Eagles big opening win comes with massive grain of salt

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in South America. It was an exciting, back-and-forth affair filled with explosive plays and highlights. Alas, one of the main talking points from the contest was the inadequate field conditions.

Many criticized the league for the tricky and unideal circumstances at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. Players on both teams and sides of the ball were struggling to gain traction. Overall, it led to some sloppy football, which has led naysayers to question the validity of Philly's Week 1 win.

Did the Eagles look like the legitimate Super Bowl contender the box score may suggest? Or was it a mirage and more a testament to them adapting to the environment better than the Packers? Iain MacMillan and Sterling Holmes discussed the topic on their Stacking the Box podcast and ostensibly leaned toward the latter.

Turf Monster puts massive caveat on Eagles' big opening win over the Packers

"I feel like what my eyes saw and what the final score said were two different things," MacMillan stated.

Holmes needed no convincing and was in lockstep with his co-host.

"Oh, 100%. Could not agree more," Holmes replied before getting into his rationale. " ... it really was the field. How many big plays happened because a defender slipped? I feel bad for the players."

Regardless of who was responsible for the brutal playing surface in Brazil, Holmes finds it downright "embarrassing."

Philadelphia revamped their stable of defensive backs this offseason, though the new group didn't look much more promising than 2023's unit against Green Bay. However, Holmes can't tell whether that was because of poor performance or they were falling all over the place.

"[The Eagles] put a lot of on the secondary — they didn't look any better in this game," Holmes voiced. "Again, part of that — is that the field, or is it just a whole bunch of new youth that needs to get their feet wet?"

Regardless, the Eagles and Packers both play on the same surface as the one at Corinthians Arena (for what it's worth). They are the only two teams in the NFL whose respective home fields boast Desso Grassmaster, a mixture of turf and grass. 

If the Eagles want to be considered a legitimate title squad, they must prove themselves moving forward, starting in Week 2. Nonetheless, they will return to Lincoln Financial Field. So, if we're going to assess them fairly then, the same logic applies for their opener in Brazil. Right?