Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is excited to see what comes next from Saquon Barkley after he scored three touchdowns on a memorable debut for the team on Friday.
Barkley shone as the Eagles started the season with a 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL's first international game to take place in Sao Paulo.
The former New York Giants back rushed for two touchdowns and caught a Jalen Hurts pass for another, becoming the first player to score three touchdowns on his Eagles debut since Terrell Owens in 2004.
Barkley finished with 109 rushing yards and 23 receiving off two catches, including a terrific 18-yard reception for his first score – the first touchdown to be scored in South America.
Sirianni hailed the two-time Pro Bowler's influence after the win, saying: "We are so excited to have him. 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.
"To have him on our football team means a lot. [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 in the plays he was making but the energy he had."
Barkley, meanwhile, was delighted to make NFL history as he became the first player to score a touchdown on three different continents, having previously done so in London with the Giants in 2022.
"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.
"The O-line played great. 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."
NFL Week 1: Cowboys start impressively
Hours after making their franchise quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys opened defence of their NFC East title with an impressive 33-17 road win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Dak Prescott threw for 179 yards and a touchdown in his first game since signing a record four-year, $240 million contract extension earlier in the day, and Dallas also got strong contributions on defence and special teams to easily handle a Browns team that won 11 games and reached the playoffs last season.
The Cowboys intercepted Deshaun Watson, Cleveland's highly paid quarterback, twice while limiting the Browns to 230 total yards. Dallas' return game was in top form as well, with KaVontae Turpin taking a punt back 60 yards for a touchdown early in the second half.
Watson managed just 169 yards and a touchown on 24-of-45 passing in his first appearance since undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in November.
Prescott showed his value on Dallas' second possession of the season, as he completed a 34-yard pass to star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to put the Cowboys deep into Cleveland territory and later capped the drive with a 21-yard touchdown strike to Brandin Cooks for a 7-3 Dallas lead with 6:55 left in the first quarter.
The Browns had gone ahead early on Dustin Hopkins' 51-yard field goal that concluded their opening drive.
It was all Cowboys from that point on, though.
Dallas increased its advantage to 14-3 with 5:15 left in the second quarter via an 11-play, 78-yard drive culminating in Ezekiel Elliott's 3-yard touchdown run, his first score since rejoining the Cowboys following a one-year stint with the New England Patriots.
The Cowboys then closed out the first half with field goals of 57 and 40 yards from Brandon Aubrey to build a 20-3 half-time lead.
Turpin's dazzling return touchdown just over two minutes into the second half put the Browns in a bigger hole, though Cleveland did respond with its best drive of the day.
Watson completed 6 of 9 passes on a 12-play, 75-yard march that he ended with a six-yard touchdown toss to Jerry Jeudy that got the Browns within 27-10 midway through the third quarter.
The offence turned it over on downs on its next two series, however, which led to two more Aubrey field goals that pushed Dallas' lead to 33-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland did get a late touchdown, a 2-yard run from Jerome Ford with 29 seconds left in the game that completed a 15-play drive.
Lions ruin Stafford's return again, edge Rams in overtime
David Montgomery capped the game's only overtime drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Detroit Lions a hard-fought 26-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch between teams that met in last season's NFC playoffs.
The Lions squeaked out a 24-23 win over Los Angeles in a post-season clash in January, the first game for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in Detroit since being traded by the Lions to Los Angeles in March 2021 in a deal that sent fellow signal-caller Jared Goff to the Motor City.
Detroit had to dig deep once again in this meeting, as it blew a 17-3 third-quarter lead before rallying to force overtime on Jake Bates' 32-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in regulation.
Stafford never had the chance to exact revenge in extra time, as the Lions never gave the ball back to the Rams by marching 70 yards to the end zone in nine plays.
Montgomery did much of the heavy lifting, as he churned out 45 yards on five carries during the possession and capped it by powering across the goal line to end the game.
The running back amassed 91 of the Lions' 163 rushing yards as one of Detroit's offensive stars along with wide receiver Jameson Williams, who caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from Goff in the third quarter and finished with a career-high 121 yards on five receptions.
Goff threw for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception while completing 18 of 28 passes.
Stafford, who spent his first 12 seasons with Detroit, finished with 317 yards and a touchdown on 34-of-49 passing, but also threw a costly interception in the end zone late in the first half with the Rams in scoring range.
Cooper Kupp was on the other end of a slew of Stafford's throws, as he tied a career high with 14 catches totalling 110 yards with a touchdown. The Rams' other standout receiver, Puka Nacua, was forced out of the contest early in the second half with a knee injury.
Both teams managed just one field goal each for the majority of the first half until the Lions got untracked with a 10-play, 77-yard drive late in the second quarter.
Williams had a 36-yard catch and a 13-yard run on the series, which Jahmyr Gibbs capped with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave Detroit a 10-3 lead just past the two-minute warning.
The Rams got to Detroit's 8-yard line on the ensuing possession, but came away empty when Stafford's pass into traffic was picked off by Kerby Joseph in the end zone.
Goff found Willams open down the left sideline for a 52-yard touchdown that put Detroit up 17-3 early in the third quarter, but the Rams responded with 17 straight points to move ahead.
Los Angeles answered Williams' score with a 14-play, 61-yard drive ending in Kyren Williams' 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. A 63-yard pass from Stafford to Tyler Johnson on the Rams' next possession led to Joshua Karty's 26-yard field goal that trimmed the lead to 17-13 with 12:32 to go in regulation.
Goff was then intercepted on Detroit's next series, and Stafford went 8 for 8 the next time Los Angeles had the ball. The veteran hit Kupp for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 20-17 edge with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the Lions got the ball back with 2:11 to go and moved within range for Bates' game-tying field goal in the final stages of regulation.
Fields steps in, Boswell boots six field goals to help Steelers get past Falcons
Justin Fields filled in for an injured Russell Wilson and won his Pittsburgh Steelers debut - with a little help from kicker Chris Boswell and his new team's rugged defence.
Boswell accounted for all of Pittsburgh's points with six field goals, while the Steelers intercepted Kirk Cousins twice in a season-opening 18-10 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The game had been billed as a clash of veteran quarterbacks playing their first game with new teams, and remained so with a twist as Wilson was ruled inactive due to a calf injury he aggravated in practise during the week.
Fields, acquired from the Chicago Bears in the offseason, stepped in to complete 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards while adding 57 yards on 14 rush attempts.
Cousins' first outing since bolting the Minnesota Vikings in March to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons didn't go as smoothly. The four-time Pro Bowler did throw a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts, but managed just 155 yards on 16-of-26 passing while under constant pressure throughout.
Atlanta's new-look offence was held scoreless over the final two quarters and committed two second-half turnovers, the first a botched shotgun exchange that resulted in a fumble recovered by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt early in the third quarter. The miscue led to Boswell's fourth field goal of the day, a 56-yard kick that gave the Steelers a 12-10 lead.
Boswell converted again on Pittsburgh's next possession, with his 40-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the third quarter set up by a 40-yard completion from Fields to George Pickens.
The Steelers' defence continued to dominate in the fourth, and any Atlanta comeback hopes were dashed when Donte Jackson picked off Cousins with 2:34 remaining and returned the interception 47 yards to the Falcons' 18.
After Boswell ended the drive with a 25-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to extend the lead to 18-10, Watt sealed the win by sacking Cousins as time expired.
Cousins' first interception, a throw into traffic that was snared by Steelers' safety DeShon Elliott, came after both teams capped their opening drives with field goals. The turnover was turned into Boswell's 51-yard field goal that gave Pittsburgh a 6-3 edge early in the second quarter.
Cousins was sharp on a nine-play, 90-yard drive that he concluded with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Pitts that put Atlanta up 10-6 with 32 seconds left in the first half. Fields quickly answered, however, by connecting with Pickens on a 33-yard pass that set up Boswell's 44-yard field goal that brought the Steelers within a point at half-time.
No. 1 pick Williams struggles but wins Bears debut
Caleb Williams' NFL debut was one to remember, even if his final stat line was something to forget.
The 2024 No. 1 overall pick mustered just 93 passing yards in his first career game, but Williams' Chicago Bears teammates picked up the rookie by scoring touchdowns on defence and special teams in a 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Tyrique Stevenson put the Bears ahead for good with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown with 7:43 left to play, and Chicago also received a 21-yard touchdown return from Jonathan Owens on a blocked punt in the third quarter to overcome a 17-0 first-half deficit.
Cairo Santos made all three of his field goal attempts to also help offset Williams' struggles. The former Heisman Trophy winner completed just 14 of his 29 passes.
Will Levis also had a rough day for Tennessee, however, as the second-year quarterback threw for just 127 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-32 passing and was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter.
The first of those picks was an ill-advised throw under pressure that Stevenson snared out of the air and raced untouched down the sideline to give Chicago a 22-17 lead. Williams then successfully converted the ensuing two-point try with a pass to DeAndre Swift that increased the margin to seven points.
Levis got the Titans to near midfield in the final minutes, but was intercepted by Jaylon Johnson with 1:05 left before the Bears ran out the clock.
Chicago mustered a mere 50 yards of offence in the first half and trailed 17-3 at intermission, but got the spark it needed from its special teams early in the third quarter.
Daniel Hardy blocked Tennessee punter Ryan Stonehouse's attempt, with Owens promptly scooping up the loose ball and running into the end zone to score the Bears' first touchdown of the season and change the game's momentum with 9:07 remaining in the third.
Chicago's defence then forced the Titans to go three-and-out on their next two possessions, and Williams led an 11-play, 44-yard drive capped by Santos' 50-yard field goal that cut the lead to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter.
The Bears' defence came up big again on Tennessee's next drive, as Levis was sacked by Darrell Taylor to force a fumble recovered by Chicago linebacker T.J. Edwards. The turnover set up Santos' 48-yard field goal that made it a one-point game with 9:52 left.
Tennessee scored on three consecutive drives in the first half to build an early 17-0 advantage, with Tony Pollard opening the scoring with a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.
The Bears then fumbled the ball away on the ensuing kickoff, leading to Nick Folk's 40-yard field goal 54 seconds into the second quarter.
Tennessee extended the margin with a massive 14-play, 73-yard drive culminating in Levis' 17-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo with 3:44 left in the first half. Chicago's DeAndre Carter returned the following kickoff 67 yards into Titans' territory, however, before Santos booted home a 24-yard field goal just before halftime.
Pollard rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries in his Titans' debut. The Memphis native signed with Tennessee in March following a five-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys.
Chargers pull away from Raiders, win Harbaugh's NFL return
J.K. Dobbins' 135 rushing yards and a touchdown helped make Jim Harbaugh's return to the NFL coaching ranks a winning one as the Los Angeles Chargers pulled away for a 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Justin Herbert added a late touchdown pass to rookie Ladd McConkey in Harbaugh's first game on an NFL sideline since leaving the San Francisco 49ers following the 2014 season for the University of Michigan, where he led his alma mater to a 2023 national championship before resurfacing with the Chargers.
Los Angeles stalled on offence for the first three quarters in Harbaugh's comeback game, but got untracked in the fourth with a pair of touchdown drives to extend a slim 9-7 lead entering the final period.
Dobbins made a triumphant return as well while playing his first game since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener while then a member of the Baltimore Ravens. The running back ripped off a 46-yard run in the third quarter that set up Cameron Dicker's third field goal of the game, a 24-yard kick that put Los Angeles up 9-7 near the midway mark of the period.
The Chargers later increased the margin with a six-play, 61-yard drive that Dobbins ended with a 12-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
A 33-yard pass from Gardner Minshew to Jakobi Meyers got the Raiders in range for Daniel Carlson's 32-yard field goal that trimmed the lead to 16-10 with 10:30 left. Las Vegas went three-and-out on its next possession, however, and Dobbins broke loose for a 61-yard run shortly afterward to put the Chargers deep into Raiders' territory.
Three plays later, McConkey caught a short pass from Herbert and side-stepped a defender for a 10-yard touchdown which helped seal the outcome with 3:40 remaining.
Minshew completed 25 of 33 passes with one interception in his first game since signing with Las Vegas as a free agent in the offseason. The veteran quarterback also threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Mattison late in the first quarter that gave the Raiders a 7-3 advantage.
Los Angeles had scored the game's first points on Dicker's 53-yard field goal with 4:22 left in the opening quarter.
Minshew also had a costly fumble late in the first half that was scooped up by the Chargers' Khalil Mack and returned 22 yards to Las Vegas' 12-yard line. The turnover led to Dicker's 25-yard field goal that pulled the Chargers within 7-6.
Dolphins rally to top Jaguars on Sanders' 52-yard field goal
The Miami Dolphins escaped to beat the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17 on Jason Sanders’ 52-yard field goal as time expired.
Sanders connected on a pair of late field goals for the Dolphins, who rallied from a 17-7 half-time deficit to win a fourth consecutive season opener.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards, and his 80-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter started the comeback and brought Miami within three points.
The Dolphins tied the score on Sanders’ 37-yard field goal with 4:22 to play in the fourth quarter. Miami’s defence then forced a three-and-out, sacking Trevor Lawrence on both second and third down.
The offence got the ball back at its own 35-yard line with just over two minutes remaining and Tagovailoa drove the Dolphins 31 yards to set up the winning kick.
Hill finished with seven receptions for 130 yards in an eventful day, which began with him being handcuffed and placed facedown on a street by police officers after being stopped for a traffic violation near the Dolphins’ stadium.
The Miami-Dade police department opened an investigation into the events that led to Hill being handcuffed, with one of the officers involved in the incident put on administrative leave.
Miami also got 109 yards on five receptions from Jaylen Waddle, while Devon Achane had a rushing touchdown while compiling 100 yards from scrimmage.
Lawrence threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to rookie Brian Thomas that gave the Jaguars a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but got little going after half-time as Jacksonville was held scoreless over the final two quarters. The former No. 1 overall pick finished with 162 yards while completing 12 of 21 attempts.
Steelers to start QB Fields with Wilson hurt
Russell Wilson's injured calf will keep him out of Sunday's season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, making Justin Fields the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers had named Wilson the team's starting quarterback but the 12-year NFL veteran aggravated a calf injury this past week that had side-lined him earlier in training camp.
He had tried to warmup up before Pittsburgh's game at Atlanta before the team ultimately decided to make him the emergency quarterback.
As the emergency QB, he can only take the field if Fields and backup Kyle Allen both get injured.
The Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears in March for a conditional draft pick.
The pick will be a sixth-rounder unless Fields plays 51 percent of the snaps this season for Pittsburgh, then it will become a fourth-rounder.
Fields made 38 starts and appeared in 40 games for Chicago since he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He completed 60.3 percent of his passes with 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions and added 14 rushing scores.
The 35-year-old Wilson, a Super Bowl XLVIII champion with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the Steelers a week before they made the trade for Fields after two disappointing seasons with the Denver Broncos.
Prescott pens record-breaking Cowboys contract
Dak Prescott is set to sign a record-breaking, $240million contract with the Dallas Cowboys, according to reports.
Prescott's future has been up in the air but, just hours out from their season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, it appears the Cowboys have struck a deal with their quarterback.
The deal includes a guaranteed $231m and an $80m signing bonus.
With an annual salary of $60m, Prescott will become the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.
This is the second extension the 31-year-old has penned with Dallas, where he will remain through the 2028 season.
Prescott led the NFL for completions (410) and touchdowns (36) last season.
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