Eagles and Packers head to Brazil for season opener

Green Bay (10-9) vs. Philadelphia (11-7) in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Friday, 8:15 PM ET, Peacock

BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 2

Series record: Packers lead 28-18

Last meeting: Eagles won 40-33 in Philadelphia on November 27, 2022.

Packers offense: total (11), rushing (15), passing (12), scoring (12)

Packers defense: overall (17), running (28), passing (9), scoring (10)

Eagles offense: total (8), rushing (8), passing (16), scoring (7)

Eagles Defense: Total (26), Rush (10), Passing (31), Points (30)

Turnover differential: Packers tied, Eagles minus-10

Packers Player to Watch

RB Josh Jacobs. The 2022 All-Pro could have a lot of work to do in his Packers debut. The Packers placed RB AJ Dillon on the injured reserve list last week, and rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd was limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury. That could put more strain on Jacobs, who signed with the Packers after spending his first five seasons with the Raiders. Jacobs had an NFL-leading 1,653 rushing yards in 2022, but his numbers fell off last year, as he rushed for 805 yards and gained just 3.5 yards per carry.

Eagles player to watch

QB Jalen Hurts. How will the QB fare in his first game under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore? The team’s starting quarterback, Hurts, is entering his fifth year and has thrown for 11,764 yards and rushed for 2,503. Hurts’ relationship with coach Nick Sirianni has come under scrutiny. Hurts has expressed lukewarm support for Sirianni at best, and the duo hasn’t spent much time together on the field in training camp. Part of that is Sirianni’s development into a CEO-type coach who has tried to oversee more aspects of the team during practice, not just the offense. How Hurts responds if things get worse could determine Philadelphia’s season.

A key clash

Packers passing game vs. Eagles passing defense. Packers quarterback Jordan Love will try to pick up where he left off last year, while the Eagles’ passing defense looks to rebound from a slow season. Love has thrown 21 touchdown passes and just one interception in nine games, including a surprise win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card playoffs. He’ll throw to a deep receiver group that includes Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. The Eagles allowed 4,296 passing yards last season. Only the Washington Commanders allowed more through the air.

Key injuries

Dillon will miss the entire season for the Packers with a neck injury. The Packers also placed TE Tyler Davis (shoulder) on the injured reserve list. … Packers DL Arron Mosby did not fly to Brazil due to a personal matter. … Eagles LB Devin White (ankle) will not play in Friday’s game.

Notes from the series

Although the Eagles won the previous meeting between the teams in November 2022, that game was a big step in Love’s development. Love entered the game in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers in the second half and was 6-of-9 for 113 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown to Watson. … The two teams have split their last four meetings. … The Packers have scored at least 27 points in each of the last five games against the Eagles. … This is the seventh time the Packers have opened the season against the Eagles. The Packers were 5-1 in the previous six times they opened against the Eagles.

Statistics and stuff like that

It is the first regular-season NFL game in the American South. It is also the first time the NFL has played a Friday night game in the season opener since Sept. 18, 1970, when the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams faced off on Friday. … The Packers are opening the season away from Lambeau Field for the sixth consecutive year. … The Packers are 59-41-3 on kickoff weekends. The only teams with a better kickoff weekend win percentage are the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, who are 40-23-1. … Last year, Love became just the third quarterback to have at least 4,000 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes in his first season with multiple starts. The others are Kurt Warner (1999) and Patrick Mahomes (2018). … Love’s 32 touchdown passes last season ranked second in the league behind Dallas’ Dak Prescott’s 36. … Doubs and Reed each had eight touchdowns for the Packers last year. … Green Bay’s Keisean Nixon was an All-Pro kickoff returner in each of the last two seasons. … The Eagles are coming off a 2023 season in which they started 10-1 but won just once the rest of the season. … The Eagles’ 2023 season ended with a loss to Tampa Bay in the NFC wild-card round. The Packers lost at San Francisco in the divisional playoffs. … Sirianni is the first coach in Eagles history to reach the playoffs in each of his first three seasons with the team. … Hurts had 38 total touchdowns (23 passing, 15 rushing) last season, second in the league behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who had 44. … AJ Brown’s 106 catches last season were the most by any Eagles wide receiver. The previous record was held by Eagles teammate DeVonta Smith, who had 95 in 2022. … The Eagles have won seven of their last eight season-opening games. … The Eagles have two new coordinators this year: Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense). The Packers named Jeff Hafley their new defensive coordinator. … The Eagles will play their first international game since defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-18 in London in 2018, while the Packers’ last international game ended in a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants in London in 2022.

Fantasy Tip

The uncertainty surrounding the quarterbacks behind him means Jacobs will see plenty of action on Friday, making him a valuable asset to have on your roster.