as advertised – bullish inside, amazing feet and balance, terrific burst, a great receiver. He ran for 109 yards on 24 carries and had a pair of touchdowns and he added two receptions for 23 yards, including an 18-yard grab in the corner of the end zone on a perfect throw from Hurts. That's three touchdowns for Barkley, who matched Terrell Owens' three touchdowns in his Eagles debut back in 2004. Barkley did it all, even though the Packers really did a decent job in the run game. They played very physically on defense. But the Eagles kept at it, kept at it, and after a slow start, poured it on. Speaking of which …

4. Jalen Hurts was huge when the chips were on the table

Hurts threw an interception and had a poor snap exchange with Cam Jurgens early on and just looked a bit out of sync. He didn't have running lanes and the Packers were disciplined when he tried to get going on the ground. Then Hurts threw an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter and he was on the sidelines visibly upset with himself – and then he unleashed a magnificent drive to eat the clock in the fourth quarter. Sixteen plays, 67 yards, and 7 minutes, 25 seconds off the clock led to a Jake Elliott field goal and the lead went from two points to five points with less than a minute remaining in the game. On the drive, Hurts completed two passes to Smith that gained first downs and ran twice for 16 yards and big first downs and worked the clock beautifully and the four-minute offense became the 7:25 offense at just the right time when the Eagles needed it.

There are things to work on – notably the giveaways and the lack of success on the Brotherly Shove, but that's to be expected. The Eagles won this game and it was titanic to win and that is all that matters on a night when we had a glimpse of what Kellen Moore plans with the offense – good tempo, a variety of personnel packages including using two running backs at the same time, spreading the football around, getting the ball to Barkley a lot (26 touches), and sticking with Hurts in the running game. Hurts finished 20 of 34 for 278 yards and had 13 carries for 33 yards on the ground. Big numbers for any quarterback on this stage.

5. The turnover battle: In a rarity, the Eagles lose the turnovers and win the game

You aren't supposed to win a game when you lose the turnover battle 3-1. But the Eagles did that. The great red zone defense helped as did converting a Reed Blankenship interception into seven points. That's how you do it, folks.

6. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith again showed why they are the perfect wide receiver tandem

Here are the numbers: Brown went for 119 yards and a touchdown on five catches (10 targets) and Smith ate the Packers alive underneath with 7 receptions and 84 yards on eight targets. They are just so, so good together, perfectly complementary, and happy for each other. In a world of NFL wide receivers having some, um, difficulty sharing the spotlight, these two love when the other has success.

7. The tight ends helped, too

Not a huge night, but a contribution for sure from Dallas Goedert, who had 4 receptions for 31 yards and Grant Calcaterra, who had a big 11-yard catch for a first down. They helped the new-look offensive line that featured Jurgens – who had some ups and downs – at center and Mekhi Becton at right guard. This group will get better and better.

8. Other observations of note

Both Nakobe Dean and Zach Baun were around the football a lot. Baun led the Eagles with 11 solo tackles and 15 total hits and also recorded two quarterback sacks. Dean nearly had a pick-six, but otherwise he was really strong with four tackles and good activity. Again, the defense gave up too many big plays, and that will be addressed, but hung in there and actually knocked Love out of the game, leaving backup Malik Willis on the field in the closing seconds for two desperation snaps. The Eagles swarmed on that final drive. Great to see.

The new dynamic kickoff? Thirteen kickoffs, 10 touchbacks and three no-big-deal returns.

Green Bay won the toss and elected to receive – and no doubt regretted it. The Eagles used the final possession of the first half to score on an Elliott field goal to narrow Green Bay's lead to 19-17 and then Hurts found Brown for a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the first possession of the second half and … that's … why … you … defer to the second half, folks.